Sermons

First Sunday of Advent

Text: Mark 13:24-37

Pastor Jean M. Hansen

 

 

     This week a retired church musician was telling me how she had volunteered to play the piano for the weekly worship service at a church-related long term care facility during Advent. It turned into a communication fiasco because no one informed her that there no longer is a traditional Sunday worship service, which had been the case in this setting for decades, and she would be, basically, giving a concert, which is not what she had in mind. Also, she was expected her to show up last Sunday, which was not Advent, and she had specifically volunteered for Advent. As she noted to me, “I guess they did not know what Advent is;” probably not.

      We know, though, don’t we? Advent is the four weeks, that is, four Sundays, before Christmas when we are preparing – in this context, spiritually - to celebrate the birth of Jesus. That’s his first Advent, or arrival. This year the Fourth Sunday of Advent is on December 24, so we’ll be observing both Advent and Christmas during that morning’s service. But that’s not the entire significance of Advent.

     As today’s reading reminds us, it’s also a time to prepare for his second Advent, a time of re-centering in preparation for the return of Jesus in the here and now. Or, as commentator Timothy Adkins-Jones writes, “We are not merely planning for a cute little baby to be born in a manger, but also for the recreation of this world when that baby returns full-grown.” (1)

     That may make us a bit uncomfortable as we tend to think that since the time of Jesus’ coming cannot be known, we need not think much about it, particularly because it could be hundreds, or thousands or millions of years from now. In contrast, the writer of Mark’s gospel indicates that because the timing is unknown, we should think about it all the time, and that it could be today, or this evening, or at midnight, or when dawn breaks. (2)

     Somehow, the second advent of Jesus seems ominous; that’s probably explained by the apocalyptic-style writing that describes it – “the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will be falling from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.” But it also is because of the misrepresentation of “that day” as something to fear in popular religious culture.

     What if, instead, we longed for the day of his coming as the time when hope will be realized, we will know God fully and it will be clear that there is more … there is better than this life? I guess that’s what I had in mind when I wrote my Pastor’s Pondering for the December newsletter. (My apologies to those who may have already read it.) Considering the suffering in the world, perhaps our prayer should be, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus.” In that Pondering I mentioned these realties and ended each description with a prayer refrain.

     On November 14, the lives of many families in a neighboring county were changed forever following an accident involving a bus transporting students and chaperones from the Tuscarawas Valley Local School District. Three youth and three adults died, including a coworker of Faith Youth Co-director Abby Jezewski, and 18 were injured. The entire community was, and is, impacted by this tragedy.

        And so, as we prepare to celebrate the first advent of Jesus, and anticipate his second advent, I pray: Come quickly, Lord Jesus.  

     Since mid-October, Israel has been waging against Hamas in response to that terrorist organization’s indefensible assault on peaceful Jewish communities. While Israel’s justified response targeted Hamas, it has led to anguish in Palestinian territories. While a recent cease fire has improved the situation some, both sides long for safety, and in some cases retaliation. There will be no winners in this situation.

     At a recent local meeting of ELCA rostered individuals, those attending were told that of the 8,300 churches in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 20-30 percent will close within the next two to three years. Also, the number of students in ELCA seminaries does not begin to meet the need for pastors with 400-500 retiring each year. The church, as we have known it, will be no more. Are we prepared to proclaim the Good News of Jesus in a new way?

      And so, as we prepare to celebrate the first advent of Jesus, and anticipate his second advent, I pray: Come quickly, Lord Jesus.  

     Guns are a plague in Summit County. A study done by the Akron Beacon Journal indicated that gun deaths now dominate overall homicides like nothing the county has seen before. Victims of gun violence are growing markedly younger as residents express fears of children running wild and youths who settle their scores with readily available firearms. We live in fear-filled times.

     And, I’ll add one more petition to this litany, because it so appalled me. Three young men of Palestinian decent, college students in this country, were visiting Burlington Vermont for Thanksgiving. While taking a walk after dinner, they were approached by a man who said nothing before shooting each one. One of them has a spinal injury and faces a tremendous struggle to recover. The irony is that their families were relieved that they were in the United States, believing it would be safer than Ramallah in the West Bank.

     And so, as we prepare to celebrate the first advent of Jesus, and anticipate his second advent, I pray: Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Enter your email to subscribe to the CNN Five Things Newsletter.

 

     Come quickly, Lord Jesus, rescue us and recreate all reality. Let me say, though, that in spite of all this, we wait with hope because Advent waiting is active waiting, a time for being and keeping awake.

     In the third image in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus compares us to servants who do not slack off while their master is away, but keep at their work, anticipating that their master may return at any moment. These servants want to be “caught” doing their job well. That’s the type of being awake that Jesus asks of us; instead of fear and worry we respond with discipline and compassion. 

     Quoting Diane Strickland, “We keep away because God never ceases to be a work, the Spirit is doing a new thing, and we don’t want to miss any of it.” (3) Jesus is saying to remain awake, and live our faith, so that even in the midst of the challenges we face – like those I mentioned – there is reason to hope or even celebrate.

     I like the story that Pastor JoAnne Taylor tells about a mom who was driving when her 8-year-old asked, “Do you want me to throw the confetti in my pocket?” “No, not in the car! Why do you have confetti in your pocket,” the mom asked. Her child answered, “It’ my emergency confetti. I carry it everywhere in case there is good news.” (4)

     So, keep awake … and have your emergency confetti ready. AMEN