Advent is a very special time for the church. It’s a time of preparation for one of the biggest days of the whole year: the day we celebrate God coming down to Earth in the form of a newborn baby.
So how do we prepare for Jesus birthday? Well, we decorate the house (And some of us were here yesterday doing that), we buy gifts (though most of them aren’t for the birthday boy), we sing songs to get us in the mood, and we try to be just a little cheerier than usual.
All in all, I think it makes for the “most wonderful time of the year.”
But I like to think that Advent is more than the crazy obstacle course race to Christmas. Instead I like to think of advent as the call to be ready for Christ to come. 3000 years ago, Isaiah was sounding the call. 2000 years ago, it was John the Baptist. And today… well… you get me.
And my message isn’t drastically different than theirs: Jesus is coming, and we need to get ready. But how? How can you possibly get ready for something like that?
Last week Pastor Nieting spoke about that, and I want to pick up right where he left off. The end of the world could come at any moment, and we don’t have to be afraid because we live in the Kingdom of Grace. That is the basic, central truth of what Christianity is all about… God gives us undeserved love and patience and forgiveness. And as Pastor Nieting reminded us last week, we need to get that news out to our neighbors, coworkers, everybody.
But I think we need to up raise the bar here a little bit. 1 Peter 4:7-8 says this: “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” Pause here with me for a second and think this through.
Imagine you’re standing in the middle of the mall, watching the people pass by. Now pick a random person. Imagine that that person found out that this was the last day they’d ever spend on earth. What do you think they would do with that time? Max out their credit cards and go skydiving? Eat cheesecake until they fall out of their chair? Or worse?
What would you do with that time, if this was for sure your last day on earth?
Peter’s advice isn’t to get away with as much as you can… it isn’t about making “the most” of our time, it’s about making “the best” of our time. If Jesus is coming back today, let Him find us loving one another.
After all, we live in a messy, hurting world – a world that one day God will wipe out and start fresh. But that doesn’t mean we ought to become hardened or indifferent to the people around us. On the contrary, we ought to do what we can to ease suffering and fight sin wherever we can. And 1 Peter tells us this to take the offensive against sin we ought to love. “Love covers a multitude of sins…”
We usually think about grace as something that only God does. We’re miserable sinners, and we depend on His grace. And that’s true; absolutely true. But that doesn’t mean that we only receive grace.
1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” So, again, Peter is saying, “The end of the world is at hand, so get busy administering God’s grace.” Notice, Peter is charging each of us with this job. Grace isn’t just for God to dispense. It isn’t just for pastors to pass out. It is the charge of every child of God.
So, what does that look like? Well let’s establish a few facts. Fact #1, we live in a world that is full of hurting people. Every person you lay eyes on is a person who needs love, a person who doesn’t have it all together, a person in need of forgiveness and healing.
If you aren’t sure about that, think about the people you know the best. I bet those people thrive on your approval, and are crushed by your harsh judgment. I bet you know tons of their flaws. It isn’t that the people in your life are necessarily more messed up than everyone else in the world… you just see the part of them that strangers can hide.
Fact #2, you are unique and that is on purpose. God made you in a specific way, positioned you in a particular time and place, and has given you entrusted you with certain gifts. There has never been someone just like you, and there never will be.
If you say that grace is undeserved love and favor… well guess what? The best parts of you are gifts of God’s grace. Are you smart? That’s an act of God’s grace? Are you strong? Grace. Are you talented? Grace. Are you kind? Grace. The list goes on and on.
Fact #3, as a child of God, it’s your job to bring grace and healing into the lives of the hurting sinners all around you.
That’s precisely what 1 Peter 4 is driving at. You are who you are and where you are so that you can bring God’s love to the people around you. If you are a talker, then you need to talk as if you are God’s spokesman. If you are a servant, then God will empower you to serve. Everything we do in life should be a testament to God’s love and mercy.
We are absolutely dependent on God’s grace, and that comes in all kinds of forms. Sometimes it is received in a direct way… like in the absolution or in communion. Other times He uses regular folks like you and me to pass along His grace to the people in our lives who desperately need it.
Three Advent candles are lit, and they remind as that Christ’s coming is nearer than ever. Will you make the best of the time left? Will you pass on the grace that you’ve received?
