“Expectation of His Coming"
December 2, 2012
The 1st Sunday of Advent
Zechariah 14: 4 – 9/ Psalm 50: 1 – 6/1 Thessalonians 3: 9 – 13/Luke 21: 25 - 31
His Eminence
The Most Reverend Archbishop Loren Thomas Hines D.D.
Archbishop of Manila
and
Primate
of the
National Church in the Philippines
and
the Territorial Church of Asia
International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church
If you feel a little uncomfortable today, let me just remind you that in the early Church, when Christianity had its beginnings, they had very simple gatherings. We are blessed today because God has given us understanding, talent, and ability to bring the worship of God to a much higher level as far as expression is concerned; and yet still, the basic principle is that it must come from the heart. This is the very source of our worship of God. If there is ever a time when our attention should be called to this, it would be in the beginning of our year with God.
God gives us opportunities to repent, to change, and to restore our hearts to Him. Hopefully, that which takes place today will cause us to think twice. Why am I here? What is my purpose? Why am I in this world? Why am I in the kingdom of God? It is not just a person, an instrument or a being, but the Body of Christ is alive. As each of us take our place and bring forth the gift that God has given to us, the Church becomes alive.
As we begin this calendar year, with much effort, I am sure the Church fathers set the lessons today with purpose and meaning. They share with us what this year should set as a goal. It isn’t just something that we read from Scripture which some people do. They just read them, and that is it! They do not allow the Scriptures to speak to them, to lead them. They are there for our enrichment, to strengthen us, and to bring new life to us. Even the music that is sung is supposed to bring forth that hope, that assurance, and that confidence in the greatness of God. It speaks of our theology; it speaks of our doctrine - greatness in God, the fullness of God, the love and the compassion of God. It is focused on Him in all that He has done for us.
As we begin this year, perhaps the silence is good to draw our attentions to realities. The world is full of noise and busyness. There comes a time when we have to just stop and be silent and let God be God and let Him speak to us.
The Old Testament in Zechariah 14 tells us that, “The Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only one, and His name the only one.” Have we stopped to think what this means? Have we analyzed this and let the Spirit reveal this to us? What are the names that are so prominent today? What are the names that we find ourselves striving and working for? A lady wants to have signature bags and the names to her are very important. If it is a man, maybe it is a Ferrari or a Mercedes. These are the names that draw attention. These are the names that get credibility. These are the names that our minds set for direction.
People work toward these famous names – Apple, Ipad, Galaxy – all these things are taking tremendous attention in the world today. Look at Apple and the meaning of their products. When a new phone comes out, people stand in line overnight, sometimes several days waiting to be the first to get this new product. Will we do the same for Jesus? Will we stand in that line to get into the Church or to give praise to Him? We have allowed other names to take our attention. We have allowed other names to grab our thoughts and our efforts.
Zechariah tells us the day will come when there is only going to be one name. There is only going to be one personality that is going to have any attention in the world, and that is Jesus Christ. We have had all these stolen from us. We have, in many times, been ashamed of Jesus. We are ashamed to let people know that we have faith in Him. That day will come when we will speak loudly. Scriptures says, “The day will come when every knee will bow and ever tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” We won’t be looking at the other names.
If you travel much in the airports now, all these brand elite names are the stores now in the airports. It is as though the people have become wealthy and they become obsessed with all these brands. They have taken our attention and our attitudes. They mean so much, “If only I can have this or that. If I can have an Ipad, if I can have this, I am more elite than somebody else. I want to be like everybody.” We have lost sight of the greatness of God, but the day will come when His Name will be the only name. These other things will have no meaning to us. They will have no value. They will be worthless. It will be Jesus, it will be He whom we will put our faith and trust in. It will be He that we will put our direction in.
We have become so self-centered. We have become so concerned about ourselves. 1Thessalonians says that the Lord will direct us that we will have concern for one another rather than concern for us. We will grow in love and compassion for one another. It won’t be for me. It will be, “What can I do for others?”
Today, we don’t pay attention to the needs of others. Many times, we don’t pay attention to their struggles, their attitudes, or their problems. We are so consumed with our own attentions that we don’t listen to others. The day will come when our relationships will be so precious, when our abilities to walk together in the Body are so powerful that we care for one another. We are concerned for each other.
The Church has become less and less over the ages concerned for people. It used to be that the Church took care of the widows. The Church had orphanages. The Church took care of those in need. The Church was the source, the power behind reaching out and ministering to others. Now, it seems as though even the Church has become so self-centered, so unique in its own ability that it no longer has the concern for others.
The orphanages are no longer under that Church now but under the government. The homes for the widows are no longer under the Church but under the government. Education is no longer the responsibility of the Church. The governments have taken over. It is as though the governments have become god to mankind. We look to the government to take care of our social security. We look to the government to take care of our health problems. We look to the government to take care of our educational needs. We look to the government for things like protection and care.
The day will come when all of these will fail and only Christ will be in the thoughts and in the hearts of man. Only Christ will captivate our attention. His Name will be the name that will be on our lips. His Name will be the name that guides us in everything that we do. Even though we have been challenged even now to do everything for the glory of God, we find ourselves busy giving glory to self – getting better jobs, getting better degrees, bigger houses, bigger bank accounts, pieces of jewellery. All thinking of self. The day will come when all thoughts will be on Christ.
Christ has shared everything to us. There are no secrets. He reveals to us that which is coming and going to happen. In the gospel today, the beautiful portion of Scripture says, “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ‘And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Christ is saying, “Pay attention because these are signs given to us so that we straighten out our lives. We get things correct the way they should be. We prepare ourselves.” The signs in the sun and the moon and the stars, dismay among nations, perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves. What about the tsunamis that we have seen in the past couple of years? The one in Japan which was an awesome event beyond what most people ever thought could ever happen? Waves wiping away cities, picking up large trucks, buses, placing them on top of buildings? In Indonesia, how many hundreds of thousands of people were killed by the tsunami at Christmas time?
Can we remember these events? Do we remember how they shook us and took our attentions? Is it not according to this Scripture that a sign that God is giving to us so that we straighten our lives rather than knowing these things and getting right back to the old way of life? Thinking only of self? Thinking only of what we want and what we think we need?
The distress of nations – look at the Middle East. Look at the turmoil and strife in Israel, Palestine, Egypt and Syria. Today, 49 nations in this world have been in war in one form or another. What happened to this peace that they are all talking about? What happened to this assurance and this confidence? Where is it? 49 nations – would this not be perhaps God speaking to us? Is He saying something to us about what is going on? What about the natural disasters – the earthquakes; the floods; the tsunamis; the volcanoes; the fire; the hurricanes; the tornadoes; the typhoon; the droughts. What about Sandy in New York? Are these things not telling us something? Are we listening, paying attention or are we ignoring what God is speaking to us?
Christ says, “Straighten up. Lift up your heads!” When we don’t want to get involved in something, we turn our head and our eyes down. It is a sign that says, “Leave me alone. Get away from me. I don’t believe what you are talking about. I am too busy with my own thing.” When we hold our head high and when we look forward, it shows the consideration and that we are analyzing and weighing things out. We are looking and taking note of the things that are happening around us. Straighten up; lift up your hearts. It is talking about our lives, our lifestyles.
In verse 29, “And He told them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near. Even so you, too, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.” When I was reading this and preparing, when I came to this thought about a fig tree, I thought, “Why is Jesus using the fig tree? What is its meaning? What is He trying to say to us? I don’t know if I have ever seen a fig tree. I have tasted a fig, but maybe only once. Why a fig tree? How many times in Scripture does it talk to us about the fig tree? What is it all about?
I started doing some research to know what it is all about. I found out that one of the first, if not the first plant that was cultivated by man was a fig tree before wheat, barley, and the other crops were cultivated in domestication. The fig tree used by man and prepared for man. Why would the fig tree be so important to society at that time? As I continued to study, I found out that the fruit of the fig tree is the richest plant source of calcium and fiber. It is also a major source of copper, magnesium, potassium, Vitamin K and an anti-oxidant. As I went further, I found that this particular fruit is very unique in its nourishment - Vitamins B1,Vitamins B2, Vitamins B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B9, Vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and zinc are in this tree. All of these are in this fruit! No wonder this fruit was so important in the early days. It was a source of nourishment and what the body needed for growth. We don’t see this and we don’t pay attention to this.
The fig was the symbol that Christ was using in speaking to us. “Here is a source of life.” The very source that was used in that particular day. The fig was even made into a small cake because of its ability to preserve itself. If a person was travelling, the person would make figs into cakes and take them with him in the journey because this would give him the nourishment that he needed until he could get into a particular place where he could get other kinds of food. Here was the source of life for those in that particular day – the ability to come forth with life.
The fig is the strongest source of potassium and calcium. Just two figs produce a significant increase in our plasma. Can you imagine how much money we spend trying to build the plasma in our bodies because of the things that go around like dengue? Two figs cause a tremendous increase in the plasma of the body. Here is something that probably God has given in order to protect His people, to strengthen His people, to build up His people. Why would He use this and say, “Behold the fig tree and all the trees?” When you see these things blooming, when the leaves begin to bloom and bud, you know that summer is near. He is not talking about the season of summer. It is a season where things are going to be more pleasant where things are going to be abundant; where this is going to be all kinds of fruits and vegetables. It is going to be warm and things are going to be nice to be around.
When Christ was on a journey, He came to a fig tree outside the wall of Jerusalem. He saw the fig tree with leaves. He went to the fig tree to get a fruit, but the fruit was not there. The leaf was there, but not the fruit. It was a façade. It was a lie, a deception. He cursed the tree because it did not have the fruit. He was hungry and He needed nourishment. There was no nourishment in that tree that could feed Him and take care of Him. Because the fruit was absent, He cursed the tree.
When Adam and Even sinned and had this awareness that they were naked, they went to the fig tree to cover themselves. They used the leaf as a façade. They used it to hide themselves, to hide their strength, and to hide their very creation. The leaf was used in a manner that was not intended.
Why the fig tree? The fig tree in the Middle East is a sign of peace, prosperity, comfort and shade. Why did Christ use this symbol? Perhaps the symbol of the fig tree is the Church. The Church is to be the source of life, of nourishment. Jesus says, “When you see the fig tree and it brings forth its leaves, know that summer is near.” It is talking about the Church rising up, coming to that place where it becomes the source of life for the world. It feeds the world in peace, in forgiveness, in joy, in security. It guides them in the ways of God and brings peace that cannot be bought in any other way. It comes through the Church.
What an awesome thing this is speaking to us! The responsibility of the Church! As we would look at the world today, we see that in some areas, the Church has failed and what has happened? The nations are failing. It is saying that the Church is supposed to be source. In reality, what has happened in much of the world today is that the government has become the source. Look at Europe and all their entitlements. Europe is in financial trouble because the government is becoming the source of everything to the people.
The United States also wants to do the same thing. They want everything to come from the government. They want the government to be the source of their health programs, to be the source of their entitlements. The Church is to be the source. This is what Scriptures shows us. This is what Christ is saying here. The Church must rise. When the Church rises, these things are going to happen but they are not going to affect the Church. There will be the peace, the security with the people of God because their source is Christ.
Last Sunday, the Scriptures shared how that God will protect those who had faith in Him. Today, we are encouraged; we are challenged to build the Church to that place where that it can be the source of life. As I was meditating, I was remembering when we used to be a source of help to this nation. I remembered the tent we have that we would take to the areas where there were disasters. I remembered all the goods that we had that we would fly them out by government helicopters. We had doctors that went ahead and arrived before government people arrived. We helped in a number of areas in the nation. This is what the Church is supposed to be. Not self-centered, but reaching out, going forth and ministering to those in need and having difficulties.
Every time I travel EDSA, I see the storage area of MMDA where they have collected all these ‘antiques’ to protect our people in case of disaster. Some of these vehicles look like you are going to have to push them to run, and yet they have this façade, “We are preparing for disaster.” It looked to me that disaster has already happened. Those vehicles are so old. When you see them on the road, you have to get out of their way because they are not capable of doing much and yet, their idea is, “We are going to help.” This is not the government’s job. This is the Church’s task. We are to be the source. We are the fig.
This is what Jesus is telling us. When the Church rises up, now is the time. Christ is not coming to straighten out things. He is coming because the Church has become glorious bring glory, honor and praise to Him!
We are called to be awakened, to be involved, to be part. Sometimes, I wonder where we are. What is our thinking? What are we doing? Sometimes, some give an offering of coins. For those that’s all that they can afford, that is fine; but for many who can do much more, that is mockery. We are to be involved. We are to be in the midst of that which brings forth hope for others. Instead of building our kingdom, we are to build the kingdom of God bringing forth His glory and His honor.
I hope we understand the challenge today. We are calling the Church to awaken. It is us! When we speak these things, we should speak them out of our whole heart. It is not just letting others do the work. It is not just letting the orchestra or the choir doing its part. We have to do our part. They accompany us; we do not accompany them, but they support us.
We are the Church. Understand who we are. We are the ones participating. We are not here to be entertained. We are here to be the source. When we wake up, then the time will come. There is going to be all the signs and they are already here, but the Church has got to wake up and to become alive.
Last Sunday, I was affected by the fact that not one person stepped forward to know the greatness of God. Are we not concerned about other people? Are we not aware that we are to be the source of bringing life to others? Are we so self-centered that we think only of our own comfort and we are too embarrassed to reach out to others? It is not embarrassment but pride! Pride is a sin. We are supposed to be a hospital for the sick. We are supposed to be a place of restoration for the hopeless. We are to bring life to the world. This is what the Church is called for. This is that which we look in expectation of His coming. We prepare for it.
This is the beginning of the New Year. Let this New Year begin to be something that will rise up in history to say, “Yes, the Church is alive. Yes, the Church is functioning and the Church is bringing forth life.” The blood is flowing; the energy is there. Like the fig, we have all the energy that is needed – copper, magnesium, Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B4, B6, B9, Vitamin C, iron, phosphorous – all these things that make the body strong. This is what God has given to us. Peter says that we have been granted everything pertaining to life and godliness.
This is the Church. This is who we are. This is what we need to bring forth. This is the challenge, the call that God brings to us. God says, “I will be your God; you will be My people.” We are His people – more than just a blessing. Scriptures says that His government is on the increase. We must recognize and understand that and become involved in that which is taking place today.
May we awaken and may the very glory of God be seen among us as we bring forth His honor, His praise, and His glory. May we bring honor to Him and thanks to the greatness of God. Happy New Year! A year filled with excitement, with challenge, and with goals. We want to rise up! We want to be what God intends us to be. May we begin that journey now!
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