Sermon for the second Sunday of Advent – 4th December 2022: Isaiah 11, 1-10; Matthew 3, 1-12.
Revd. Canon Leonard Doolan – St Paul’s Athens
The sermon this morning is shorter than usual. Hurrah! I can hear some of saying, or at least thinking. The reason is that today is our Christmas Bazaar, so many members of our regular congregation are already at the venue getting set up. We are now on the 2nd Sunday of Advent. Last week I referred to the 4 themes that now plot our path through this holy season: The Advent Hope; the Prophets; John the Baptist; and then a timely reminder of Gabriel’s message to Blessed Mary nine months before we celebrate Christ’s birth. So today we are thinking of the 2nd theme – the Prophets.
The great prophet of the Old Testament is Isaiah. He is writing around the late 8th century BC. His influence is immense, and many of the prophecies are used in the selection of Advent Sunday readings. Today’s prophecy has real impact for he pairs together extraordinary opposites to show what the result will be when the Lord’s Anointed one will come among us. The wolf will dwell with the lamb; the leopard will lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion together. The ridiculous opposites are such that one can only imagine that Isaiah is leading our thoughts towards a paradise – like the Garden of Eden, the perfection of creation before the Fall.
To both sides of this remarkable image of Paradise re-gained, the prophet refers to Jesse. This is so significant for us as Christians. Jesse was the father of many sons, one of whom became more famous than his brothers – his name was David, and he was chosen and anointed as King. ‘Once in royal David’s city’ is one of the hymns we will be singing in a few week’s time. The significance is that Jesse was a Bethlehemite, so a shoot will come from Jesse’s line – it will be a child of Bethlehem. It is also Joseph’s town of birth. So the new kingdom, or restored paradise, will be born in the child in a manger in Bethlehem. ‘On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
The gospel reading refers us to another great prophet – John the Baptizer. We get a second chance with John next week also, but today he is the great prophet who bridges the era of the Old Testament and the New, for emerging from the world before Christ’s birth he announces to the world that Jesus, born in Bethlehem, is God’s anointed coming into the world.
John is called the ‘Forerunner’, the Prodromos, because his prophetic ministry is to prepare people for this new era that is already in their midst. His ministry is to ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight; to preach a message of repentance; and alongside that message to baptize, that is, to wash the external body as a sign of an internal change to the way of life. Judgement is just around the corner – or I suppose I should say, just a bit further down the straight road if John is doing his job right.
Orthodox icons often show several episodes in smaller relief to the main image. In icons of the birth of Our Lord you will often see a tree with an axe cut into it lower trunk. This comes directly from John’s message that trees that do not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
Both readings today offer us a rich Advent diet of message, challenge, and vivid imagery to inspect and reflect on. I hope you will in your own time. But now, on with the Christmas Bazaar!
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