Homily for Advent – 4th Sunday Year B 2020-21
2 Samuel 7:1-5,8-11,16; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38
Introduction
We just heard David say he wanted to build a
house for God. What a noble
sentiment! Houses come in all
kinds. You have the really nice mansions
that I see on Barataria Blvd, driving on my way here. Then you the simpler houses on the other side
of town. You also have apartments,
condos, and townhouses.
In Uganda, when a boy in the village grows
up to be a teenager, with the help of his father and friends, he usually builds
his own small house, what Americans might call a hut; but it is his house. And when he finishes school, gets a good job,
makes some money, he will usually build two much more modern houses: one for
himself and one for his parents, in gratitude for all they did for him.
Scripture and Theology
So, we can understand why David wants to
build a house for God. God had been kind
and generous to him. He had helped him to
win many battles, to unite the 12 tribes of Israel into one nation. And now he is settled and is living in a
magnificent house of cedar. Like the
Ugandan son, he wants to show gratitude by building God a house, a temple,
since till then God’s ark was housed in a tent.
But God turns the tables on him. He says, you don’t get to build me a
house. I decide who will build me a
house; that will be your son. And then
here is the clincher; God tells David: “I will build you a house.” David probably thought that God was going to
build him another mansion, but instead God was talking about his lineage. Through the prophet Nathan, God told David:
"Your house and your kingdom shall
endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever." God made this promise about the year 1,000
B.C.
And for a while things seemed to be going
on well. David’s son Solomon was a wise
and successful ruler; in fact, he built the House for God, the Temple. But then 80 years after God’s promise, the
train seemed to go off the rails.
David's grandchildren divided the Kingdom into two. The ten northern tribes formed the Kingdom of
Israel, while the two southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin retained the throne
of David in the Kingdom of Judah. And
so, the House of David was now continued only by smaller southern kingdom of
the people called "the Jews."
But things would get even worse. Two-hundred years later in 722 B.C., the northern
kingdom was overrun by the Assyrians.
They drove most of the people into exile and scattered them among the Gentiles. Till today, those tribes have never returned
to home; they are the so-called lost tribes of Israel.
Further disaster struck, when in 587 B.C. the
southern kingdom that was still carrying the torch of David, was also attacked
and driven into exile, this time by the Babylonians. The Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed. Particularly, the royal family was tortured
and murdered thus removing any royal successor.
Thankfully, fifty years later, the Persian
King Cyrus allowed most of the people of Judah to return to the Holy Land. They rebuilt the Temple but did not succeed in
restoring the monarchy. Instead, they
would be ruled by various world powers of the time, including the Romans who ruled
at the time of Jesus. Two monarchies
arose during that time, the Hasmoneans and the House of Herod, which ruled at
the time of Jesus. But there were no
more kings of the House of David. And
so, for all intents and purposes, after 587 B.C., for about six hundred years, it
seemed like God had forgotten his promise to David, to build him a house.
But as we know, God never forgets his promises. After all, what is 600 years, when we are
dealing with an eternal God? In today's
gospel we heard that God sent his angel Gabriel, "to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man
named Joseph, of the house of David."
Yes, did you hear that? Joseph was a
descendant of the House of David. This poor
carpenter was of royal blood, of the House of David. That is why as we shall hear at Christmas, during
the census, Joseph had to travel from Galilee in the north to Bethlehem in the
south, to the homeland of David his ancestor.
And so, now God fulfils his promise to David,
whose line had been broken for six hundred years, not by installing a political
king, but by sending His son to be born into this family of David's line. That is why the angel told Mary:
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
. . . and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end.
The coming of Jesus fulfils God's promise;
he completes the House of David.
Christian Life
But now, the Kingdom of David over which
Jesus rules will include not only the Jewish people, but also the gentiles as
well. While David united the twelve
tribes of Israel and formed them into a kingdom, Jesus invites the people of
the whole world into the Kingdom of God, his Father. While David's earthly kingdom did indeed die
out in 587 B.C., the Kingdom of Jesus, set in motion by him on the Cross and
confirmed in his Resurrection, continues on today in the Church and will be
fully accomplished on the Last Day, when the Lord returns.
But for this promise to be fulfilled, God
needed the cooperation of human beings, a family, the family of Mary and
Joseph. Place yourself for a moment in
Mary’s shoes! You’re a teenager; you are
already engaged to marry Joseph. The
wedding date has been set a year in advance as required by your parish and you
have already booked the synagogue and the rabbi; your mother is already running
crazy with the wedding plans. Although Joseph
is a little older and he is not that rich, you are not picky; he is a good man who
will put food on the table. You look
forward to having a bunch of kids with him.
All your childhood dreams seem to be going smoothly! Then an angel comes to you with this shocking
proposal, that you are going to be Mother of God's Son. What do you say?
Or place yourself in the shoes of
Joseph. You are engaged to this really
beautiful girl; she is pure and loving, the daughter every man would like to
have. Then an angel tells you that your
bride-to-be is already with child. What
a shock! As soon as you come to, you
will probably want to call the reception place and get back your deposit. “The wedding is off,” you will declare, until
the angel assures you that the child was conceived by the power of the Holy
Spirit; that you are “to name Jesus, because he will save his people from their
sins.”
Conclusion
Father Amal wanted to speak to you about
the family today. And so, I would like
to conclude by drawing some conclusions for the family from the story of God
building David a house. For as the
saying goes, while the house is made of bricks and beams, a home is made of
love and dreams. But the house that God
built David house was not made of bricks and beams, but was made of God’s love
and dreams fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and so should our homes, our families.
1.
Do we have the same gratitude
that David had towards God that we are willing to do things for God and others,
maybe even build him a house?
2.
As husbands or wives, as parents and children, do we keep our promises
like God kept his promise to build David a house? Do we also keep faith in God’s promises, even
when it looks like he has forgotten us?
3.
Finally, when God asks us for a
favour, like he asks the teenage Mary and the elderly Joseph to bring his Son
into the world, to save the world, is our response like that Mary who
said: "Behold, I am the handmaid of
the Lord. May it be done to me according
to your word”?
May we have the ingredients that build a
house, a home or a family: undying gratitude, fulfilled promises and generous
self-surrender to God and others?
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