Wake Up! The Beginning is Near

Mark 13:24-37
December 3, 2023
Advent 1
William G. Carter

“But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then 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.

 

“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. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

 

“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It 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. Therefore, 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, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

Here we go again. Another Advent, on our way to another Christmas. The season come around quickly for most of us, maybe not so much for our children. But the months do circle by. A lot of annual patterns are set. There’s the annual Christmas party on the first Friday night of December. The community-wide Messiah singalong on the third Sunday of the month. Some families put up their Christmas trees on the day after Thanksgiving: they cut them down or tie them to the roof of the car or pull the tree out of the closet. These things happen every year, right on schedule.

The church marks the season by counting back four weeks from December 25. The consumer world starts even earlier. After Thanksgiving comes Black Friday, then Small Business Saturday is followed by Cyber Monday. Everybody has a deal. The deals come like clockwork. There is a shift as Cyber Monday leads into Giving Tuesday, a now annualized appeal for end-of-year generosity. I counted thirty-seven e-mails asking for money and contributed to three of them, because my first commitment is giving to this church.

The calendar may change but the dates are locked in. In the words of a recurring holiday cartoon, “Look, Charlie Brown. We all know Christmas is a big commercial racket. It’s run by an eastern syndicate, you know.” We are accustomed to this, even numbed by it. Ho hum, another holiday. Here we go again.

And how does the Bible respond? It hurtles this text into our sanctuary, telling us an interruption might come at any time. Mark’s Gospel says the lights will go out – sun and moon and stars. Heaven will shake. Then everybody will see the Son of Man coming toward us. It will be a glorious day for some, a terrifying day for others. This is how the season of Advent begins, with the promise there will be an enormous interruption to all our routines, all our schedules, all our consumer spending. There is a great day coming, even bigger than Christmas. It is going to smash into everything. This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Not what you wanted to hear. Me neither. I hope to see the Lord come with power and might. But quite yet. We just got the sanctuary decorated yesterday. I would like to enjoy this for a while. It is early enough in Advent that we haven’t fired up the Christmas carols yet. Don’t worry, we will. A couple of quick Purple Sundays, then it’s “Joy to the World.” We will light candles and sing “Silent Night.” It’s on the schedule. Christmas is coming. The worship bulletins are already prepared. That’s how I like to work: plan ahead!

Unless something happens.

So, what could happen? This thirteenth chapter of Mark began with Jesus walking out of the Jerusalem Temple with a few of the boys. One of those upcountry fishermen paused, looked up, and said, “What a place! It’s so big.” To which Jesus replied, “It’s coming down, stone by stone.” Not what those Galileans wanted to hear. They considered the Temple as God’s house. This is where God met the people – in the Temple, in the holidays, in the rituals, in the annual routines. Jesus said, “It’s coming down.”

So, they pulled him away from the crowd and said, “When is all this happening?” He didn’t answer the question. What he did suggest is they pay attention to the signs of the times:

The Temple was coming down. Just on the previous page, Jesus accuses institutional religion of taking advantage of widows and those most vulnerable in the community. God won’t let that stand. Not in his name.
   

People will turn on one another. Well, that still happens. It is not God’s will.  

Nation will turn against nation. Yep, that’s business as usual. Also, what God does not want.
   

The public life of faith will be desecrated, what Jesus calls a “desolating sacrilege.” Cheapened, watered down, disregarded, turned into a spectacle.

Jesus said all of this will happen because all of it was happening. And in every generation, it keeps happening. Somewhere, somehow, there is always destruction, fear, animosity, and desolation. All of that has become a routine, just like the other routines we have fallen into.

But Jesus is clear on one thing: the Gospel must be preached. It is the same Gospel he came preaching on Day One. The message is this, that the Kingdom of God is coming toward us. The Rightful Ruler of the world will dismantle the deadly old ways. Love will win. Life as we know it will be healed and transformed. All who belong to God’s coming dominion will be gathered in and embraced by the angels.

This is the Advent hope, the deepest Advent hope. We come to prepare for the birth of the Baby Jesus, but his birth was only the beginning. What is really coming is a whole new heaven and earth, re-created in the love and justice of Christ Jesus. People will stop hurting one another – that is the world he will create. Consumers will find another purpose for their lives, something greater than racking up their credit card balances. They will learn how to give to their neighbors. This is how the earth will be reborn. A tired old world that profits on animosity and destruction will be ultimately silenced by the Gospel that God is in charge. People will wake up from a bad dream. That long, dull ache from years of hurt and weariness will be relieved. For Christ, the Son of Man, is coming toward us.

We live in the meantime. Meantime can be the meanest time. Jesus reminds us earthquakes will shake us, famines will starve us, trouble will weary us, liars will twist reality out of shape. We can expect all of this. The world is broken and so are we. 

Yet none of this will last, says the Lord. What will continue to the end is the Word that Christ speaks, that those in need are God’s beloved, that the wealthy are called to participate as equals in the human race, that life is far more than mere consumption, that fairness is something we must work for every single day. The kingdom is coming, says Jesus the King. God is knocking at the door. And when the full transformation comes, every one of us shall see it.

What is the invitation for us? Literally, to stay awake. To keep our eyes open and our hearts aligned with God’s purposes. If there is any Gospel word that has ignited our hearts, keep that fire burning. Invest in the future that God is creating. Let go of the habits that are holding you back. Live simply, even if the world is wasteful. Love generously, even when your neighbors are greedy. Most of all, trust deeply, for this is God’s world. God has not brought us this far to abandon the world he loves to bigots and fools. That is why he is coming. To clarify and judge, to heal and restore, to heal and re-create.

So, let’s stay awake. When the person next to you nods off, give them a little nudge. When someone you love becomes fearful of what’s out there, calm them with the assurance of what’s ultimately coming. When bombarded by the consuming message of “No payments ‘til February,” counter that empty nonsense by pulling extra coats out of your closet for those who have none. And if you discover somebody eats alone, invite them to dine at your table. We were made to enjoy one another. Christ promises to wrap his arms around us all; do what you can to live as if that is already true. Stay awake.

For Christ is coming nearer, redeeming us from sin.

Our broken lives will soon be healed. God’s kingdom now breaks in.

 (c) William G. Carter. All rights reserved.