SERMON NOTES Advent IIV, St. Francis Church (December
21, 2003)
Fr.
John Spencer
We are at the end of the Advent
season. We are coming to the
celebration of Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Christ.
The celebration of a birth seems a
strange time to focus on death, but that’s what we’re doing today. (I had another sermon written, but
this is the one that God wants me to preach!) Death is one of my favorite topics, as it should be for
most Christians.
I’ve spent a lot of time with those
who are ill and dying and with those who have been bereaved. Before I entered the active
priesthood I worked in law enforcement, and during that time spent quite a
while working with the coroner’s office. Since I’ve been a priest, part of my responsibility has
been to visit the sick, comfort the dying and care for the bereaved.
We are all going to die. That’s a fact. We don’t know when this will
happen. Some of us think that
we have a long time left to live, but that can change in an instant. Others of us know that our days on
this earth are coming to an end.
I believe that much of the fear of
death is not the fear of the unknown as much as it is the fear of regrets,
of dying with “unfinished business.”
As I have dealt with those who are dying, I have found that many
people have regrets. Many
people approach death with “unfinished business.”
People who are dying don’t often
say:
·
“I wish I had spent more time at the office.”
·
“I wish I had bought that new car.”
·
“I wish I had put that addition on the house.”
The regrets mentioned by people
facing death are the missed opportunities and the broken
relationships. I am more
likely to hear things like:
·
“I wish I had spent more time with my
children.”
·
“I wish I had visited my parents more often.”
·
“I wish I had a chance to mend the relationship
with my friend.”
Jesus told us to take care of our
regrets and resentments. He
said, “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that
your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of
the altar. First go and be
reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Matt.
5:23, 24)
We ought not to be coming to the
altar of God with a heart full of regrets and resentments. We should “keep our accounts
current,” and keep our relationships in order. Jesus went on to say, “settle matters quickly with your
adversary,” (Matt.
5:25).
Death is an event in life. We shouldn’t get into a position of
approaching death with a spirit of fear and reservation. Jesus is the resurrection and the
life. Whoever believes in him
will live, even though he dies.
(John
11:25). This is the
mystery of Christmas. Jesus
gives us new life, starting now.
This life is not colored and shadowed by reservations and regrets;
it is a life that starts now, goes THROUGH death and continues!
How do we deal with unfinished
business?
A good beginning is to follow our
Lord’s instructions – Jesus is an expert on human relations and He is our
teacher in the area of human relationships. His instructions are to “go to our brother (who has a
problem with us) and be reconciled.
The presence of Christ in us
changes every relationship. In
today’s gospel (Luke
1:39-56) we read about the
visit of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth. When Gabriel came to Mary and told her that she was to
be the mother of the Messiah, Mary was skeptical. As a proof that his words to Mary were true, Gabriel
told her that her cousin Elizabeth, a woman who had been barren and had
given up the hope of bearing children, was pregnant. Mary went to see Elizabeth,
in part as a confirmation of the angel’s words to her.
When Mary entered Elizabeth’s
house, “the babe leaped in her womb.”
(Luke
1:41). The term for this
movement of the unborn child is “quickening.” John the Baptist, in his mother’s womb, was quickened by
the presence of Christ in Mary.
Our presence in the world, if
Christ is in us, should result in a “quickening.” We should bring signs of life to those with whom
we are in contact. The presence
of Christ in us should bring healing to our relationships.
As Christians, it is a tragedy if
we end our life with regrets over broken relationships. If you are living with broken
relationships, go fix them!
Before Christmas Eve.
Be Christ-bearers in the
world. If we are to carry the
message of the gospel to those who don’t know Christ, we first have to live
the message ourselves. We have
to mend our broken relationships, “fix our own flat tires.” How many of us are trying to travel
on one or more flat tires? The
challenge is to “fix those flats.”
As Debbie quoted in today’s bulletin
“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the
prisoner was YOU!”
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly
Father
will also
forgive you: But if ye forgive
not men their trespasses,
neither
will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Matthew
6: 14,15
Jesus came to fix us – He came
first to restore our broken relationship with God. Only through the power of our
relationship with Him can our other relationships be healed.
I close with the collect for the
day: “Purify our conscience,
Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his
coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns
with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.”
Interpretation
and suggestions are by Ruth Holmes, who is solely responsible for
them. Don’t blame Fr.
Spencer!)
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