ADVENT 1 JUSTICE FOR BULLIES

Sermon for Advent I   December 2, 2012   Matthew 24:24,29-31, 37-42,44

 

Joe was about 12 years old, attending a new school.  He rode the bus with middle & high school students, which was exciting, but also scary.  It was scary because during the first several weeks in the fall, Joe was harassed by a senior. Joe had never formally met “Steve,” but soon his face became a very unwelcome sight,   because Steve was a “bully.”  Each day on the bus ride home from school,  Steve shoved Joe, or called him names to embarrass him. Joe never did learn why Steve picked on him, but he grew to hate it.

 

One day Joe had had enough, and he dared to push Steve back. Well, Steve beat him up, right there in the bus.

·       Joe softly  cried, and felt humiliated.

 

Soon anger welled up within Joe, and  formed in his mind. A few minutes later as Steve got off the bus, Joe sprang into action:

·       Just as the  bus doors closed,  Joe opened a window and yelled at Steve, saying, “ My Daddy is going to get you, you stupid jerk!”

 

That was no empty threat.  Joe went home and told his parents the full story.

·       They listened to him; they comforted him, and told him that they would not let this stand.

·        Joe’s father then got on the phone and spoke to Steve’s father.

·        An  hour later, Steve and his father appeared at Joe’s house. An embarrassed, but humbled Steve, then apologized to Joe, and promising  never to bother him again.  Steve’s father seconded that promise, and asked the boys to shake hands, which they did.

·        Joe felt better because now Steve was the one

 being embarrassed and belittled.

·       Later that evening Joe was alone in his room.  He took his fist and punched the air and smiled, as he whispered to himself, “My Daddy got you,                     you   stupid jerk.”

 

The fact of the matter is, at onetime in our lives or another, we have all faced off with bullies, who have embarrassed us, or belittled us, or beaten us up. Everywhere you look, you will find bullies or one sort or another:

·       As a nation, our country faces many bullies on an international level,                   who have ambushed and assassinated  fellow citizens, at home and abroad.        And the fact is, when one American is murdered by terrorism,                       we all share the pain.

·       However, on a personal level, we may encounter bullies at our place of employment, or at school, or even in our neighborhood.  Yet, too frequently,  some of the worst bullies can be people whom we love, who betray us:               Our parents, or siblings, or spouses, or even our children can all potentially be bullies.

·       But there are also secret bullies who hurt and wound us.  Sexual abuse,   loneliness, racism,  poverty, and grief are just a few of  those secret bullies known to some of us, but frequently hidden from those around us.

 

When bullies hurt us, or hurt those we love, we become deeply aware                                           of the fact that life is not fair.

·       It’s not fair for the strong to beat up the weak.

·       It’s not fair that bullies escape without punishment.

·       It’s not fair that, too often, we feel helpless to their aggression                                against us or against those we love.

·       Its not fair because some of us have family and friends, who may support and defend us, at least some of the time; but too often bullies are so aggressive and belligerent that our supporters fold and the bullies win.

·       It’s not fair because bullies deserve justice and we deserve vindication; and unlike Joe, in my story, most of us do not always have a  Daddy to stand up for us and defeat our adversaries.

 

BUT, we do have a Daddy, don’t we?   We do have a Daddy, who sent His Son, our big brother, to come fight the world’s bullies with  tough love. 

·       Those were the instructions from His Daddy and ours, and Jesus  obediently followed them right to cross. 

·       And there, our enemies and His,  ridiculed, slandered, and terrorized  Him.

·       Then  the barbaric bullies whipped, beat and tortured Him.

·        Finally, they lynched and murdered Him. 

·       So the score was bullies “one” God –“zero.”

 

However, Jesus’ murderers did not  understand  the Truth—the truth that  NOBODY bullies God or his children, and ultimately gets away with it.                 You see, our big brother rose from the dead, and is coming back to earth because  He has a score to settle.

·        Today’s Gospel tells us that Jesus has not finished his work; He is  coming back to earth to finish the job; And this time, He’s carrying a big stick.

·       The Gospel describes a divine intervention into human history,                       unlike anyone has ever seen or imagined.  The 2^nd Advent of Jesus Christ will not be quiet, like His first Advent as a baby and then an itinerant rabbi. nation.

·       No, today’s first reading foretells of the  Conquering Christ appearing to the whole world, riding clouds &  accompanied by armies of angels.                           This second Advent is  so incomprehensible that,  indeed, the Biblical images are probably the best way to explain the unexplainable.  When this occurs, it will be visible to all people, as Christ  brings justice and vindication and retribution. This is the certain hope that we proclaim each Sunday as we recite the Nicene Creed, affirming, that “quote, “ He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His kingdom will have no end, unquote.”

 

Inspiring this shared belief,  the Bible prophecizes that when Jesus returns to earth in power and glory, Jall believers will be gathered from throughout the world.

·       In plain English, this means that we will be delivered                                                 from the evil of this world.  J

·       J  We will be secured in the safe & healing presence J

of our Heavenly Father, while our Big Brother goes out                                                      to defeat and to punish His enemies and ours.  Evil people will be held accountable for their wicked deeds.

·       You see, God’s justice is “justice assured.” God, our Daddy never begins something that he doesn’t finish; and He will finish it in His way and at the time of His choice.  

 

 So, it is in this assurance that we believers  CAN face the bullies in our lives,

as we or think or say, “My Daddy IS going to get you, YOU stupid jerk.”

 

Meantime, what do we do when the bullies of life assault us?                                Well, like Joe in our story, we go to Daddy…to Daddy’s home, right  here,                              this refuge, this community of faith and love:

 

·       HERE,   those of us who previously have BULLIED OTHERS,  can come to confess our sins.  Jesus will  then lead us  (1) to  make restitution  for past wrongs, (2) to change our attitude and behavior;(3)  to receive  forgiveness;  and (4)  to seek  reconciliation,

 

·       HERE, those who have been wounded can begin to find healing through prayers shared with others, or with our Healing Ministry, or with our Small Groups, or with the clergy, …or just privately praying to Christ in the silence of our own hearts.   For 200 years, people have received comfort & healing by feeding upon  God’s word, sacraments, and fellowship in this place. Indeed, many of us are finding that this church is not a museum for stained glass type saints, but a hospital  & rehab center for the spiritually wounded,  under the care of  the Great Physician, Jesus Christ.

 

HERE, Christ has chosen  to create a place where hearts are not only healed, but strengthened and fortified. Here, we are learning not just to survive and get along. Rather, we are growing in the power of Christ to stand up for what is right,  because He who is in us, is GREATER than  all the evil of the world.   Amen.