Holding Fast

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11, Psalm 126, John 1:6-8, 19-28, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Third Sunday of Advent, December 11, 2005

Heritage Congregational Church, Madison, WI

So far this Advent season we have talked about salvation and hope (week one), as well as peace and repentance. The readings in this year’s lectionary seem to be focused on one particular aspect of our relationship with God each week, first salvation and then repentance. This week is no different. The word or theological idea dominant in this week’s readings is righteousness.

Righteousness is defined as a dimension related to God’s actions in establishing and maintaining right relationships. Righteousness is a state of being, bestowed upon us by God. And when we are in this state, we relate to God rightly. Things are as they should be. The salvation we spoke of the first week of Advent is a direct result of being in a state of righteousness, as is the peace we discussed last week. When we are in right relationship with God, we participate in God’s joy—the third candle of our Advent wreath, lit earlier in our worship. What greater joy could there possibly be than living in right relationship with God?

If righteousness is a result of God’s actions, what action(s) has God taken to assure we are in right relationship?

Isaiah speaks about the one who is coming with the Spirit of the Lord upon Him. He is sent to bring righteousness—that humanity might wear garlands instead of ashes and the oil of gladness instead of mourning. The purpose of giving the gift of righteousness is that humankind will display God’s glory.

John’s gospel shares a similar prophecy. He speaks of the one sent by God, for whom the straight path has been prepared and his voice is crying out. This same one will come after John and his ministry of baptism. This same one is referred to in this gospel as the light.

Our psalm for today portrays the people of God crying out to God to be restored. The good fortune they speak of and seek from God’s hand is the restoration of a right relationship. When that day comes, when righteousness is given, it will be like coming home and the people will shout for joy.

All of these passages lead to the answer found in 1 Thessalonians. The one who has the Spirit of the Lord upon Him is Jesus. The one sent by God in John’s gospel and called the light is Jesus. The one who will answer the prayer of the people in psalm 126 is Jesus. Jesus was sent by God to restore a right relationship between God and God’s people.

In 1 Thessalonians we find God’s purpose in sending Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, to earth. It is Jesus’ will, the letter says, that we might pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances. In other words, it is Jesus’ will that we might be in a state of righteousness with God—seeking God through prayer and acknowledging God as the giver of all good things by giving thanks.

The passage continues by calling us to listen to the prophets, to test everything and to hold fast to what is good—do away with every evil. It prays that we may be sound of soul and spirit and body. And then the passage says that Jesus will do this. Jesus is faithful and Jesus will make it so. Jesus will establish righteousness.

So, if righteousness is given to us through Jesus, how do we accept this gift? If a relationship requires two parties, if it is a mutual thing, it is not up to one party to do it all. Therefore, what is our part in this relationship? What are we to do for righteousness?

We are to respond to God’s gift through Jesus by holding fast. We are to cling to Jesus and never let go. We are to seek a right relationship with our God by holding on to the one who was sent, as prophesied in Isaiah and by John the Baptist. When we do, the results of righteousness are evident, they are easily visible. First there is praise for God. Then, come the fruits of righteousness: we do what is right. We seek justice and purity, we take the high road and live in an upright manner. And, we keep our covenant with God. We do what is right by doing what God would have us do. This is the result of holding fast to Jesus. This is what God had in mind when the gift was given.

Kathleen Norris, one of today’s most poetic and respected Christian writers, says that “holding fast will keep us primed to believe in all the promises God has given.” When we hold fast to Christ, we can believe in all the most wonderful possibilities. We are able to trust in what is good. We are able to believe and act. We are reflectors of God’s glory. When we hold on tight to Christ, we are set free.

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis describes the two of the children in the story, Lucy and Susan, holding fast to the resurrected Aslan:

“We have a long journey to go. You must ride on me.” And he crouched down and the children climbed onto his warm, golden back, and Susan sat first, holding on tightly to his mane, and Lucy sat behind holding on tightly to Susan. And with a great heave he rose underneath them and then shot off, faster than any horse could go, down hill and into the thick of the forest.

That ride was perhaps the most wonderful thing that happened to them in Narnia. Have you ever had a gallop on a horse? Think of that; and then take away the heavy noise of the hoofs and the jingle of the bits and imagine instead the almost noiseless padding of the great paws. Then imagine instead of the black or gray or chestnut back of the horse the soft roughness of golden fur, and the mane flying back in the wind. And then imagine you are going about twice as fast as the fastest racehorse. But this is a mount that doesn’t need to be guided and never grows tired. He rushed on and on, never missing his footing, never hesitating, threading his way with perfect skill between tree trunks, jumping over bush and briar and the smaller streams, wading the larger, swimming the largest of all. And you are riding not on a road nor in a park nor even on the downs, but right across Narnia in spring, down solemn avenues of beech and across sunny glades of oak, through wild orchards of snow-white cherry trees, past roaring waterfalls and mossy rocks and echoing caverns, up windy slopes alight with gorse bushes, and across the shoulders of heathery mountains and along giddy ridges and down, down, down again into wild valleys and out into acres of blue flowers.

When the children hold fast, they travel fast and far. Their path is sure. They do not need to worry about taking a wrong step or stumbling, for Aslan’s way is strong and without hesitation. The children feel free. They are filled with joy—it was the most wonderful thing that happened to them in Narnia.

We are like those children. God has sent us a way to make the journey. It is a long journey, filled with obstacles and distractions. But if we hold fast to the one who was sent, we are able to stay the course. It will not always be easy or pleasant, but it will allow us to be in a right relationship with our Creator. And we will be filled with joy. Amen.