Advent with the Prophets
Jeremiah 33:14-16
The Righteous Branch and the Covenant with David
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”
This is the word of the Lord- thanks be to God.
Sermon Illustration
On Halloween, I and thousands others dressed up in costume and hit the New Orleans streets. As a surprise downpour threatened our good time, we ducked into a restaurant on Magazine alongside other costumed adults.
It was a menagerie of misfits. There were Tinkerbelles, Shreks and Barbies and Kens, Jasmine and Alladin, a mer-man, a gladiator and a person who had taken a street cone and sawed out holes for their arms.
I myself, had, lapsed in my Halloween preparations and had found myself twenty minutes before frantically searching my costume box for something worthy. Giving up, I threw on an assortment of mis-matched costume items and said to whoever asked, I was a mystery.
2024 has served as a year of mysteries. Of unknowns and walking one foot in front of the other when at times I couldn’t see the way forward. As the rain poured down that all Hallows Eve, my friends and I beleaguered and dripping wet, took our seats in that crowded restaurant on Magazine Street.
We were seated next to what can only be described as a “a true New Orleans spectacle.”
Our new neighbor wore a Golden Girls style grey curly wig, pink bathrobe, fluffy slippers, and carried several oversized stuffed animals cats with her. She stuck out her hand and said, “I’m the crazy cat lady.”
Over the next two hours, we got to know the crazy cat lady. We learned about her recent breast cancer diagnosis, and ongoing battle.
We learned how young she was, and how unexpected it was to have to go through chemotherapy when your friends are having babies and buying houses.
We learned about the past 18 months of radiation, a mastectomy, the revelation of who truly was there for her, We learned how she was embracing her lack of control and having to give trust to doctors and medical care providers whose faces and names had begun to run together.
The Crazy Cat lady didn’t realize it at the time, she was prophesying.
She showed us her mastectomy scars, she traced on her phone the photos of progression of her hair loss. Each photo marks how quickly life could change.
She said cancer was her worst enemy and had become her greatest teacher.
She wanted us to learn from her- so that her pain could be used as a warning.
Don’t take one single day for granted, she said.
Go get your annual checks, because you want to catch these prognosis as early as possible.
On Halloween night, her divine message was heard.
The next week, one of the people at the table I was with booked an appointment for an annual check-up.
Something was found,
it was removed without incident or further concern.
God uses us all to deliver prophetic messages.
Even the crazy cat ladies on Magazine street.
—-------------
Advent is a Time of Prophetic Promise
Today kicks off a season of holy mystery called Advent in the Church calendar. Advent is the anticipation of Jesus’s birth and the return of Christ once more.
Sarah, Chris and I are doing a special sermon series during Advent where we’re preaching from different perspectives of key figures in the story of Christ’s birth.
the Prophets
John the Baptist
Mary, and the Magnificat
Jesus’s Family at the Birth of Christ
Situating the Text
Our text today (the second reading that I just read) comes from one of the Major Prophets in the Jewish faith, a man called Jeremiah.
Jeremiah preached 625 ish years before Jesus was born, about judgement coming to the land of Judah and called for the nation to repent from its unfaithfulness from God.
The people at the time of Jeremiah’s prophecies weren’t really being devout and had lapsed in following the Ten Commandments.
One thing you’ll hear a lot about in the Old Testament is this theme of God’s promise to God’s people through something called a covenant. Which simply means- promise.
Jeremiah warned that because the people had turned from their promise to obey and love God, that the land of Judah would be overtaken by invaders.
If Jeremiah is just a street preacher- why do we use the term prophecy?
That sounds a little heavy on the mystical side of things right?
Well kind of, but not totally.
Prophecy in the Old Testament was a culmination of God speaking through individuals, but also a historical record of Jewish history of exile, oppression and with themes of God’s goodwill through a restoration of a just and righteous leader. All promised though these things called covenants- marked throughout the Old Testament.
Jeremiah was kind of the town weirdo, he complained a lot about his own suffering and unfulfilled prophecies and did weird things for attention like wearing a loincloth and a wooden yoke around his neck.
Jeremiah’s also seen as an important harbinger of hope at a time when the Jews in Judah were being persecuted and harmed by the Babylonians.
Jeremiah, and the Israelites just witnessed the end of the King David’s lineage ruling the Jewish people.
It would have felt at the time of this scripture as if the world had been turned upside down, and that Jewish culture was at risk of being wiped from the face of the earth.
The Babylonians brought new Gods and new ways of worship and new laws into Judah.
Temples were destroyed, people were fearful.
Reviewing the Scripture again today : The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
This would have brought hope to people who felt as if God had abandoned them.
there’s one more interesting line- it says, In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David;
Let me tell you why this is relevant- Jeremiah calls for the return of Davidic lineage (King David’s ancestors to return and reign. At the time of this message, the people of Judah were distraught, because David’s ancestors had been ruling for over 400 years and they lost power.
So, why is that important you might ask? Why during a time of Christmas- are we focusing on the Old Testament?
Because Jesus is of Davidic lineage. The Gospel writer of Matthew kicks off the New Testament with evidence of this as if to say, Look- the prophets called for the return of David’s line to lead,
and God sent us Jesus, ancestor of David to save us.
So here’s what you need to know-
The Old Testament points to the Messiah to Come.
The New Testament justifies why Jesus is the Messiah, and why the Messiah will come again.
And throughout scripture, there’s this little dance happening, where the NT will reference the Old to continue to build the case for why Jesus is the Messiah.
The entire bible is a story of a Benevolent God, creating- humans destroying, and God forgiving and rebuilding- from Genesis to Revelation. Time and time again.
The Bible is a compilation of stories about Everlasting Hope.
Speaking of hope…
Did anyone catch the Georgia tech / UGA game Friday night?
Is anyone here a Georgia tech fan?
What about UGA?
How about that overtime? What was it 8 times?! So crazy
My dad went to Tech and is a huge fan- on Friday we watched the game on tv -
I’m new to being a sporty person. I’ll admit it’s taken me 34 years and finally moving to New Orleans to really start to drink the kool aid -
But watching the game with dad on Friday woke up a sense of hope in my heart- as I prayed for GT to pull through - just get those two points.
I didn’t realize until Friday night how football can be so spiritually fulfilling. Every single play- was a lesson in hoping.
My stomach was in knots, I was almost in tears at the end with UGAs win.
I kept watching play after play themes of resilience and community- tackles- down on the ground- defeat, get back up, try again and again and again.
Hope hope hope.
That is the job of a Christian!
That is what we are tasked with- we are tasked with getting back up when we got knocked down. To find the hope- to cling to the promise of a Messiah returning.
God walks us through every fumble.
We just have to keep falling forward.
I think that’s an MLK quote actually- whatever you have to do, keep moving forward- to reach that better tomorrow.
Jeremiah’s prophecy that we read today matters during this season of Advent: because it comes from a 3 chapter mini-themed segment called the Book of Promise chapters 30-33
these three chapters prophesying - of a better tomorrow.
Messages of Hope
We can’t talk about prophets, New Orleans and football without closing this sermon on one of the greats- who many of you are very familiar with- Steve Gleason.
Steve is a former NFL player for the New Orleans Saints from 2000 to 2008, Steve is best known for his iconic blocked punt in the first game played in the Superdome after Katrina—a moment that symbolizes hope and resilience for the city of New Orleans when all else felt lost.
But Steve’s story extends far beyond that historic moment in the Dome.
In January 2011, at the age of 34, he was diagnosed with (ALS), a terminal neuromuscular disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Faced with this devastating diagnosis, Steve embraced a new mission: to show that people with ALS can not only live but thrive and to inspire others facing similar challenges.
Gleason is a beacon of hope, and has been for a long time- using his power and influence to advocate for innovative assistive technological advances for others like him.
Changing the world.
As we wait for this Advent to celebrate Christ-We have to just slow down - just a little. And pay attention to the messages God is sending.
Someone said to me they wished sermons gave out homework, so here’s yours in the week ahead:
I challenge you to see who and what God is using in your life to prophesize hope.
Email me your story - Ashley@scapc.org!
I’ll anonymously compile the messages of hope through my email and we’ll share them on the Quatrefoil and on our facebook page the following week.
There are Prophets of Hope all around us.
Thanks be to God.