Restoration Frustration
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series II, Cycle A
Object:
Here we are gathered together a few days after Christmas. How did you celebrate the birthday of Jesus? How did everything go for you? For most folks, some empty spaces remain. Just like our pews this morning, where there are empty spaces that were filled on Christmas Eve, there may be post-Christmas empty spaces in our hearts. For most of us, Christmas preparations and celebrations rarely meet expectations. Not everything goes smoothly. Not every gathering is joyful. Not every program and worship service is as spiritually uplifting as we would have desired. Not every gift was given with grace-filled love. Not every gift was received with festive thanksgiving. Exchange desks in malls and department stores are in a frenzy of activity on December 26, perhaps their busiest day of the entire year. Finding a shopping mall parking space on December 26 is almost as frustrating as experiencing yet one more unmet Christmas expectation.
For many of us, our hopes for restored family and renewed energy have been extinguished with the Christmas candles ... again. For many of us, the presents we purchased with money we don't really have, were received with the same feeling we will have when the credit card bills arrive later this month. Folks who were lonely and forgotten before Christmas, feel even more lonely and forgotten on this first Sunday after Christmas. Persons barely existing on the margins of society before Christmas are even more marginalized today.
We often begin each Christmas season desperately seeking what can be called the "3-A's" of life: finding 1) acceptance, 2) affirmation, and 3) approval. Sadly, for many, the Christmas season ends with most of us feeling life's "3-P's": 1) pooped, 2) perplexed, and 3) pathetic. We then begin making New Year's resolutions on some variation of the theme, "never again!"
There's a story about three-year-old Mark, who had just learned to pray the Lord's Prayer. One evening, just after Christmas, his bedtime Lord's Prayer included the following petition: "Forgive us our Christmases as we forgive those who Christmas against us."
Well, Mark, maybe you are closer to our actual experience than we want to admit. Our annual expectations that the Christmas season itself will restore lasting meaning and joy to our lives inevitably results in a bitter disappointment: a restoration frustration.
Restoration frustration! That certainly describes the situation in our text in Isaiah today. Many of those who were living as captives in Babylonia had just returned from their fifty-year exile. Instead of returning to worship in a restored temple, they found the once-magnificent structure in the same demolished condition as when they were taken prisoner by King Nebuchadnezzar and his conquering army. Instead of being welcomed back into a just, moral, and familiar society, the returning exiles returned to a precarious, miserable, and alien context. Even though some traditional religious practices had been maintained, they were intermingled with superstitious and pagan rites.
This must have been a terrible disappointment for the returning exiles. After all, until they were deported, they and their families had once been the cream of Jewish political, intellectual, and religious leadership. Restoration anticipation quickly declined from restoration frustration into aggravation, desperation, and humiliation. Perhaps God was still punishing them; or worse, God had cancelled God's eternal covenant of salvation. A familiar lament for the exiles in Babylon also may illustrate their perspective upon returning home:
Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us; look, and see our disgrace! Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to aliens ... Mount Zion, which lies desolate; jackals prowl over it.
-- Lamentations 5:1-2, 18
So, what was your Christmas like? Did anyone "Christmas" against you? Did you "Christmas" against anyone? Did you return home after a long absence? Did anyone return to your home? Were you alone then and still alone today? What happened to your hopes for renewal and restoration? What is it like for you to experience restoration frustration? Where is God in all this? How do we find renewed energy and passionate faith?
Good questions! Isaiah proclaims God's response in today's lesson.
Restoration comes from God's action and not our own efforts. Restoration for the returning exiles, and for us, begins with remembering what God has done, is doing, and has promised to continue to do in our midst.
In these verses of our Old Testament lesson, God reminds the discouraged of God's continuing and loving presence. "Surely they are my people," says the Lord, "and he became their savior in all their distress" (Isaiah 63:8).
Surely we are God's people, named and claimed by God at baptism. In Jesus Christ, whose birth and resurrection we celebrate on this first Sunday after Christmas, God became our Savior in the midst of our own restoration frustration.
In this passage, God is showing us how to reclaim the vitality and energy that God has already given us. God is revealing to us a model for spiritual and communal renewal.
One afternoon, Thomas, age five, and Stephen, age three, were proudly showing their grandfather the see-saw that their daddy had constructed in the backyard. "Let's try it out," invited Grandfather. Thomas and Stephen sat on one end; Grandfather on the other. The boys' combined weight of 79 pounds was no match for Grandfather's heavy 185 pounds. His end crashed to the ground while the boys rocketed skyward with pupils dilated and tiny arms clinging desperately to the sides of the board. "Pa-Pa, you have to move to the center so we don't fall off!" exclaimed Thomas. "Yeah, move to the center so we can play," pleaded Stephen. Pa-Pa did. They played. Nobody fell off.
Move to the center so we can play ... what a concept for restoring frustrated relationships and exhausted spirits! Friends, the center, the very core of our existence is in the mighty acts of God in our past, our present, and in our future.
Hear again the words of Isaiah:
I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, because of all that the Lord has done for us and the great favor to the house of Israel.
-- Isaiah 63:7
This is both the beginning of restoration and the end of frustration and humiliation. All too often, especially just after Christmas, when congregations find themselves frustrated in accomplishing their mission, we hear leaders lament, "Ten percent of the people have been doing ninety percent of the work for too long, and we are exhausted!" These folks, even pastors and staff members, have become tired out, burned out, and ready to drop out. Once proud and vital mainline denominations find themselves dropping from mainline to side line, to flat line: bored, apathetic, and frustrated.
This happens with families, friendships, and communities, as well. Maybe it's happening to you. A danger here is to seek desperately for a quick fix, a gimmick or technique that would remedy the situation immediately. If only we had more members who would give more money. If only "they" would listen to us. If only "someone" would live up to their promises. If only they would show a little appreciation for all our hard work.
Do these laments sound familiar? They sure sound like the complaints of the returning exiles: If only those who remained in Jerusalem would have restored the temple. If only they would have kept God's law.
There was no "quick fix" for the returning captives. There is no quick fix for us either ... that is, without first returning to the center. Salvation comes as a result of God's presence and action, not by our own methods and techniques.
Restoration occurs through regular and specific recounting of the reality that God has and is revealing to us. As Isaiah states, "According to his mercy, according to the abundance of his steadfast love" (Isaiah 63:7).
Try this in your family and in your committee meetings and other parish groups. For the next few weeks, during a family gathering and before a parish group meeting, spend just a few minutes sharing an example of how each person has experienced God's presence in their lives. This might seem a bit awkward at first, yet you will be astonished by what happens when folks begin to "recount the gracious deeds and praiseworthy acts of the Lord" (Isaiah 63:7). Times of transition and tragedy, anxiety and sorrow will be the very times when folks describe how God's mercy and steadfast love has restored and supported them. Listen for powerful stories of renewal, particularly now during the Christmas season. Listen for what new power the baby, God's Word made flesh, brings to the dark spaces of living. Listen for how God's presence transforms even the most "pooped, perplexed, and pathetic" soul into a life that God proclaims as "accepted, affirmed, and approved."
Each time you receive the Lord's Supper, hear with restored joy, Jesus' own words: "This is my body, given for you. This is my blood, shed for you."
It is not just the pastor who proclaims these words. It is Jesus himself. It is not just a professional theologian or church leader who promises that recounting the glorious deeds of the Lord will end restoration and begin renewal. It is the Holy Spirit of God.
Listen again to the final verse of our text today.
... It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
-- Isaiah 63:9
There may have been, in little Mark's prayer, a lot of "Christmasing" going on during the last few weeks. There may still be some remnants of restoration frustration that linger in your heart. In Christ, God's child, God has restored you and redeemed you. In Christ, God lifts you up and will carry you in his heart forever.
That's the gospel truth, for you, forever. Amen.
For many of us, our hopes for restored family and renewed energy have been extinguished with the Christmas candles ... again. For many of us, the presents we purchased with money we don't really have, were received with the same feeling we will have when the credit card bills arrive later this month. Folks who were lonely and forgotten before Christmas, feel even more lonely and forgotten on this first Sunday after Christmas. Persons barely existing on the margins of society before Christmas are even more marginalized today.
We often begin each Christmas season desperately seeking what can be called the "3-A's" of life: finding 1) acceptance, 2) affirmation, and 3) approval. Sadly, for many, the Christmas season ends with most of us feeling life's "3-P's": 1) pooped, 2) perplexed, and 3) pathetic. We then begin making New Year's resolutions on some variation of the theme, "never again!"
There's a story about three-year-old Mark, who had just learned to pray the Lord's Prayer. One evening, just after Christmas, his bedtime Lord's Prayer included the following petition: "Forgive us our Christmases as we forgive those who Christmas against us."
Well, Mark, maybe you are closer to our actual experience than we want to admit. Our annual expectations that the Christmas season itself will restore lasting meaning and joy to our lives inevitably results in a bitter disappointment: a restoration frustration.
Restoration frustration! That certainly describes the situation in our text in Isaiah today. Many of those who were living as captives in Babylonia had just returned from their fifty-year exile. Instead of returning to worship in a restored temple, they found the once-magnificent structure in the same demolished condition as when they were taken prisoner by King Nebuchadnezzar and his conquering army. Instead of being welcomed back into a just, moral, and familiar society, the returning exiles returned to a precarious, miserable, and alien context. Even though some traditional religious practices had been maintained, they were intermingled with superstitious and pagan rites.
This must have been a terrible disappointment for the returning exiles. After all, until they were deported, they and their families had once been the cream of Jewish political, intellectual, and religious leadership. Restoration anticipation quickly declined from restoration frustration into aggravation, desperation, and humiliation. Perhaps God was still punishing them; or worse, God had cancelled God's eternal covenant of salvation. A familiar lament for the exiles in Babylon also may illustrate their perspective upon returning home:
Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us; look, and see our disgrace! Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to aliens ... Mount Zion, which lies desolate; jackals prowl over it.
-- Lamentations 5:1-2, 18
So, what was your Christmas like? Did anyone "Christmas" against you? Did you "Christmas" against anyone? Did you return home after a long absence? Did anyone return to your home? Were you alone then and still alone today? What happened to your hopes for renewal and restoration? What is it like for you to experience restoration frustration? Where is God in all this? How do we find renewed energy and passionate faith?
Good questions! Isaiah proclaims God's response in today's lesson.
Restoration comes from God's action and not our own efforts. Restoration for the returning exiles, and for us, begins with remembering what God has done, is doing, and has promised to continue to do in our midst.
In these verses of our Old Testament lesson, God reminds the discouraged of God's continuing and loving presence. "Surely they are my people," says the Lord, "and he became their savior in all their distress" (Isaiah 63:8).
Surely we are God's people, named and claimed by God at baptism. In Jesus Christ, whose birth and resurrection we celebrate on this first Sunday after Christmas, God became our Savior in the midst of our own restoration frustration.
In this passage, God is showing us how to reclaim the vitality and energy that God has already given us. God is revealing to us a model for spiritual and communal renewal.
One afternoon, Thomas, age five, and Stephen, age three, were proudly showing their grandfather the see-saw that their daddy had constructed in the backyard. "Let's try it out," invited Grandfather. Thomas and Stephen sat on one end; Grandfather on the other. The boys' combined weight of 79 pounds was no match for Grandfather's heavy 185 pounds. His end crashed to the ground while the boys rocketed skyward with pupils dilated and tiny arms clinging desperately to the sides of the board. "Pa-Pa, you have to move to the center so we don't fall off!" exclaimed Thomas. "Yeah, move to the center so we can play," pleaded Stephen. Pa-Pa did. They played. Nobody fell off.
Move to the center so we can play ... what a concept for restoring frustrated relationships and exhausted spirits! Friends, the center, the very core of our existence is in the mighty acts of God in our past, our present, and in our future.
Hear again the words of Isaiah:
I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, because of all that the Lord has done for us and the great favor to the house of Israel.
-- Isaiah 63:7
This is both the beginning of restoration and the end of frustration and humiliation. All too often, especially just after Christmas, when congregations find themselves frustrated in accomplishing their mission, we hear leaders lament, "Ten percent of the people have been doing ninety percent of the work for too long, and we are exhausted!" These folks, even pastors and staff members, have become tired out, burned out, and ready to drop out. Once proud and vital mainline denominations find themselves dropping from mainline to side line, to flat line: bored, apathetic, and frustrated.
This happens with families, friendships, and communities, as well. Maybe it's happening to you. A danger here is to seek desperately for a quick fix, a gimmick or technique that would remedy the situation immediately. If only we had more members who would give more money. If only "they" would listen to us. If only "someone" would live up to their promises. If only they would show a little appreciation for all our hard work.
Do these laments sound familiar? They sure sound like the complaints of the returning exiles: If only those who remained in Jerusalem would have restored the temple. If only they would have kept God's law.
There was no "quick fix" for the returning captives. There is no quick fix for us either ... that is, without first returning to the center. Salvation comes as a result of God's presence and action, not by our own methods and techniques.
Restoration occurs through regular and specific recounting of the reality that God has and is revealing to us. As Isaiah states, "According to his mercy, according to the abundance of his steadfast love" (Isaiah 63:7).
Try this in your family and in your committee meetings and other parish groups. For the next few weeks, during a family gathering and before a parish group meeting, spend just a few minutes sharing an example of how each person has experienced God's presence in their lives. This might seem a bit awkward at first, yet you will be astonished by what happens when folks begin to "recount the gracious deeds and praiseworthy acts of the Lord" (Isaiah 63:7). Times of transition and tragedy, anxiety and sorrow will be the very times when folks describe how God's mercy and steadfast love has restored and supported them. Listen for powerful stories of renewal, particularly now during the Christmas season. Listen for what new power the baby, God's Word made flesh, brings to the dark spaces of living. Listen for how God's presence transforms even the most "pooped, perplexed, and pathetic" soul into a life that God proclaims as "accepted, affirmed, and approved."
Each time you receive the Lord's Supper, hear with restored joy, Jesus' own words: "This is my body, given for you. This is my blood, shed for you."
It is not just the pastor who proclaims these words. It is Jesus himself. It is not just a professional theologian or church leader who promises that recounting the glorious deeds of the Lord will end restoration and begin renewal. It is the Holy Spirit of God.
Listen again to the final verse of our text today.
... It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.
-- Isaiah 63:9
There may have been, in little Mark's prayer, a lot of "Christmasing" going on during the last few weeks. There may still be some remnants of restoration frustration that linger in your heart. In Christ, God's child, God has restored you and redeemed you. In Christ, God lifts you up and will carry you in his heart forever.
That's the gospel truth, for you, forever. Amen.
