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sadvent304
Hark the Glad Sound!
Text:
Matthew 11:2-15
Date: The Third Sunday in Advent
12/12/04 DOWNLOAD OUTLOOK 4.0
Hark
the glad sound! Gaudete! The third of the four Sundays in Advent
is called “Rejoice Sunday.” After closing the first half of his
prophetic writing with scathing words of divine judgment Isaiah
opens the second half of his book saying that, nevertheless, joy
and everlasting gladness and rejoicing is literally busting out
all over because God is coming in glory and majesty. The dry places
will be drenched with water, the weak, feeble and anxious will receive
renewed strength and confidence. Blind people will see, deaf people
will hear, those with a limp will join the local clogging dance
group and mute people will join choirs to sing Handel's “Messiah.”
And why all the joy? God is coming to save. Isaiah's preaching did
not soft-pedal the Law and did not hold back on the glorious promise
of the Gospel. Yet his preaching was for the ears of faith. For
much of the time the kingdom of God doesn't look like what we might
have expected.
“Hark
the glad sound! The Savior comes, The Savior promised long; Let
ev'ry heart prepare a throne And ev'ry voice a song” [LW 29:1].
Admittedly, it seemed a strange expression of joy when John the
Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins, Law and Gospel. Nevertheless it was
a glad sound, like the introduction of a mighty hymn of praise with
full organ, trumpets and timpani when John announced the arrival
of the great Messiah promised of old. When he saw Jesus he pointed
his disciples to him saying, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world!” And a few of his disciples went where
their teacher was pointing and followed Jesus.
Yet,
where the divine light brightly shines the darkness of evil and
unbelief is close at hand. When the songs of divine praises are
sung, the unclear and sour note seeks to infiltrate the score, change
the rhythm and cause such a cacophony as to bring down the whole
thing. The joyous task for which John was born and commissioned
had a dark side to it. The darkness came to put out his light, to
silence his witness and today we see John in prison. And now it
appears that even John, that fiery preacher is beginning to doubt.
When John sent from his prison cell some of his remaining disciples
to Jesus with the question, “Are you the one who is to come, or
shall we look for another?” was this the question of John himself?
Or was he trying only to get his few remaining disciples on the
right track of becoming disciples of Jesus? Was it both? After all,
how could one that was once so confident and driven by his divine
calling to prepare the way for the Messiah now entertain such deep
doubts? What is it that can cause a preacher to want to throw in
the towel? How can he who said he is not worthy to untie or carry
the Master's sandals now question the path Jesus was walking? How
can the mighty prophet who confessed “He must become greater, I
must become less,” now not see the true greatness of the Lamb of
God who takes away the sin of the world? What's more, if that could
happen to this one of whom Jesus says there is “no one greater,”
it will most certainly also happen to us.
Do
you remember a time when the claims of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
literally grabbed you and faith seemed to overflow into joy and
confidence? When you were so totally convinced of the truth of God's
Word that it changed your whole outlook on life? For the unbeliever
that's called conversion—God suddenly breaking in to your darkness
and confusion with his glorious light. For the baptized it's called
an awakening—that is, God's been there all the while since your
baptism, but only now are you becoming aware of the reality of his
presence and purpose for you. But where the divine light brightly
shines in those moments, the darkness of evil and unbelief is close
at hand. The light shined brightly from Germany in the days of Martin
Luther and the brave confessors of the conservative reformation.
But Luther himself saw the darkness close at hand and feared it
would again win the day after he was gone. And so the whole history
of the Church outlines at times great, outward strength, popularity
and growth, and other times of persecution, darkness and only the
unseen growth of the strength of faith. Today we are living in a
moment in time when there is great interest in things spiritual.
Unfortunately, those interested are also convinced that they won't
find the answer to their longings in the historic Christian Church.
Look how much press is given the Muslim religion; various spiritual
practices like Yoga and even the relatively meaningless events to
the Jewish faith behind Hanukah are elevated to be somehow on a
par with Christmas. These days you better watch out, you better
not shout, you better not try to put up a nativity scene on public
property or make too big a deal out of the mention of God in the
Declaration of Independence or the Pledge of Allegiance.
Doubts,
confusion, fear, political correctness. “Are you the one who is
to come, or shall we look for another?” In doubt or fear or confusion
or just plain boredom many today are looking for a glad sound, but
they have little confidence that it can be found in the Church.
Ablaze with fear the Missouri Synod is revving up the praise/pit
bands desperately looking for numbers, and preferably “numbers”
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