Sermon for December 3, 2023 – The First Sunday of Advent
Today marks a new beginning. We can begin to say goodbye to 2023 and look forward in hopeful expectation of what 2024 might bring us. We begin a new Gospel as our journey through Matthew’s gospel ends and now, we begin out journey through Mark. Today marks a new beginning because in the rhythm of our church life, our liturgical year has come to an end with the celebration of the feast of Christ the King last week, and today we enter into the season of Advent.
At the heart of this new season are themes of waiting, hoping, watchfulness, and preparation. We find ourselves three weeks away from Christmas and there is a lot to do in a short amount of time; decorating, shopping, cooking, feasting, concerts, helping and serving others. And in just three weeks from tonight we will have made our journey to the manger as Jesus will once again be born into our hearts on Christmas Eve.
Contrary to the inherent themes of joy and hopefulness in Advent, we do not begin on a note of joy, but rather what feels more like despair. Humanity has reached the end of its rope. All our schemes for self-improvement, for extricating ourselves from the traps we have set for ourselves, have come to nothing. As the collect for the Third Sunday of Lent so succinctly puts it, “we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves.” We have realized at the deepest level of our being that we cannot save ourselves and that, apart from the intervention of God, we are totally lost.
Thus, Advent serves a dual purpose. On the one hand, it is the culmination of the long weeks after Pentecost. For nearly half the year, we have liturgically celebrated the work of the Spirit in its own life and in the life of the world. During this time, we were reminded of our responsibility to do the work of the Kingdom. But now comes the realization that, in spite of the intervention of the Holy Spirit and in spite of the very best intentions of the people of God, the world has yet to be redeemed. And so, our first prayer of Advent is that Christ will soon come again to rule over God’s creation in power and justice.
On the other hand, Advent also takes us back to the beginning of things. Back to that time so long ago when men and women of faith yearned for the first coming of the Savior. The season attempts to capture the spirit of hope in the midst of hopelessness, a spirit of yearning for that which would be too good to be true. And so, our second prayer for Advent is for Christ to once again be born into our hearts, so that we might be strengthened and sustained through the ups and downs of this earthly pilgrimage as we wait for Christ to break into our world once more.
In this way, Advent both anticipates God’s fresh beginnings, with creation in the person of Jesus and, at the same time, celebrates the promise that that same Jesus will return to consummate all history under his gracious rule in the Kingdom of God.
So, we begin our journey through these next three weeks not at the manger, but sitting with Jesus on the Mount of Olives as he talks with his disciples. Today we enter into the scripture towards the end of his conversation and Jesus knows that his time is almost up.
The selected text is made clearer when the whole of Mark 13 is brought into view. Early on in the chapter, Jesus calls the disciples to pay attention. Watch for deception and false prophets. Watch out for yourselves and others. Watch during the difficult days ahead. It is as if there is the possibility that the disciples will miss that which should be seen and known. The disciples’ tendency towards ignorance in the midst of divine activity is a dominant theme throughout Mark’s Gospel. They do not seem to really recognize Jesus, though they believe he is the Messiah. Despite their dulled perception, Jesus urges them: stay alert and stay awake.
Jesus is calling the disciples to an embodied vigilance, that is, mental, physical, and spiritual rigor, despite the fatigue that may accompany the absence of sleep or adequate rest. Later in Mark’s Gospel Jesus asks the disciples, “Could you not keep awake one hour?” In this critical time before Jesus is falsely accused and betrayed, the disciples are asleep.
What is at stake when we sleep or allow our senses to become dull during times of crises? Who is at risk when God’s people slip into spiritual slumber? What is the cost for sleeping when the call is to see, to remain awake, and to work? While the disciples were sleeping, Judas, the religious leaders, and a crowd were en route to arrest Jesus. Evil was afoot, the devil at work in their hearts and they were asleep.
The speech of Mark 13 is Jesus’ response to the disciples’ query: “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” With traditional eschatological and Jewish apocalyptic imagery, the culmination of the realm of God is foretold. Jesus’ response indicates that signs of the impending tribulation and destruction of the temple will be pervasive. The center of religious life will surely be destroyed; the question for the disciples is when will it be destroyed? And while when is a very important question, perhaps the more important question not asked by the disciples is what happens when the temple is destroyed? What happens next? Where will they go? To whom will they turn?
Time emerges as a theme related to watchfulness. “When will these things be?” the disciples ask. The lesson of the fig tree juxtaposed to the parable of the homeowner may be interpreted as predictable imminence and unpredictable suddenness. The imagery of the ripening fig tree suggests a definite urgency; new sprouts hint that a new season is predictably on the horizon. We see it here when the rivers freeze and unfreeze, when the geese head south, new seasons are on the way. Similarly, the signs of the times let the disciples know, “he’s near, at the entrance.” Exactly who he is, is unclear. But with surety, when all else fails, Jesus is reliable.
In contrast to the certainty of the fig blossom is the unpredictable suddenness of a traveling homeowner. The timing of the return of the homeowner is unknown to the servants. They are charged to work and watch, and not to be found asleep. The work referred to here is not specified but is often interpreted as the work of discipleship. But what happens when the return is delayed? The longer the delay, the more likely servants become at risk of complacency or distraction. The absence of certainty about the return makes ripe the conditions for workers to go AWOL, and God’s mission goes unfulfilled. Nevertheless, even with this potentiality, Jesus is adamant that his followers remain alert and engaged. The precise timing of what is to come is irrelevant; preparedness for what is to come is what matters.
Often when I hear these stories on the need for preparedness, I can’t help but hear them through my old Scoutmaster’s voice. Early on in Scouting you learn to embody the Scout motto; Be Prepared. It is literally everywhere, from the Scout handbook to every single merit badge, and it is even embroidered on most of the rank insignia. There were so many times as a young scout that I wasn’t prepared; didn’t bring the right clothes, didn’t practice my skills, or didn’t factor outdoor cooking when making a menu for a camping trip. And every time I failed, or let the group down at a Scouting competition, my scoutmaster would pull me aside and say, “Rob, why did you fail?” And I would sheepishly reply, “Because I wasn’t prepared.”
Over the years I learned through the experiences of my mistakes and my successes, along with the gentle guidance of my Scoutmaster and other adult leaders, that being prepared can help us navigate through those moments of predictable immanence; if rain is in the forecast for the weekend, I would pack a raincoat or snow was called for, I packed extra wool socks. While being prepared may not be able to solve every challenge one might encounter, we will be better equipped to encounter and navigate through those moments of unpredictable suddenness that catch us off-guard; like a sudden illness or death in the family.
So it is then, that on this first Sunday of Advent Jesus is reminding all of us that the time will come when the master will indeed return home. May we heed his call to stay awake, stay alert, and keep working so that we too can be prepared.
