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| St Patrick Church, Carlisle, PA |
Think about all the things you’ve had to wait for in your life… vacations, graduations, weddings, the birth of children, reunion after deployment, moving, yes, and even dying. Waiting is hard!
And here we are, waiting again. The Christian year ended last Sunday as we celebrated the Reign of Christ the King. And while the stores and our streaming channels are filled with the symbols of commercial Christmas, we still have more waiting to do. As much as we want to jump right into the good news of Christmas, we must hold out for four weeks more. But trust me, we are not waiting in vain. There are plenty of things to do during this season of waiting. Advent is a time of preparation, for while we get ready for the coming of the Christ child at Christmas, we are also waiting for Jesus to come again to bring a new heaven and earth together under his reign.
Advent is one of my favorite parts about living in Germany, and it’s disappointing, but appropriate, that our usual festive displays and activities have been curtailed this year by our concern for the health of our families and communities. It’s a good thing I have hundreds of pictures of previous Advent adventures, and hopes for ones to come in the years to come. The many signs of the season can be duplicated in our own homes… greenery and wreathes signifying everlasting life, lights signifying the defeat of darkness, the gathering of family and friends to enjoy fellowship together, even if we’re meeting around a virtual table with Facetime or other technology to bring us closer together.
It’s important to remember that the season of Advent is not just about the coming of Baby Jesus. It is a time when we are reminded that Christ will come again, to reign in glory and in power. For a few minutes, let us look to see how ready we are, and what kind of place we are inviting the Christ child, Christ Triumphant, to come and live.
If you were listening to the lectionary lessons for today, you should have noticed something right away. Upon first reading, you might only hear about darkness, fear, doom, and gloom. Today’s gospel lesson seems weird to us because it is not about the baby Jesus at all. In fact, Mark didn’t say anything about Jesus as a baby at all. Mark wrote only 20-25 years after Jesus’ death to a first-generation community eager to hear the story of Jesus’ life – his ministry, his death, and his resurrection. From this chapter in Mark, we continue with the theme of apocalypse… what will happen at the end of these dark times, and what will bring us together as we wait? Mark wants us to look forward to the promised return of Christ.
This is the essence of Mark’s gospel. Over and over again, Mark reminds us that we need to be prepared when Jesus comes again to reign eternally. Mark wrote to a people who took Jesus literally at his word – they were all about being ready for the day and time to come. Almost 2000 years later, we have to ask, “How ready are we for Jesus’ return?”
Of course, we don’t think about Christ’s coming, in the same way, that first century Christians did. The destruction of the Temple that Mark alludes to has already happened. Most of the first Christians lived while the first apostles were still alive… they followed Peter or John or James. Those who came later were at the very least disciples of Paul and Barnabas, first and second-generation disciples who talked with Peter, and traveled with Mark. These Christians expected that when Jesus promised to return, he meant in their lifetimes, and they looked forward with great anticipation to the day of his coming.
But like a seven-year-old waiting for Christmas vacation, the people got weary and frustrated in their waiting. As the years, the centuries passed, they began to doubt it would happen. They began to think “He might never come.” Some of them reverted back to old ways and gave up on this idea of the risen Messiah. And Mark uses Jesus’ words to remind them of the absolute necessity of always being ready for his coming. “Keep awake. No one knows the time or place. Keep awake!”
How many of you have every worked third shift? These are the hours between “going to bed” and “getting up” time, and there’s a reason why these folks often get paid a little bit more. For over three years, I worked third shift on Friday and Saturday nights in the blood bank at Duke University Hospital to support myself during seminary. And I found that it was hardest to stay awake when there was nothing to do. We thought we wanted nights when we could read a few chapters in the books that we brought along, or looked forward to being able to get a few stitches in on our needlework. But inevitably, those were the nights when we wanted most to sleep. It was actually the work of the job that kept us awake and alert. It was crossmatches and blood typing and getting the hospital ready for the next day’s work that kept us going all night, ready for whatever came our way. Those were the nights I felt really needed and necessary to life in the world around me.
And that’s pretty much the same advice that Jesus gives here. Stay awake and ready by doing the business of the kingdom. Be prepared. Do the things that need to be done. Represent the Lord. Don’t get carried away by the hustle and bustle of the outside world, because it will take you to places you do not want to go.
How is this possible, we ask? And how do we translate Jesus’ directions into something meaningful for the Advent of 2020? Bombarded from all sides by “commercial Christmas,” it is sometimes hard to remember what Christmas and even Christian faith are all about. People stand up and say, “Merry Christmas,” but their lives do not reflect God’s grace and love. The Christmas trees and wreathes and gatherings are beautiful, but if that’s all our Christmas celebrations are about, we are missing the point. The presents and shopping and running are exhausting, unless we use some of that energy to help others to know some of the comforts, peace and love that we know.
This passage is often called “The Little Apocalypse.” We think that the word apocalypse means “end times” but it actually translates to “revealing,” Keeping that in mind tells us that this is not a prediction about the end times or a description of the end of the world. Instead, it is a reminder that faith isn’t lived out only on high holy days. I’m sure that every denomination and congregation has C&E members… those who come at Christmas and Easter and feel like they have done their duty. And I’m certainly not saying that Christmas and Easter celebrations are not important.
But authentic Christian faith is lived out every time we gather for worship, when we decorate the chapel for the holidays, and when we can safely do so, share fellowship after service and practice discipleship in studies and mission projects in the community. It is about being ready to recognize Christ in the world around us…To see him in the faces of our neighbors and our enemies. Jesus’ words actually drive us back to the present, where we are called to see our present circumstances as the gift God has given us to serve the Kingdom in the world today.
And while it seems like a strange passage a few weeks before Christmas, there are a couple of things I’d like to highlight about the gospel lesson. First, it’s super confusing, because their idea of time and ours are different. We think about nanoseconds… dividing time into smaller and smaller increments. But they thought of time in wide, grand swatches. Our days are marked by appointments on a calendar. Theirs were marked by four key observations of the day around them – evening, midnight, cockcrow or daybreak, and daytime.
Waiting for Jesus to come back wasn’t about sitting and waiting for the end of the world. It wasn’t about shedding day-to-day responsibilities. It is about believing the promise that the Savior us near. David Lose writes, “Mark, in other words, isn’t pointing us to a future apocalypse (“revealing”) but rather a present one, as Christ’s death and resurrection change absolutely everything. For once Jesus suffers all that the world and empire and death have to throw at him…and is raised to new life!… then nothing will ever be the same again. Including our present lives and situations.”[i]
God comes to us as we are, whether we think that we’re not yet good enough, or if we think that we don’t really need him. And he uses us to be the hands and feet of Christ – to share love and peace and grace, even when things don’t work out the way we plan or think we need them to be.
I encourage every family to take whatever opportunities are available to give others a brighter Christmas. Make an Advent wreath at home – it doesn’t have to be in a circle – or have purple and pink candles. The very act of lighting the candle, of bringing increasing light into a dark work, makes a statement all by itself. Take a name from an Angel Tree. Donate to a charity or mission project. Figure out a way to share with people who have need… no gift is too small. Value your togetherness with family. Treasure your friendships with others. Know that the love with which God loved the world when Jesus was born is still alive today, living in each one of us.
I think that’s the way we should experience Advent. It’s not just about preparing for the coming of the baby in the manger. It’s about experiencing the reality of Christ among us, and Christ working in us, every single day. In a real sense, Jesus is coming again. And each year, we have the opportunity to be better prepared, to share more love, and to live more joy than we did the year before. But we can’t do anything if we sleep through the season, unaware and unprepared.
While on a South Pole expedition, British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton left a few men on Elephant Island, promising that he would return. Later, when he tried to go back, huge icebergs blocked the way. But suddenly, as if by a miracle, an avenue opened in the ice and Shackleton was able to get through. His men, ready and waiting, quickly scrambled aboard. No sooner had the ship cleared the island than the ice crashed together behind them. Contemplating their narrow escape, the explorer said to his men, "It was fortunate you were all packed and ready to go! We would have never made it out alive otherwise." They replied, "We never gave up hope. Whenever the sea was clear of ice, we rolled up our sleeping bags and reminded each other, 'He may come today.'"
(c) Deb Luther Teagan, November 2020.
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