Advent 1
Text: Matthew 21:1-9
We’ve all been there before, being told something great is going to happen, only to be told again it will take a little longer. It’s like a child on Christmas Eve being told, “We’ll open presents in the morning,” only to be told in the morning, “We have to wait for everyone to wake up.”
This is the story of Israel. Jeremiah wrote in the Old Testament reading today, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.”
Israel is ready for their new King to arrive; they want to meet Him; they desire the justice and righteousness God has promised He will bring to them; they desire to have a home and country to call their own, but they are continually told again, to be patient and wait.
Waiting is hard for every season and age of life. But it is one of the only constants all of us have throughout our days on earth.
So, what should we be waiting for in this life? The same thing as Israel, our King, to arrive, to come and grant us His righteousness.
This is what the whole season of Advent focuses our hearts upon: the coming of our King, Jesus Christ, who brings with Him His righteousness, that is, forgiveness and eternal life.
Alright, so what does the word “Advent” mean? It comes from the Latin “Adventus,” which means “Coming.”
For this reason, the season of Advent prepares us for the twofold coming of Jesus.
His first coming is seen in the manger as He was born of Mary, while His second Advent is known as His coming on the last day, when He will, as we heard last week, bring judgment upon the earth.
However, we don’t possess the patience to wait for the Lord any more than the world has the patience to permit the Church this season of Advent.
For much of the world, Advent has been displaced into the shadows by an earlier and earlier celebration of Christmas as radio stations begin changing music programming right after Halloween and stores transition their displays. We, too, are undoubtedly guilty of these practices. I mean, who doesn’t get excited about the birth of a child? It’s always a joyful event for the parents and the entire family.
But, just as so many often repeat the words this time of year, “keep Christ in Christmas,” we need to keep our Advent in preparation for Christmas.
That’s right, the season of Advent is meant to slow us down, give us pause in our lives, deepen our patience, and refocus our eyes and hearts on the coming babe of Bethlehem. But instead, all the excitement around us, the “Parties we’ve been hosting, marshmallows toasting and caroling out in the snow,” leave us gassed and out of the patience necessary to wait for the coming of our Savior.
Maybe this is why the Gospel readings of Advent appear a little off to your ears.
Why the triumphal entrance into Jerusalem? Why a Gospel reading from Holy Week?
For two purposes. One: It reveals how our Lord, our King, arrives humbly as He processed into Jerusalem (which means city of peace) on a donkey. Two: It reveals how our Lord fulfills the prophecies regarding Him that were once spoken of old.
Similarly, Jesus’ birth comes in the lowliest and humblest of ways. He is born among the dung of cattle with no room to call His own. There is no grand and triumphal entrance into this world, no party or seasonal favorites to celebrate—just a bed of hay in the cool night among the earth's creatures and beasts.
Likewise, it’s on a humble beast of burden, a donkey, that the Christ Child will make His final journey to the cross to bring to completion the purpose for which He was born, the purpose we heard in our reading from Jeremiah, to be “a righteous Branch,” to “execute justice and righteousness in the land.”
It’s through His death and resurrection Jesus becomes “Our righteousness.”
Have you ever thought deeply about the well-known passage we hear around Advent and Christmas from the book of Isaiah,
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. (Isaiah 11:1)
How long does it take for a shoot or limb of a tree branch to grow, mature, and bear weight?
It takes patience, and this is what our Gospel teaches us today, amid the tumult of the world, looking for a Savior; our Jesus has already come.
But as we await His second coming on the last day, we must now learn again from the crowds to patiently cry out to Him, saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
The word Hosanna means, “Save us now!”
As we prepare to receive the Lord’s Supper, we, too, join our voices with the crowds of Jerusalem in singing the Sanctus each week as we say, “Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest.”
So, what do you need saving from this Advent season?
Has the business of the season already made you feel overwhelmed and defeated? Do you lack patience for your family? Do you want to scream as everyone around you appears so jolly and happy as you navigate a gnawing sadness of life? Are you lonely?
If so, then cry out to Jesus with all those who line the streets of Jerusalem, pray with the Church throughout all time fervently by saying, “Hosanna,” that is, “save me now, Lord Jesus.”
And then know and trust that He has saved you through His death upon the righteous branch of the cross.
In fact, He hears your cries and continues to come to you in the Lord’s Supper to grant you His righteousness – His life and forgiveness.
This is great! As you come to the Lord’s Supper and receive Christ's flesh and blood upon your lips, you are redeemed, saved, and grafted into the very life and body of Christ Jesus. There’s truly no greater news than this.
I know, this is all so countercultural. But don’t worry, “There'll still be plenty of time for parties to be hosting, marshmallows toasting, and caroling out in the snow.” In fact, I look forward to all three.
But Advent deserves our time. It deserves our attention and focus. It prepares us not only to celebrate the birth of our King on December 25th but also for our Savior's final Advent, His final coming.
This Advent season, let us learn again the art of patience; let us turn our attention and focus to Jesus and be strengthened for the length of days as we say and sing together,
“Hosanna in the Highest!” save us now, Lord Jesus Christ. Save us now. +INJ+
