December 3, 2023 First Sunday of Advent The text is Mark 13:24-37.

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[Jesus said:] ²⁴“In those days, after that suffering,
 the sun will be darkened,
  and the moon will not give its light,
 ²⁵and the stars will be falling from heaven,
  and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
²⁶Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. ²⁷Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
 ²⁸“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. ²⁹So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. ³⁰Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. ³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
 ³²“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. ³⁵Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, ³⁶or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. ³⁷And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

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May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Grace, mercy, and peace are yours from God the Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

This morning we gather in worship as we celebrate the first Sunday of the brand-new church year.  Christmas is three short weeks away and there will be presents, and carols, and family gatherings, and an atmosphere of great joy.  Christmas songs are playing on the radio and in stores, children’s excitement is starting to build, trees have been decorated, and sparkling lights have been installed around our neighborhoods.  And the very first words we hear Jesus speak, as we prepare for the joy of Christmas as we begin Advent are descriptions of coming suffering, darkness, the stars falling from the sky, and heaven being shaken to its core.  So much for “Happy Advent”; and how does this dire warning set the stage for a “Merry Christmas”?

For a good portion of the liturgical year that just ended we have been hearing Jesus preach about what the coming kingdom of God will be like; and from these accounts we may assume that this coming kingdom will be pretty great.  But this morning, we start the new church year with the proclamation that before we get to experience the good stuff, things will turn pretty ugly.  Exactly what are we supposed to think about this?  Well, the description of the apocalyptic events that will herald the establishment of God’s kingdom that Jesus proclaims this morning would have been familiar to his first-century listeners.  These harbingers of the “end times” are found rather frequently in the Hebrew Bible, our Old Testament; the Scriptures that Jesus often quoted. 

And, as I was typing these words, my laptop announced that Bishop Hazelwood’s weekly blog was ready to be viewed in my inbox.  Taking a moment to peruse it, since it always contains enlightening information, I read that Bishop Jim had noted that “end of the world” predictions might also be found in ancient Zoroastrian texts, written in Iran about 3,000 years ago.  While I certainly wouldn’t suggest that my thoughts are on a par with the Bishop’s it was still gratifying to read that he and I are on the same page regarding the propensity for many of the world’s religions to agonize over apocalyptic apprehension.  But it still feels odd to be worrying about the “end-times” when we’re getting ready to welcome the baby Jesus into the world, as our Savior.  

But to be fair, although we’re in the season of Advent and await Jesus’ birth at Christmas, the Gospel reading for today finds us way beyond the present time, for Jesus is preparing us for his Second Coming.  And the theme for both, his first arrival and his second is of waiting; waiting and preparing.  And this need for preparation has been highlighted in many of the parables Jesus has preached over the last several months.  And the focus of the call to be prepared is the need to maintain our faith, remain obedient, and to adopt a sense of purpose.  And as we get ready for Jesus’ initial entry into human form as a baby, we must also prepare for his second arrival, into a re-created world, when Jesus returns as our King.

This morning Jesus warns us to observe what is taking place around us, to be aware of the apocalyptic signs that signal that this world is drawing to a close and that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.  The difficult part about this is that as destructive, discouraging, and demoralizing as these times are, it seems like things have really always been this way.  Throughout all human history there has never been a time when all the world was fully at peace; not now and certainly not for more than a short period of time.  In fact, a recent article claims that all the nations of the world combined have been at peace only 8% of the time, in aof recorded human history. 

And since these signs of the apocalypse seem to have been present all along, Jesus’ call to be alert and prepared for the coming of the kingdom seems to be less of “get ready”, and more about “stay ready”.  We are called to be ready because the kingdom may be upon us at any time.  But, since the signs have been so prevalent for so much of human history, we might be in for quite a wait.  The Kingdom of Heaven might just be established before we leave the church this morning; or, since only God knows, our descendants might not experience the Second Coming for thousands of years.  So we’re commanded to live our lives in ways that reflect anticipation, longing, and with a sense of urgency; hoping the kingdom to come will arrive any day now, yet acknowledging that it may not happen in our lifetime.

This Advent season also calls us to maintain a way of waiting that expresses living in the same way we await the establishment of God’s kingdom.

We do not know when Jesus will return, but we certainly do know that we celebrate his human birth in a few weeks.  In addition to staying ready and alert for the apocalyptic times that one day will come, we must live with expectant joy, awaiting the arrival of a newborn baby Jesus, sleeping in a manger.  We must prepare our expectant hearts for the One who is the Savior of the world.  We wait with a deep thanksgiving, as we rejoice that we have been redeemed in spite of our sinfulness.  We wait with confidence and assurance because, although we don’t know when the story will end, we know how the story ends.  We wait with trust, assured that God’s promises will be kept.  We wait with hope, knowing that whether in the next minute, or at a time in the distant future, God’s kingdom will prevail, and earth will be as it is in heaven.  And most importantly, we wait in readiness, acting as the hands, and feet, and heart of Christ; the One who will come among us on Christmas and again when he comes to re-create the world according to the will of God.

Knowing that waiting is difficult, we should turn to King David. He writes this in Psalm 46, to remind us that God encourages, strengthens, and comforts us as we wait.  I invite you to close your eyes and hear these words of assurance as we anticipate the coming of Christ, now and in the unknown future.  Hear these words of God, calling us to faith, and hope, and trust. 

“Be still and know that I am God”.  “Be still and know that I AM”.  “Be still and know”.  “Be still”, “BE”.  Amen.

God is Good, all the time.  All the time, God is Good.  Amen.