Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
In C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, we see a world where evil
has reigned for many years. No one speak anything out of fear that the White
Witch’s servants will hear and tell her all. The Witch’s enemies are all turned to
stone, and there is no end in sight for the surrounding winter. Things are not as
they should be.
And we include this reading in our lectionary this morning because it speaks all
the more to what our restoration to God from sin to righteousness will be like.
And then, as four children come from our world into the land of Narnia, it sparks
a revolution. And the great Aslan decides to return once more.
And as news of Aslan’s return is delivered throughout the land, something extraordinary happens. The ice and snow of winter start to melt. The various creatures that inhabit Narnia finally start to come out and gather, no longer afraid of what the White Witch might do to them. And a familiar face in winter, unable to enter until this point, returns once again. Mainly, Father Christmas.
All is returned to what it should it with the coming of Aslan back to Narnia. The seasons return to their natural flow. Creatures are able to return to their normal ways of being. Healing has coming to the land of Narnia.
This healing is the sign of Aslan’s coming. And it is also the sign of the coming of the One who Aslan represents: our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In Isaiah today, we hear what to expect with the restoration of Israel after their exile. “The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped.” “The lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.”
Those who have ailments that prevent their bodies from working as they are supposed to will be healed. They will be restored. And it will not only be the people be restored, but the land will be restored as well.
We hear that waters will come forth in the desert. And that the highway back into the land “shall be called the Holy Way.” It will be a sure path for God’s people. No beast or other danger will be upon it. And as the people return, they will be glad and they will be singing.
All will be as it should be in those times. God will restore all as it is meant to be.
And as news of Aslan’s return is delivered throughout the land, something extraordinary happens. The ice and snow of winter start to melt. The various creatures that inhabit Narnia finally start to come out and gather, no longer afraid of what the White Witch might do to them. And a familiar face in winter, unable to enter until this point, returns once again. Mainly, Father Christmas.
All is returned to what it should it with the coming of Aslan back to Narnia. The seasons return to their natural flow. Creatures are able to return to their normal ways of being. Healing has coming to the land of Narnia.
This healing is the sign of Aslan’s coming. And it is also the sign of the coming of the One who Aslan represents: our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In Isaiah today, we hear what to expect with the restoration of Israel after their exile. “The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped.” “The lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.”
Those who have ailments that prevent their bodies from working as they are supposed to will be healed. They will be restored. And it will not only be the people be restored, but the land will be restored as well.
We hear that waters will come forth in the desert. And that the highway back into the land “shall be called the Holy Way.” It will be a sure path for God’s people. No beast or other danger will be upon it. And as the people return, they will be glad and they will be singing.
All will be as it should be in those times. God will restore all as it is meant to be.
This restoration is exactly what John the Baptist was preparing for. It is what he was preparing the way for. And as he waits in the prison Herod has thrown him in, he sends messengers to Jesus to see if it is true. To see if Jesus is in fact the way he has been preparing people for.
And Jesus points him to the same signs we hear of in Isaiah’s words this morning. “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.”
Healing has come as Jesus Christ comes near. Because it is a physical sign of what Jesus is bringing to us all.
Christ Jesus came into this world to restore us to Himself. To God. The fallen ways of sin of death have led us and this world to be less than we should be. We fail to be as we should be, fully and truly, when we are apart from God. But out of His love for us, God wishes for us to be healed. For us to be made whole.
The healings at the start of Jesus’ ministry are a sign of Him preparing to make us fully whole. Just as Jesus is making the bodies of the blind, deaf, and sick whole, He will make our very beings whole. Just as Jesus died and rose again, so by being Baptized in His death are we raised to new life in Him.
Advent is a time of preparation and reflection as we get ready for the coming of the Christ child in our hearts at Christmas. Part of that preparation is beginning to take Jesus into our hearts. Part of getting ready is allowing Jesus to heal us. To make us whole again.
One of the ways to allow Jesus into our hearts is to simply make room for Him. To take out those parts of our lives that keep us from more fully following Him. From fully allowing ourselves to be made new by Christ Jesus.
So as we near the end of this Advent season and prepare for the baby Jesus to come into our hearts at Christmas, ask yourselves what you can do to make room for Jesus. Ask yourself how you can better be ready to accept the life giving and transforming healing that comes from Christ Jesus alone.