Title: Advent One: An Amazing Descent

Date: 2008-11-30

Reference: Luke 14: 7-11

""The Advent Season always seems a bit rushed to me. Three days after Thanksgiving we move into this new and wonderful Season in the church calendar. Each year it’s a challenge to present the story in a new way. I really try to find some new angle so sermons are not exactly the same every year. I also know it’s The Holy Spirit who makes this season new, exciting, and meaningful, not anything I have to say.

This Advent Season we celebrate God’s breaking into the world and revealing Himself to us. After thirty years of Advent Preaching I still don’t understand it all. I believe it but sometimes don’t understand how it could have happened. The best explanation was given to us by the Apostle John who wrote: “God loved the people of this world so much that He gave His only Son so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.”

Art Linkletter tells about a small boy who was busy drawing a picture. The child was asked what he was drawing. The little boy replied: “I’m drawing a picture of God.” Linkletter told the boy that no one really knows what God looks like. The little boy confidently responded: “They will when I get through with my picture.”

A thousand times in history a baby has grown up to become a King. Sometimes it takes a while. There was an article in the paper recently about the Prince of Wales turning sixty years old this year. Prince Charles has been waiting his whole life to become a King. His mother Queen Elizabeth has enjoyed a long and productive life. And so Charles waits. However long it takes royal babies grown up to be Kings.

But only once in history did a King become a baby. God gave His only Son because God loved us that much. Did you ever think about the sacrifice made by the Father? Too many human parents have felt some of God’s pain when they received word their children had made the ultimate sacrifice and been killed in action. Through her agony, a mother in the Civil War wrote to President Lincoln. Speaking for all the bereaved mothers and fathers she wrote: “I never knew giving a son could be so expensive.”

The Coming of Christ was an Amazing Descent. In the book of Phil., Paul gives advice to those who wanted to live as Christ lived. He said: “Don’t be jealous or proud but be humble and consider others more important that yourselves. Care about others as much as you care about yourselves. Think the same way Jesus thought. Christ was truly God but did not try to remain equal with God. Christ gave up everything and became a slave, when He became one of us. Christ was humble. He obeyed God and even died on a cross. God gave Christ the highest place and honored His name above all others. So at the name of Jesus everyone will bow down. Everyone will agree Jesus Christ is Lord.”

The message is clear. If you want to be truly great you must descend into greatness. Being great is not a measure of self will but of self abandonment. The more you love, the more you gain. The very best example is Jesus who stooped to love. He came down into the world to live among us. Jesus came down from the very top. The one who was worthy of all worship who was the source of all power was born as a helpless baby in a dirty animal stable.

Once Jesus’ life on earth began he never stopped descending. He violated very tenant of the world’s system. The highest came to serve the lowest.The creator and sustained of all things came to pour Himself out. The one who possessed everything became nothing. God allowed Jesus to give it all up to descend into humiliation, pain and finally death on a cross. Jesus says: “If we want to be fulfilled we will give ourselves away in the same exact way.”

When Jesus came we didn’t recognize Him because we think the way the world thinks in terms of power and honor. In the fall of 1775 the manager of Baltimore’s largest and most luxurious hotel refused lodging to a man dressed like a common farmer. That man’s lowly appearance would have been a distraction to his Inn. The man seeking lodging left and found a room elsewhere. Later the innkeeper learned he had turned away the Vice President of the US, Thomas Jefferson. He immediately sent a note asking him to return and be his honored guest. Jefferson replied: “Tell him I have already engaged a room. If he has no place for a hardworking American Farmer, he has no place for the Vice President of the United States. Jefferson didn’t look like a Vice President.

Queen Victoria loved taking walks in the country while she was on holiday away from London. She always dressed modestly on such walks and was always accompanied by only one servant. One day she met a flock of sheep coming toward her. The boy driving the sheep called out and said: “Keep out the way you stupid old woman.” The queen said nothing. But her servant grabbed the boy and shook him telling him he had just insulted his Queen. The boy tearfully replied: “It’s not fair. She should dress like a Queen so a body would recognize her.”

Peter the Great of Russian also enjoyed visiting his people incognito. Once he played the part of a beggar in a certain village. He went door to door asking for help. And door after door slammed in his face. Only one poor man showed him any kindness at all. The next day a Royal Carriage arrived and the man who had helped Peter was taken to live in a palace at the capital. Others were heard to say: “We too would have helped if we had only known it was our Czar.”

Again many or most didn’t recognize the Son of God, the King of Kings because He came in such a humble form. A scientist once wrote: “The best way to send an idea is to wrap it up in a person.” The theological word for this is Incarnation meaning “In the Flesh”. Jesus was the incarnation of God. Jesus was the way God sent His idea to humanity. And there was no better way.

An early church father said: “The Incarnation was the way God broke His silence.” Equally to the point another little child said: “Some people couldn’t hear God whisper inside and so He sent Jesus to tell them out loud.” The Gospel of John declares: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” This truly amazing descent is the most wonderful gift. This is what we celebrate this Advent Season.

In Jesus we see a clear reflection of the Father. Jesus reflected God’s heart completely. Jesus came to give Himself away for the sake of others. He has called His people to do the same. Jesus knew that self indulgence by its very nature leads to self destruction. Jesus knew that down leads up. As the Bible says: “Humble yourself before the Lord and God will lift you up.” (James 4:10)

In Jesus’ teaching, life, and example we see the heart of God. Jesus indicated in today’s reading how most of us aspire to the place of honor. Jesus suggests when we are invited we take a lower seat and wait until our host elevates us.

When we make our invitation list we should invite persons who will never be able to invite us back. Jesus taught that god is not impressed by our status and not influenced by what people say or think about us. That is because God sees the thoughts and motives of the heart. The Bible says “God will humble the proud and exalt the humble.” (James 4:6)

It’s interesting to scan old editions of an encyclopedia or history book to see how many famous people are forgotten today. Humility is a fundamental Grace in the Christian life. It’s elusive. If you know you have it you’ve lost it. Jesus was the greatest example of humility. We would do well to ask the Spirit to enable us to imitate Jesus.

Jesus himself demonstrated humility in washing the feet of his disciples when no one else would get up from the table to do so. Jesus made an amazing descent from the Glory of Heaven to the role of servant/savior on earth.

Too often we go through life wanting to be served rather than seeking places to be of service. We feel we are entitled and others owe us. Many times we are really not very interested in the notion of serving others, especially the least of God’s Sons and Daughters.

Each year at Advent we marvel at the Love of God which bent low to come and serve. We sometimes forget that is what we are called to do as well. We are called to imitate the example of Christ which is sometimes a problem for us. We are more interested in amassing and protecting and enjoying power over others. Our faith calls us to use any power we might have for the sake of others.

Jesus came to earth to show us Who God was and what God looked like. To allow us a glimpse into God’s heart. We are sometimes surprised at what we see.

After viewing a portrait of himself by a famous artist a British Monarch rejected the portrait with the comment. “It’s the ugliest things I’ve ever seen.” The portrait has since become a famous piece and has been sought out by several museums. The first portrait of Jesus Christ in his Advent was rejected by many. We didn’t recognize Him. He didn’t look like a King or a Savior.

Today on this First Sunday of Advent we thank Jesus for the portrait of God He brought us. ""