Sermon for December 4th (Deliverance)

As I was reading today’s first lesson from Isaiah a little over a month ago I felt like God was speaking directly to me, “Comfort, comfort my people.”  I just couldn’t get away from these words, “Comfort, comfort my people.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” 

In seminary, I heard once that there is nothing so depressing as a sermon on Joy.  What do I mean by that?  Well, speaking as a person who has dealt with depression off and on throughout my life I’ll tell you one thing: When I’m depressed, telling me how wonderful life truly is just makes it worse.  I’ve actually heard a sermon on joy once and it was truly miserable.  I kept asking the preacher (silently of course): Will you give me joy?  How do I get that joy you’re talking about?

So, God kept bringing back to those words, “Comfort, comfort my people.”  And I just don’t want to come off like that preacher I heard who talked a lot about joy and gave me none.  I don’t want to just talk about comfort, I want you to be comforted. 

It’s Advent and so our church calendar says that we are preparing for Christmas.  A celebration of what God did about 2000 years ago.  Great.  A big deal birthday party.  But what is God doing!?  That’s what I have wanted to know for the past month!  What is God doing?  Not 2000 years ago.  Right now! 

The prophet Isaiah was writing to a people in Exile in Babylonia who were finally going to be set free!  To be liberated by God who had the power and the authority to do it.  I mean, it says, “See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm.”  This was a promise that they were looking forward to.  They needed to prepare to leave their captivity.  Make things ready.  Pack their bags.  Wait expectantly.  I get that.  It makes sense.  And it happened!  They found comfort in God’s promise which was fulfilled.  They were prepared by a preacher and comforted by God.

John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching  baptism of repentance for the forgivness of sins and this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.  I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”  Wow!  That too is an awesome promise by God . . . and it happened in Jesus Christ who was born, lived, died and was raised from the dead.  This preacher prepared God’s people, but God comforted them.  They had to get ready for the Messiah to come and he did.  Great.  He DID come.  It happened.

So my problem is this: Why do spend all our time in Advent preparing for something that DID happen instead of preparing for something that will happen?  It’s like we’re stuck in this big circle where Jesus never grows up for us.  He comforts everyone in the past.  It’s important that we hear these stories because they remind us that God CAN and HAS kept his promises.  But talking about the joy the shepherds had, or the freedom from captivity the Israelites found is just depressing if you don’t have joy yourself—if you are still trapped in your addictions. 

God kept bringing back those words, “Comfort, comfort my people.”  And I thought, in order for God to comfort you, I’ve got to forget about Advent, or at least forget what it is usually talking about.  God has more in store for you than just celebrating Jesus’ birthday.  He’s still alive!  I mean, do you understand this!  He is still alive and gave us this great ministry to comfort people in real time.  Like now.  And what are we doing?  Talking all the time about what he DID.  What are His promises today?  Are we prepared to receive THOSE promises?  I don’t think so.  I don’t think you even know what they are. 

Jesus told us what God had called him to do, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”   But it didn’t end there.  He called his twelve disciples and told them to do what he was doing, “He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”  And it didn’t end there.  He sent out 72 other people and they did the same thing.  Jesus told his disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” and they did on Pentecost and continued preaching, healing and casting out demons in the name of Jesus.  So why are we preparing to celebrate what God did so long ago instead of preparing ourselves for what God is going to do with us in OUR lifetime?

How many of you are depressed?  Right now?  You are depressed so much you can’t find any joy this holiday season even though you want to.  How many of you are addicted to drugs, alcohol, gambling or pornography.  You’ll spend Christmas hiding out to get your fix, to check in with your bookie, or to check the internet when no one is looking.  And you’re trapped.  And you’re hiding.  How many of you are scared.  Scared all the time and you don’t know why.  How many of you want a better life?  Want to be freed from those obsessions and oppression.  Well, I have a feeling that reminding you to get ready for Christmas isn’t going to comfort you very much. 

It’s true that Jesus was born to comfort you.  He gave His church the command to continue the ministry of freeing the oppressed.  But we don’t, do we?  If someone is depressed, we take them to a counselor or put them on medication.  Jesus told us to preach and we’ve done that.  Jesus to us to pray for their healing and we’ve been doing that too.  Jesus told us to cast out demons . . . well, we sure haven’t been doing that. 

Why don’t we?  Some of you don’t even believe evil spirits and demons exist so we can’t talk about that.  Jesus, on the other hand, believed not only that they existed, but he cast them out of people to comfort them.  God said, “Comfort, comfort my people.”  If Jesus talked about demons and evil spirits and if he told his disciples to actually command them out of people, why haven’t we been doing that?  Even if it’s Advent on the church calendar.  This is important and it’s been overlooked.  In fact, if you are looking for comfort.  For liberty from your addictions, your mental anguish and your fear and anger.  I want you to prepare yourself, not just for a Christmas celebration, but for a life of freedom.  Salvation is more than eternal life; Jesus came that you might have life and have it abundantly.  I believe that, as a church, we need to embrace this fact.  We need to experience the freedom God has promised us because I believe, when we obey God’s directions, even if we don’t feel ready to do it, this community will be changed forever. 

Here is the promise: Jesus said, “They will cast out demons in my name.”  God’s people.  God’s power.  God’s authority.  “Comfort, comfort my people” God says.  Well, why aren’t we comforting people?  For some of you, many of you perhaps, there is evil in your life that you cannot deal with on your own through counseling or medication.  You can’t pretend that everything’s just fine anymore.  Hearing that demons exist might frighten you.   But knowing that Jesus has defeated the Devil once and for all on the cross, that should comfort you.  There is hope.  That was why Jesus was born, after all, to destroy the works of the Devil.  And he gave his church the authority and the command to cast out demons. 

What saddens me most is that, for some of you, this comes as no surprise.  You have been fighting this evil for days, months and years.  I believe that, as a church, we have been called and given the authority to set people free in the name of Jesus Christ.  That’s one of the ways God comforts his people—by promising freedom and then doing it.  Sending a preacher with a promise and then fulfilling that promise. 

Advent is the time to prepare.  As a Christian and as a community, we are called to prepare ourselves for real comfort from God.  Let’s learn about this.  Let’s pray about it.  Let’s talk about it.  Let’s obey God’s command.  Even when it’s uncomfortable.  Even when it’s scary.  Because when the Holy Spirit enters our lives, he has promised to cast out all fear and, then, we will begin to understand the abundant life God has in store for us.  As we prepare for the Christ child this Advent, let’s prepare for all that he brought for us including peace in our hearts, healing of our diseases and freedom from oppression and evil.  Amen.