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Current Sermons Archived Sermons "Do You Hear What I Hear?" January 15, 2006 An Incomplete Feast December 25, 2005 The Third Gift December 24, 2005 Nothing will be impossible with God December 18, 2005 Redeeming Holiday Cheer December 11, 2005 Comfort, comfort my people … December 4, 2005 Advent begins in the dark… November 27, 2005 Thanksgiving Day November 24, 2005 It's All About Respect November 20, 2005 The world is a better place because ... November 13, 2005 Holy Baptism and Festal Eucharist November 6, 2005 Promise and Presence October 30, 2005 This is Only A Test October 23, 2005 Made in the Image of God October 16, 2005 Finding Our Way October 9, 2005 Our Lives Are Based On A True Story October 2, 2005 It Is God Working In You September 23, 2005 Whatever Happened to our Security? September 11, 2005 Put on the Armor of Light September 4, 2005 Giftedness and Identity August 21, 2005 What about Respect? August 14, 2005 Dean Lane's Final Sermon July 31, 2005		Sermon Advent begins in the dark… The Venerable Richard I. Cluett Isaiah 64:1-9, 1Cor. 1:3-9, Mark 13:24-37 Advent 1 B November 27, 2005 It’s dark these days. It's dark when I wake up about 6:00 in the morning, and it is dark when I get home in the evening. Some days it is even dark all day long. Those are the days with the heavy leaden, gray skies. No rain, no snow... just dark gray days. Advent began in the dark. And not only the meteorological environment is dark, so is the human one, too. And it has been ever thus, hasn’t it? Some things don’t change. Same old, same old. There is so much darkness in life, and there has always been so much darkness in life. Why else would the scripture we read this day sound this way? Isaiah calls to God, “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down…” The psalmist sings, “Restore us, O God of hosts, show us the light of your countenance and we shall be saved.” Paul tells, the Corinthians, to “Stay strong.” And in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus says to his disciples, “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light… Keep awake.” Isaiah has beseeched God to rend the heavens and come down. The psalmist calls on God to restore the fortunes of God’s people. Paul speaks to a community waiting for the revealing of Jesus Christ. Jesus says, “Be careful what you ask for. Why in the world does the church begin the church year by looking to the end – the end of it all? Why in heavens name do believers – including this one – look forward to Advent? ARE YOU READY FOR THE RAPTURE?! Well, not really. Are you ready for God to rend the heavens and come down? Well, maybe next week. Are you ready for Jesus to come again? Well, not quite yet. Are you ready for the darkness that sometimes invades your life to be ended? O yes. Are you ready for the darkness in which whole peoples spend their whole lives to be lifted from them? Please Lord.Do you want the Good News of God in Christ to enlighten the nations and people to be set free? Yes, Let your light so shine… Several decades ago, when I was serving a church in upstate NY, a family member of one of the parishioners’ died in another town. This guy had been a real rascal, a black sheep, a ne’er-do-well, but still a loved member of that family. Another member of the parish and I went to the funeral to support the family. It was held in a small, hot, crowded, independent Baptist country church. They wheeled the coffin in and the preacher began to preach. He shouted, fumed, and flailed his arms. "It’s too late for Joe," he screamed. "He might have wanted to do this or that in life, but it’s too late for him now. He’s dead. It’s all over for him. He might have wanted to straighten his life out, but he can’t now. It’s over." What a comfort this must be to the family, I thought. "But it ain’t too late for you! People drop dead every day. So why wait? Now is the day for decision. Now is the time to make your life count for something. Give your life to Jesus!" It was the worst thing I had ever heard. "Can you imagine a preacher doing that kind of thing to a grieving family?" I asked my friend on the way home. "I’ve never heard anything so manipulative, cheap and inappropriate. I would never preach a sermon like that." She agreed with me that it was tacky, manipulative, and callous. "Of course," she added, "the worst part is that it’s true." Now, a lot of pastors would use these bible passages to pound people into submission to a God of Terror. “If you don’t do this, God is gonna get you. You better watch out! Jesus is coming back, and he’s… mad!” Isaiah is calling for an apocalypse. This part of Mark’s gospel is called “The little Apocalypse. These lessons and this season do remind us that we have one foot in this life and we have one foot in the life to come, in eternity. But Isaiah doesn’t cry out to a punishing God. He cries out to a God who saves. The Psalmist sings to a God who will restore. Jesus points to the end when God’s purpose will be fulfilled. The word Apocalypse literally means, “to reveal, to bring to light.” It is out of darkness that people cry out. It is out of desperation that we are most in touch with our need for God. It is when we have made a royal mess of things that we want God to come powerfully into our lives and into the life of the world – to shed light on all the dark places. The pre-Christian Philosopher Plato wrote 400 years before the birth of Jesus, “One can easily understand a child who is afraid of the dark. The tragedy of life is when grown men and women are afraid of the light.” Isaiah (60:1-3) prophesizes: Arise, shine, for your light has come, * and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you. For behold, darkness covers the land; * deep gloom enshrouds the peoples. But over you the Lord will rise, * and his glory will appear upon you. When all is revealed, when all is made right, when the apocalypse is now, the world will truly be filled with Children of Light. But even now we can catch a glimpse of what it will be like. Former President Jimmy Carter has a new book out titled, Our Endangered Values, in which he tells of an experience he had in 1974, while governor of Georgia. “I was invited by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale to go with him to Macon, Georgia, to join in presenting an award … to honor The Church of the Exceptional, a congregation of about fifty mentally retarded people. “… He and I gave our best speeches, and then came the final event: the lighting of a large candle by one of the church members. She was a middle-aged woman with Down syndrome, who came slowly but proudly down the center aisle carrying a lighted taper. She was followed closely by the pastor of the little church, who offered to steady her and give her assistance. She rejected all help, and approached the candle with obvious confidence and pride. “The small flame wavered back and forth, and despite her repeated efforts, the candle wouldn't light. The crowd sat with bated breath, and Dr. Peale and I couldn't avoid a feeling of embarrassment for her. The pastor moved forward and put his hand on hers to steady the taper, but she shook her head and pushed him away. “Finally, the candle lit, and the crowd erupted into applause. But the brightest thing in the huge auditorium was the woman's face, which glowed with happiness. “… no one will ever forget the triumphant moment when the woman demonstrated her own dedication, confidence, achievement, and pride in having contributed to the evening ceremony honoring her little church. Seven thousand lives were touched by her faith and determination.” And the Kingdom of God was fully revealed. Advent begins in the dark. But, this is what Advent is all about. This is what the Incarnation is all about. This is what our lives are to be all about. Bringing light into dark places. Amen.