“Unclutter the Heart” Jeremiah 33: 14-16 Matthew 3: 1-3

If I said the word ‘hope’ what comes to your mind? The dictionary has a wide array of ways to describe hope including: the feeling that what is wanted can happen, to look forward to with reasonable confidence, and to believe and trust. 

So I ask you again, what comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘hope’?

Because as Christians we make this bold proclamation that we have a hope in Jesus. In fact, one of the songs that we used to sing in chapel goes something like this - we have a hope in Jesus. We have a hope in Jesus. We have a hope in Jesus. That all things will be well in the Lord. 

Whenever we sang that song, we weren’t saying that we thought everything was going smoothly or that we got everything we wanted. Instead, we were saying that we believe and trust in Jesus in the face of all circumstances. At all times. 

And it is with that belief, with that hope, that we start today the season of Advent. The season of preparing our hearts again for the coming of Jesus. During this time we look forward to the coming of the Christ child on Christmas Eve, but also the coming of Jesus again as the King. We set aside the four Sundays leading up to Christmas in order to unclutter our hearts and actually make space for Jesus to reign. I think if asked, many of us would say that we have accepted Jesus in our hearts, but friends, Advent is a time to also ask if he is Lord of our lives. Or if we have so crowded him out that he doesn’t have space to dwell, like the inn that was too crowded so long ago. Have we regulated Jesus to only on specific hours on Sunday mornings or do we truly dwell with him, day in and day out?

What are some of the ways that you prepare for the coming of Christmas? I know for me there is putting up the Christmas tree and decorations. The buying of gifts. The sending of cards. And all of those things are lovely. But Advent asks a different question - how would you prepare for the coming of Christ if you knew he would be at your home on Christmas Day? Would you still do the same things or would those fade away because Christ is coming!?!

The truth is our lives can become so cluttered, especially around the holidays, with things that we think are important. Because they are. Often they are rooted in a deep love for other and relationships. But Advent demands that those things not so clutter our hearts and lives that we miss the point. That we miss the coming of Christ.

In Matthew chapter 3 we find words about the call of John the Baptist. John, the only child of Zechariah and Elizabeth, has a purpose in his life to prepare the way for the Messiah, the Christ. He was long awaited for. Long hoped for. And then after his parents had settled and gave up hope, he was born. Now John, much older, finds himself calling the people of Israel to turn their lives around. They, too, had forgotten hope. They had forgotten their story and call and mission and as a result John comes to them and says that its time to repent. What they are doing isn’t working and its time to turn their lives to a whole new direction. Why? Because the time of the Kingdom of God is upon them. 

Then he reminds them that this call on his life and theirs is as ancient as it is new, harkening back to the words of the prophet Isaiah that there is a voice crying out in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord.

To prepare. That’s what we are doing here as well, friends. Because guess what, you can’t call other people to a time of preparation if you aren’t willing to go there yourself. You can’t tell people to have a hope in Jesus, if you don’t have that in your own life. You can’t encourage other people to declutter their hearts if you won’t slow down and do it in your own life.

The truth is - we know what is waiting at the end of the Advent season. It’s the birth of Jesus who came to change the world. But if that’s the ending, then how we live this season should be radically different. We shouldn’t be the people of distraction. We should be the people of singular focus - because Jesus is coming. 

Why is that so important? Jeremiah reminds us - this is the fulfillment of God’s promise. Our God who is always good and faithful. Our God who is always true to his Word. And Jesus is the righteous branch that is coming from the house of David. And he is bringing justice and righteousness with him. 

For the people of Israel during that time - the one we’ve hoped in is coming.

For us today - the one who is our hope has come. And he’s coming again. 

If that’s what our faith rests in, if that’s what we believe, then what is distracting us from living like it? 

Here’s the thing - hope is a spiritual practice. It’s like a muscle that needs to be worked. Many of you know that I teach exercise classes, and the program I teach is known for saying a few things one of which is “you never regret exercising in the end.” Sure there are times that you don’t feel like it. Sure there are times when there’s a long list of other things that you could be doing. But when you make this choice, you don’t regret it in the end.

So it is with hope. We don’t regret exercising or choosing hope in the end. Choosing hope even when we don’t feel like. Choosing hope even when it flies in the face of reason. Choosing hope no matter what. Choosing hope even when it’s hard. 

Because this season in particular reminds us that we are the people of hope. 

How do we choose hope? Especially in the midst of the hustle and bustle? I would encourage us to try a simple three step exercise this season. For those of you who ride in or drive a car - do you ever perchance find yourself at a red light or a stop sign? What are you supposed to do at those particular places - stop. Your foot hits the break. What if next time you are at those natural places that tell you to stop you whisper a simple prayer to help God put your hope in him more? What if after you whisper that prayer you decide to trust God until you get to the next place you stop again?

This season we need invitations and reminders to stop. To pray. To trust. 

Let’s try it friends. Just for one week. Just until we come together again. Let us pray that our hearts become fertile ground to hope again so we can be the people of hope this season in the world. Amen.