Ascending the Throne of God (First Sunday of Advent)

Intro

Magandang umaga po sa bawat isa sa atin! This is the First Sunday of Advent. We also have new colors for worship. That color is blue and purple. We will use this color til the 4th Sunday of Advent which will give way to the white and gold, the colors of Christmas and New Year. Blue and Purple are the colors of a royal King in waiting. Hinihintay natin ang pagsilang ng Panginoon at kada taon ay atin itong sinecelabrate ng Dec 25. We are preparing for the coming King and we do this by worship and adoration of His name.

Not only that we wait for the coming King but we will meet Him in the high places, hence the Theme. Ascending the Throne of God. Ang ating tungo ay pataas. ang ating mga Panalangin ay ating itinataas sa kaitaasan upang ito’y kanyang marinig kasama ng ating mga papuri at pasasalamat.

In our lectionary readings, we find in the book of Isaiah an anchor text for our worship. We will find in the book of Isaiah 2:1–5 a couple of predictions regarding the future things to come.

Isaiah 2:1–5 ESV

1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, 3 and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. 5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.

Maraming mga bansa ang pupunta sa bundok ng Zion because the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains. It shall be lifted up above the hills and all the nations shall flow to it and many will come.

The opening line from the book of Psalms gives us the mood, theme and soul of what the writer would like to say Psalm 122:1

Psalm 122:1 ESV

1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

It captures something of the Advent spirit this year. We are singing a song of ascent this Advent season.

Tayo ay sinasabihang umakyat. Let us go up. why up? because God is always going up at ang mga Judio ay laging umaakyat sa bundok ng Jerusalem para sumamba sa tunay na Diyos ni Abraham, Isaac at Jacob.

But what are we approaching? Why do we need to approach God in high places of worship? there is something more to it. This Advent is the season of anticipation, of watching and waiting. active waiting for what? Christmas? Well according to Dr. Derek Weber of the British Methodist Church, Its a yes and no to that question.

No, because the Advent isn’t really designed to be a countdown to the celebration of Christmas. It is a time of preparation for Christ’s return and the establishment of the kin-dom of God and Yes at the same time because we are looking back with anticipation for the Incarnation of God through Jesus Christ.

How do we reflect on the First Sunday of Advent season ahead of us?

I. Ascending the Throne of God with Patience

We are all bound by time. Time is an uncontrollable power that no one can manipulate and control. The only person who is powerful enough to control time is God. but he does not do it because He is a good God. He is giving us time to repent and turn from our wicked ways and to put our trust and faith in the Lord.

Isa sa mga challenges of our day is the cultivation of patience. Everything is done fast. We live in a generation where we would like to have everything in a snap of a finger. Ito po ang dahilan kung bakit marami sa ating mga kabataan ngayon ay hindi marunong maghintay unless they are in line for a ride in a theme park. We do not have the patience to listen and read the Word of God on our own. We just wanted to sit back and listen and not do our own study of the Word because we want everything fast.

That is why ascending is slower and tougher than descending. We go against gravity. We search God in the highest places and we start at the bottom of the mountain and climb all the way up. We need that patience because we don’t just get there the way we wanted to. That is the same way with Worship. We have to cultivate this virtue of patience because the Advent season is a season of waiting.

II. Ascending the Throne of God with Grace

In Isaiah 6, we can find Isaiah’s Vision of the Lord. He was so scared of the Vision that Isaiah thought he is going to die from the image he saw. Let’s read from Isaiah 6

Isaiah 6 ESV

1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” 4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” 8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.” 9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ 10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” 11 Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste, 12 and the Lord removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. 13 And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled.” The holy seed is its stump.

Isaiah saw God in the Vision and God let him see his Glory in all its glory and righteousness. Isang nakakakilabot na pangitain para kay Isaiah ang kanyang nakita! and in that vision, he was instructed to preach the word of God. Isaiah asked God until when, God said until cities lie waste without inhabitant and the land is a desolate waste. This happened during the Divided Kingdom of Israel and Judah were Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel has far better kings than the northern kingdom were more evil kings has reigned. One reason why the southern kingdom has more better kings than the north is Jerusalem is situated in the south so the people of Israel in the north is worshipping God in the mountain of Gerizim.

III. Ascending the throne of God with Perseverance

Ang magtiis hanggang wakas, siyang maliligtas. You will hear this saying to IEMELIF workers and members as well and it’s theological grounding to Wesleyan-Arminian theology is true to its core. The importance of human responsibility and conditional predestination is what it means in this subject. Not that we do not believe in Predestination but it is not something a good God will do. Picking persons to salvation and others to damnation and so the Doctrine of Grace was central to Wesleyan-Arminian tradition.

But we also do not discount Calvin’s doctrine of Predestination, a person who is saved will persevere in the faith till the end. A sound promise of God that will continue to hold until its fulfillment. we have to accept the that free will has a role in it which comes through human responsibility to respond by accepting the free gift of God arguing for a good God who is both transcendent and immanent. So how do we Persevere? This is the mistake people make, They though that Perseverance comes with the comforts of this life. It does not come with that. Perseverance comes with pain and discomfort. It comes with enduring life with whatever it throws upon us.

John Calvin was so sick that his body is said to have been a museum of many diseases. John Wesley on the other hand was heartbroken so many times that some people think he is cursed in finding true love and Martin Luther had a problem with managing his anger that he is presumed to be racist because of his comment against the Jews. We all have that time in our lives were we are lost and could not find the purpose and happiness in this life so we will need another verse to remind us how to control the gratification of our desires in order to live a life of contentment and joy.

Romans 13:11–14 NIV

11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

Conclusion

Let us then ascend the throne of God with Patience, Grace and Perseverance. These are the virtues we need to cultivate in this time of Advent season. Thanksgiving has just passed and we now preparing to celebrate the incarnated person of the one true God. Jesus Christ.

Guide Questions

Guide Questions for Youth and Young Adult

1. What does this passage say?

2. How is God speaking to you right now from this passage?

3. How can you apply/obey this passage during the week?

Guide Questions for Men and Women

1. What are your Observations in the Text?

2. How do you Interpret the Text?

3. How do you Apply the Text?

4. In what way do you Synthesize the Text your current situation?