Sermon: Mark 13:24-37 (Advent 1B)

Christ Church Riverdale, 27 November 2005

The Rev. Robert C. Lamborn, Rector

 ^NRSV Mark 13:24 "But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, ²⁵ and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. ²⁶ Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory. ²⁷ 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. 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. ²⁹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. ³⁰ Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. ³¹ Heaven 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. ³³ Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴ 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. ³⁵ 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, ³⁶ or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. ³⁷ And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."

“We await his coming in glory.”  These six words that we will say as part of the Eucharistic Prayer         blessing the bread and wine are Advent in a nutshell.  We await Christ’s coming.  Advent, which means “coming,” or more specifically, “coming to,” marks the beginning of a different kind of time in the church year.  For about half of the year we reflect on the teachings of Jesus, and the liturgical color is green.  But during the other half of the year, the times leading up to, and following, Christmas and Easter, we focus on major events, turning points in Jesus’ life and ministry. This is the half of the year when we see purple, white, unbleached linen, and red. Roman Catholics express the distinction between the two kinds of time in the church year by calling the seasons after Epiphany and after Pentecost, when green is the color, “Ordinary Time.” Now we have stepped into an extraordinary time of the year, the time when we await Christ’s coming, the time of Advent.

During Advent we await Christ’s coming in two different but equally important ways–one way we love to remember and talk and sing about, and another way that can seem strange and uncomfortable.  During Advent, we await Christ’s coming as proclaimed by John the Baptist, as announced to Mary and Joseph, and as took place so long ago.  Candles, choirs, poinsettias, vestments, make us feel good and warm inside.  But at the beginning of Advent, today, in fact, we await Christ’s coming in another way–returning to earth in glorious majesty at the last day. This is the way that is strange and uncomfortable compared to a sweet baby. 

Even though people on television and selling books make a lot of money claiming to know specifics about the last day, even Jesus himself claims not to know when it will be.  As we begin Advent by talking about Christ’s second Coming it can be tempting to say, “Let’s get on past this weird stuff and into the story we know and love about the baby Jesus.”  And yet one of the reasons our scripture readings are set out for us in a lectionary is so that we won’t skip the parts of the Bible that we are less comfortable with so that we can get on to the parts that we like.

We await Christ’s coming in glory, all the while not quite sure what it is we are waiting for.  Some people have a vision of doom and gloom for most of the world, and I guess it’s natural when things are uncertain to play up the negative possibilities.  Disaster movie play on our fears and rake in millions at the box office.  Books that are less visceral, but take more of a how-to approach on surviving impending catastrophes have sold plenty of copies.  When things are uncertain, when they are in transition, it’s natural to play up the negative possibilities.

Even the time of year when Advent takes place is a negative one.  The days are near their shortest of the year, but they are getting shorter still.  When Christmas began to be observed on December 25^th,  that date was also the winter solstice, so through the entirety of Advent the days kept getting shorter.  Even though we know in our heads the days will get longer again, until the trend is actually reversed, we’ll believe it when we see it.  Darkness closes in all around us during Advent and the Christmas lights that have started to appear will not overcome it, only the One those lights point to--the Christ whose coming in glory we await.

What does it mean to await Christ’s coming in glory?  Jesus is clear about what it does not mean– predicting specifics about date and time--but rather than giving a detailed–and limiting–explanation, Jesus, as he so often does, tells a parable.  A man goes on a journey, leaving slaves in charge, each with assigned work, with one told to keep watch at the door. “Keep awake, for you do not know when the master of the house will come.”  So what does it mean to keep awake, to be ready?  When Jesus tells about someone who leaves home, with servants left in charge of certain duties, it’s clear that the servants are not supposed to all crowd around the door or spend all their time looking out the windows to see when the master returns. No, there’s an assigned doorkeeper, and the slaves are to perform their own duties, with an awareness that the master will return   at some unspecified point in the future.  “Keep awake,” Jesus says, and we can understand that the ones who did the will of the master will not be people who just sat around wondering when he would get back, but people who got on with performing their duties.

Since Christ’s return is something we don’t have much information about, since it’s described in mysterious language not easily understood, and since Jesus himself said, “about that day or hour no one knows,” what can we depend on?  Where can we hang our hats? what can we be sure of? How do we know that the sun will come back–that there will be a light to overcome the darkness?  After all, Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away.”  But then the very next thing he says is, “but my words will not pass away.”  Remember the other half of the year–the green times–when we reflect on Jesus’ teachings.  That is what we can depend on–the words of Jesus on how to live and love.  We don’t have to cram for a final exam here, but just keep doing the regular coursework.  God’s revelation to us is dependable, and in any uncertainties to come, will not pass away.  Standing on that firm ground, living consistently with what Jesus has taught us, loving the God and the people Jesus has shown us, we await Christ’s coming in glory.