Confronting the Inevitable I

Sermon for the first Sunday in Advent 

In his famous ghost story 

O Whistle and I'll come to you, My Lad

M. R James presents us

with a whistle 

inscribed with

Quis est iste qui venit?

- Who is this who is coming?

In blowing the whistle 

the question is answered 

to the terror of the one who blows it.

But this is a question 

that we all face:

what is this that is coming?

What do we have to face 

that is inevitable?

[PAUSE]

In these dark days of winter

and the season of Advent,

we Christians reflect

upon the four things that are 

coming for us:

Death, Judgement,

Heaven or Hell.

This may seem

to be uncomfortable 

or even morbid 

but it is the duty 

of each Christian

to stand up 

and face what is inevitable.

These four last things

are as inevitable for as

just as much 

as for anyone else.

We don't get to avoid them

just because we are Christian.

But,

it is because we are Christian 

that these things

should hold no terror for us.

How on earth 

can we stand up 

and face Death?

[PAUSE]

It is amazing 

that Christians who say

that they believe in life after death

often don't act as if they believe it.

There is a fear of pain,

of being incapacitated,

of loss of dignity and joy

but these cease with death

along with everything else

in this world.

But while Christians

should not fear death

this does not mean

that they hate life.

We are told to prefer

the life God offers us

to the life offered by

the world.

[PAUSE]

We live in a world 

in which life and death

can be decided by law,

voted upon by parliament.

We live in a world in which

we are "encouraged" 

to put aside our belief in God

in order to make "rational decisions"

regarding the life and death

of the unborn,

of the disabled,

of the mentally ill,

of those in pain

rather than seek their good

by giving them the proper care

that will give them 

a better quality of life

- a life determined by 

the One Who gives it.

The death that this world offers

is a denial of the dignity of life

a denial of the sovereignty of God

a denial of His ability to offer

meaning, hope, and dignity

even miracle,

in the most excruciating pain

- a pain that He suffers with us

and consecrates upon the Cross.

The death that this world offers

is a convenience,

a way of getting rid

of those who upset the system.

It is a death of disposal

and annihilation 

a rubbish bin for those 

who are broken

and in the way.

This is not 

the death that God offers us.

With God,

even Death can become a gift

but only if the life He gives us

that we live

is truly valued.

For with God,

death becomes a gateway,

a one-off event,

into a new life 

a life like the one we know

but lived in the presence of God.

If we choose life in Christ

and the death that God offers us

then Death itself 

is the death of our sin

our corruption,

our misery and pain.

[PAUSE]

We watch the King

enter into Jerusalem 

on a donkey.

We watch Him 

come to us

to offer us 

true, meaningful life,

no matter who we are,

no matter whether we are

in the womb,

or in the hospice.

Death may be coming 

but it's the Death 

that God gives us

so that we might be with Him

Eternally.