Sermon Tone Analysis
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In our Scripture readings today, we meet two women, Hannah and Elizabeth.
In these readings, they are rejoicing, but that was not always so.
In fact, if you meet them earlier, you would say they were cursed.
They were without children.
Perhaps you are wondering to yourselves, what is so bad about that?
We have all known women who could not have children and we can empathize with their great sorrow, I doubt any of us who dream of saying they are cursed.
To understand, how great a tragedy being childlessness was in Israel we need to appreciate the high calling Old Covenant Israel had.
All of Israel, this include the land, the people and the institutions have been given a typological significance by God.
There I go again, using one of those “big words”.
Is it really necessary?
Yes, it is very necessary, and thankfully, it is easy to understand.
You all understand what a movie preview is.
A movie preview is made of cuts from a movie and is designed to “wet the audiences appetites” for the feature film.
God called Israel, to “wet the appetite of the world for the coming Messiah and His New Covenant.
One of the previews, Israel gave to the world, was of the New Covenant promise of an eternal inheritance in the Messiah’s eternal Kingdom.
Peter writes of the believer’s eternal inheritance, saying:
Now how does this relate to Hannah and Elizabeth’s sorrow?
The “preview” of this eternal inheritance under the Old Covenant was each “inheritance”.
For those of tribe of Levi, such as Elizabeth, it was their priestly ministry.
For the other eleven tribes, such as Hannah, it was their allotment of land in the “Holy Land”.
Without, children, their families participation in this great redemptive drama would end!
Their sorrow was not just about not having children, but it was also about losing their family’s inheritance, and with this loss of this inheritance, their family’s participation in God’s great redemptive plan!
I have taken the time to explain all of this, because I want you to see how desperate their situation was.
They needed things to change.
Not a small change, but a 180-degree change!
Have you ever felt like that?
Sure, you have.
We all have.
Some of you feel like that right now.
Your life is heading in the wrong direction and your need to make a 180!
If this is the way, you feel I have good news for you.
Each of our Scripture readings this morning are examples of what theologians call the “Great Reversal”.
What do theologians mean by the “Great Reversal”?
They are speaking of the theme found throughout Scripture of God intervening in our lives and turning them around 180-degrees!
Perhaps you missed it the first time a read our Scripture lessons.
Let me read just a portion of Hannah’s prayer so you will see what I mean:
I am sure you saw it this time—the wicked are riding high are brought low and the suffering righteous are exalted!
Wow!
What a great story, but why do we not see real life play out like that?
We have all know righteous, godly women who were childless and God did not step into their lives and work a “Great Reversal”.
It is things like this that causes many to doubt the Bible.
For those that say such things, I want to say, read the text more closely.
The babies these two women held in their arms were but “previews of the feature film”, what gave Hannah and Elizabeth such joy was they saw the “main attraction”, the saw Jesus!
Again, you might have missed this the first time, let me read a portion of each of these texts again:
Remember, this is decades before Israel asked for a “king like the nations have”.
The King Hannah is speaking of is the King God promised He would give Israel—the Messiah!
Elizabeth saw this King as well:
The reason these women had such great joy was because they saw Jesus, and if we would but open our eyes, we would too!
Just listen to what the author of Hebrews says:
Notice in this text there is a “reversal”?
Jesus who was eternally with the Father, is “made lower than the angels”—a “Great Reversal”!
Jesus who “suffered death”, is “crowned with glory and honor”!
You see the “Great Reversal” is not an event, but a person!
Another passage were we see this so clearly is found in 2 Corinthians:
What I like about this passage, is that it clearly shows that when a person unites him or herself to Christ in faith, they share in the “Great Reversal”.
Earlier, I said theologians find this theme of the “Great Reversal” from Genesis to Revelation.
Many find the book of Revelation had to understand, it really is not, it is all about the “Great Reversal”.
In the book of Revelation, we find the forces of evil riding high, persecuting the godly, even killing them, but this is not the way the book ends—there is a “Great Reversal”:
This is why we can wait upon the Lord with rejoicing.
Right now, our circumstances my look desperate—but we see Jesus.
Our health is failing—but we see Jesus.
We are without children—but we see Jesus.
Our money is running out—but we see Jesus.
We are imprisoned, soon to be executed—but we see Jesus.
In Tolkien's book, The Two Towers, Gandalf tells his friends to look to east on the dawning of the fifth day.
His friends find themselves in a desperate siege, their last defenses about to be overrun.
Looking to the East at the dawning of the fifth day, they see Gandalf leading a might army of horsemen, charging down the hill to their rescue.
Tolkien was a Christian and he wanted to give his readers a preview of the real story:
Brothers and sisters, God has given us a wealth of previews in the pages of Scripture, but we do not need previews any longer, we see Jesus!
This is what Advent is all about, by looking back to the First Advent, we see Jesus!
Then, when we see Jesus, we can wait in rejoicing for the Second Advent.
Victory is assured.
The “Great Reversal” has already begun!
That we may see Jesus more clearly, let us pray.
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