• "Scattering and Re-Gathering :: Our Own Spiritual Story"
• Sermon for the Sunday before Advent
• November 21, 2004
• The Reverend Stephen C. Scarlett

The Sunday before Advent is a transitional Sunday on the calendar. It marks the end of the long Trinity season and looks towards the beginning of Advent next week.

The Advent theme of expectation is sounded in the lesson from Jeremiah (23:5f.). Jeremiah prophesied around 600 B.C., when the Babylonians were in the process of conquering the southern kingdom of Judah and taking the people captive into Babylon. The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar established a puppet king over Judah named Zedekiah. Contrary to the prophecy and council of Jeremiah, Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon. His actions caused the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.

The name Zedekiah means, "The Lord Our Righteousness." Thus, the prophesy of Jeremiah in the lesson today is a mimicking of that name. Jeremiah said, "Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign and prosper... And this is the name by which he shall be called, 'THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.'"

Jeremiah said that the Messiah who is to come would live up to the name "Zedekiah" and would undo the damage of the unfaithful, false Zedekiah. The actions of the unfaithful king caused Israel to be scattered into exile in Babylon. The actions of the coming king will cause Israel to be re-gathered into the land. Jeremiah said that the re-gathering of scattered Israel by the righteous branch of David would be so great an act that it would replace the Exodus from Egypt as the focus of Israel's faith.

The gospel today, the feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:5f.), provides an image of fulfillment of this prophesy of re-gathering. A great crowd of Jewish people is gathered around Jesus, the righteous branch of David. Jesus miraculously fed them so that they were all filled. The symbolic intent of the feeding is implied. After the meal, Jesus commanded, "Gather up the fragments that remain that nothing be lost." Twelve baskets were gathered, representing the re-gathering of the twelve tribes of Israel by the Messiah.

The story of the scattering and re-gathering of Israel helps us understand our own spiritual story. Israel went into exile in Babylon because they were unfaithful to the Torah. Sin led them into exile. Their exile was not only physical-a removal from the land; their exile was also spiritual-a separation from God. Because of sin, we all experience a sense of exile from God's presence, peace and blessing.

This theme goes back to the beginning of the Bible. Because of the Original Sin man was kicked out of, or exiled, from the garden paradise and from the relationship of communion with God that man enjoyed therein. The endpoint of our salvation, as described in Revelation 21 and 22 is a return to paradise and fellowship with God, a re-gathering to Eden. As Jesus said, "The Son of Man will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to another" (Matthew 24:31f.).

Jeremiah said that the re-gathering of Israel by the righteous branch of David would replace the Exodus as the focus of Israel's faith. This prophecy is fulfilled by the death of Jesus on the cross for our sins. The blood of the Passover lamb saved Israel from death in Egypt; so the blood of Christ our Passover, who is sacrificed for us, saves us from sin and death.

Through the cross of Jesus, we who were exiled from God's presence because of sin are now re-gathered and reunited with God. And the memorial of the Cross has supplanted the Passover as the central celebration of our faith. As St. Paul says, "As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till he comes" (1 Cor. 11:26).

The Eucharist is the covenant meal through which Israel is re-gathered to God. We who have sinned in thought word and deed, provoking God's wrath, causing exile from his presence are here gathered to be forgiven, to be washed and cleansed of sin, to be fed, to be made one with God in Christ through the Cross. We, who were scattered because of sin, are re-gathered at the altar around the righteous branch of David.

The prophecy of Jeremiah is fulfilled in Christ. The exile from God, the scattering of God's people on account of sin, is reversed as Jesus gathers his elect and unites them in one body. But our communion with God in Christ leads, in turn, to the greater expectation that Jesus, who has begun his work of redemption in our lives, will bring that work to completion at his second coming. As Philippians (3:20-21, last week's epistle) says, "we...eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself."

This points us towards Advent. It reminds us that we will celebrate the Eucharist only "until his coming again" when Jesus will, in a full and final way, gather all of scattered Israel into his eternal kingdom.