December 1, 2019 Text: Isaiah 2:1-5
Dear Friends in Christ,
We have all been on guided tours. Where do you like to position yourself when on these tours? Toni, Karson, and I just toured a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house in Kankakee. There were only five of us so positioning wasn’t so important but if in a large group your position is vital to your view.
Since we are a cross-section of human beings in this church, there are some who like to be at the front of the tour. You can hear better, preferably see better and you like to be the lead dog. Others of you take the middle. You don’t want to crowd to the front but you need to be close to hear and you like that human contact. Then some of you are like me. You like the back of the tour. Gives you time to linger, gives a non-crowded view and there is no jostling. Yea, this is the view I like!
Go ahead and position your minds where you want to be. We are going to take a tour this morning and we can see that it’s . . .
“TIME FOR A BEATING”
We as Christians have the best view today because we are on the Mountain of the Lord. God promises that this mountain on the last day will be a place of supremacy. This isn’t a spot of real estate; Isaiah is speaking of God’s dwelling with His people, the church. On this mountain we will have a perfect view of God’s loving face that assures us of life and peace. On this mountain will be no war or strife. On this holy mountain will be believers from every nation who are unified around their Lord and Savior. Yea, this is the view I like!
Why can we be so sure that we will like the view? Because Jesus has given sin and death a beating. When the spear pierced Jesus’s side, it looked like Jesus was beaten. In fact, it was Jesus who gave the beating. He beat that spear into a pruning hook by his death on the cross, a death that pruned away all our sin.
On Easter morning Jesus demonstrated that he had given sin, death, and Satan a beating. Through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus we gain forgiveness and acceptance into the family of God. Through Baptism into Jesus’ victory we have been called to our place on God’s holy mountain.
Through faith in Jesus we now have an unobstructed view of salvation. No sin, guilt, present hurt, or scheme of Satan will be able to block our view of God’s shining face because Jesus has given every such obstacle a beating, sharing his triumphs with all who believe in Him.
“Let us walk in the light of the Lord.” That is Isaiah’s admonition to us in verse 5. That can be hard when we know the offerings on Netflix better than the Scriptures. It can be hard when the darkness of our troubles and challenges overshadow us. It can be hard when pain and sorrow obstruct our view of the light. Put aside your deeds of darkness in order to walk in the light.
Time for a beating. What better way to walk in the light than to give people on earth a glimpse of what life will be like on God’s holy mountain. Start now to beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks.
What are some of the “swords and spears” we sometimes wield? The sword of a grudge over another person. Especially prevalent over the holidays with family we don’t see on a regular basis. The spear of our words that cut like sharpened steel. The weapon of deafening silence and callous indifference to those who might need our help and understanding.
We have wielded these weapons with skill, but our skill hardly fits our status as saints. Those of us who have seen the shining face of Jesus wish to walk on the path of his instruction.
Thus, Advent reminds us that it’s time for a beating. It is not time for God to beat us for our sins, oh no. Jesus took the beating for us on Calvary. He beat sin and death once and all for us.
Advent instead reminds us to give a beating to our old ways of sin. We do that by repenting of them and knowing Christ will forgive them. With the Holy Spirit’s guidance we beat that grudge-sword into the plowshare of forgiveness. Those spears of hurtful words turn into pruning hooks of words that build up. Our silence and indifference show themselves in love and mercy.
Yes, it’s time for a beating. The beating of sin that comes by the Gospel of Jesus. Receive that Gospel message yourself in faith. Then put the love of Jesus to work in your life. By the power of the cross beat down your sinful habits. Your new tools of peace and love will give witness to the kingdom of God. In doing so, you will call all those around you to come to God’s holy mountain, to walk in the light of the Lord, and to behold the best view of all: Jesus and his love. It’s time, isn’t it? Time for a beating.
Amen.