Advent 1 2010

First Sunday in Advent
11/28/10
Matthew 21:1-11
Bror Erickson


[21:1] Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Beth-phage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, [2] saying to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. [3] If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once." [4] This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
[5] "Say to the daughter of Zion,
'Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.' "
[6] The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. [7] They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. [8] Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. [9] And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" [10] And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" [11] And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee." Matthew 21:1-11 (ESV)


Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold your king is coming to you, humble and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.

Happy New Year! That is the way we Christians regard this first Sunday in Advent, the beginning of a new year, a new year of Grace, in which our king comes to us.
Advent is a season of expectation, a season that expects the advent of our king, the coming of our king. The season culminates with Christmas, barring the second advent of our king in which he no longer comes humble and mounted on a donkey but in glory to judge the living and the dead.
But Advent isn’t really about Christmas it really is about that second coming in glory to judge the living and the dead, that is the advent we wait for these days, it was the advent the crowds shouting Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” were waiting for. These crowds were not waiting for the humble messiah mounted on a donkey, the foal of a beast of burden, who would upset the whole concept of Messiah.
These people had their perceived needs and they expected a Messiah to satisfy those needs. Of course ultimately this made them miss the messiah all together, when he didn’t satisfy their perceived needs they figured he must not be the messiah at all, must not be doing anything for them. But Jesus knew better what they needed, and new better what the cure was.
These men wanted the kingdom of David restored. Is that any different than our politicians invoking the name of Christ? Nothing has really changed. Christ comes to forgive us our sins, he comes humbly, in ways unexpected if not on a donkey than in water bread and wine, and through the hearing of the word. He forgives our sins Sunday after Sunday, but then we take that for granted and expect the church to do more glamorous things for us.
And the church isn’t always better about that. Sometimes it is the church itself the perpetuates this. We talk about what we need when in reality it is not much more than a want. I hear it all the time. Sometimes I’m guilty of it, probably more than I care to realize. For instance, sometimes I think we need a new building and a day care. Those would be really nice, and would probably help make an impact on this community that otherwise will not be made. But we don’t need them. What we need is the same thing this community ignores Sunday after Sunday, the Gospel and the sacraments, because it is through those that Christ comes to us with the forgiveness of sins.
Just two weeks ago I was reminded of this. A congregation doing the self study the district had given them. I read through the questions and answers. I’ll forgive the answers but everything was asked in terms of what do we need, and answered the same way. There were a lot of wants on the list but no real needs. I suspect those self studies universally accepted these days, do more to upset a congregation than they do to help it. People come to church hoping to find the cure to their marital problems, or help with their drug addicted kids, or perhaps they are sick and hope that prayer will cure them, and here the church does nothing but give them eternal life, and they reject it as unhelpful.
Well it was the same thing for those crowds that so enthusiastically greeted Christ as he rode into Jerusalem. He didn’t meet their expectations either. Within a week they turned on him and executed him. Though perhaps not the exact same people. Jesus didn’t give them what they wanted. There is no real lasting cure for this world anyway, only death. Oh things can be done to make it more or less enjoyable, more or less tolerable. But in the end there is only death and nothing can really change that for the world, but someone changed that for us, for you and me, Jesus.
Jesus came and wasn’t distracted by all the little things of this world. Oh he made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, but only as a shadow of a picture of what he has really done for each and everyone of us whom he has forgiven with his death, to whom he has given heaven with his blood. Those deaf people they don’t hear the groans of this world anymore, those blind people don’t see the suffering of this world anymore, the lame people don’t walk this world of pain anymore. No, in the end they too had to die to live, and found their final cure in the world to come. So it is with us too. Even if our lives completely change we still die. But if we believe in Christ we never die, but live. In him, in this humble king, mounted on a donkey we have what we really need, eternal life.
Now the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.