Reflections...

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on 10th December 2006, Second Sunday of Advent, by Rev. Dr. Jochen Teuffel. The scripture readings that day were Malachi 3:1-4, Philippians 1:3-11 and Luke 3:1-6.


In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene,
2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
3 He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
«The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
'Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.' »

How to meet someone in Mong Kok on a Sunday afternoon? That needs some preparations and even devices, at least a watch, better a mobile phone. And for those who are not familiar with the quarter a map is required in addition. Hong Kong, and in particular Kowloon is such a crowded city that we see ten thousands of people on the streets at one day without meeting any particular person we know. Even acquaintances or friends may bypass 5 meters apart from us, and we cannot recognize them, for their appearance is covered by all the other unknown pedestrians, hawkers, vendors, cars, vans, billboards, stalls and last but not least the high risers. Those high risers turn Kowloon into an assemblage of concrete canyons which are interconnected by streets. Our view necessarily remains shortsighted. The only beings which can gain an overview within these canyons are the birds of prey, in particular the kites circling above the high risers in the sky.

Here in Hong Kong there is hardly any way to spot another person coming from a distance. As long as one has not made a precise appointment in terms of time and place secured by mobile phones a meeting cannot take place on the streets.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is coming. That is the message of Advent. But how are we going to meet him? Do we have to make an appointment? Actually his coming, the final advent cannot be scheduled or arranged by us, as Jesus told his disciples: “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.” (Acts 1:7) And in addition, individual meetings are not on Christ’s agenda. As John the Baptist quotes the prophet: “all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” All human beings will see Christ as the savior with their own eyes. Christ’s universal appearance won’t be reduced to individual appointments or encounters.

“All flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Here he is, Jesus Christ visible to all, which is more than his spiritual dwelling in the hearts of believers (cf. Eph 3:17). One, no, every one will see him. He is coming, stepping into the life on Earth, and all flesh will witness his arrival. But how to imagine this, particularly in Hong Kong, in the midst of all the concrete canyons, where we even have difficulties to meet other people because of all the limited sight.

Probably we may imagine to a gigantic appearance: Christ towering above all the high-risers, the Son of God as a real giant, comparable to the oversized appearance of King Kong in Hong Kong. For sure such an advent would be impressive, and every one would come to know him.

But there is no way for a gigantic appearance. The Son of God became man, and not superman. It all started in a manger in Bethlehem. God on earth did not appear bigger than us. The life of Jesus of Nazareth remained at eye-level. He never became a giant to be looked up to. Instead God’s Son “emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance” (Phil 2:7 NAB). Thus a life is at eye-level with us, everything but paramount to us. He was not preserved from death but served us with his life. “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”(Mk 10:45)

Maranatha, our Lord come (1 Cor 16:22). We are to expect his second coming again in the form of a human being. But the all decisive question remains: How to meet him without appointment, and where can it take place? It seems that there is so much in between him and us. Our life has become creased in various concerns, everything but plain; our sight straight on is covered by the presence of others. We have our own directions in life by which we miss Christ. He may be right next to us like a friend on the streets of Mong Kok, but we are unable to recognize him.

Thus the “voice of one crying out in the wilderness” is to be recalled:

'Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.' »

Our Lord is coming. Prepare his way, make his paths straight. The things in between, barriers and obstacles, all what blocks the sight, all what swallows the light and casts shadows, what distracts our eyes aiming at the horizon are to be removed. With regard to Christ’s advent we are called to escape from the narrow canyons of life, where life has become everything but farsighted. Reduced to daily business and dealing with never ending concerns, such life is devoid of any expectations beyond the next street corner.

Where life is captured in canyons of concerns without any horizons, Christ’s advent will be ignored. Thus every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. Imagine, it is as if we all have arrived on a plateau where all the unevenness and faults of life have become plain, where no shadows catch our sight. On such a plateau our panoramic view reaches the horizon at all directions. We do not have any appointment with Christ, only the promise that he will come. But since there will be nothing and no one between the horizon and us, our eyes will see him from a very distance, although he won’t be of paramount appearance. The Son of God, true man, is coming without an appointment and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Amen.