1st Advent
November 28, 2010
the Rev. Ken Kroohs
(Isaiah 2:1-5,Ps.
122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:30-34)
St. Christopher’s
Episcopal Church, High Point, NC
MAY THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH ... AND THE MEDITATIONS OF
ALL OUR HEARTS ... BE ALWAYS ACCEPTABLE TO YOU --- OUR STRENGTH AND OUR
REDEEMER AMEN
Bad news
this morning. Bad news on a couple different levels. ... The world will
not end during the next two months.
In fact, the world will not end during our lifetimes. The world will not end in the
sense of Jesus’ second coming whether you understand that as destructive
or re-constructive.
I believe in the second
option — that the second coming of Jesus will lead to the re-construction
of our society into something that God wants. That’s why every week we pray
“thy kingdom come”. We
would not be asking for destruction.
God’s kingdom would not, will not be something negative but rather
the ultimate positive.
So the second coming of
Christ is a good thing .... which
is one reason it is unfortunate I tell you it will not happen during our life times.
After all, on a theoretical level anyway, we should WANT this world to
end. WANT the problems, evil,
nastiness to end even it along with those things, the
things we like are changed. In
theory we believe that those changes, even of the things we like, will be to
greater and more wonderful things! .... In theory we believe that.
On a more realistic level it
is unfortunate that this will not happen during our lives because that means we
will not have a real Advent.
The church designates these
seasons in an attempt to help us focus.
Each season focuses on a different part of our spiritual lives —
our lives with God.
Advent is the season before
Jesus’ birth. But we really
cannot get in touch with what it meant to not have Jesus in our lives ... in
history so now Advent might be considered the season before Jesus’ second
coming.
As such Advent is sometimes
called a season of waiting — I think that is too passive. At other times it is called a
season of preparation — better but we don’t prepare for something
we don’t expect.
So maybe it would be better
to consider Advent a time to gain a feeling of expectation. To try and focus on the expectation that
Jesus will be in our lives in a new and special way.
Theologically that is a
universal expectation — that Jesus will re-enter our world in a
new and special way. But as long as
we understand that the second coming of Christ is not to individuals but to the
entire world, I think it is OK to use Advent to focus on the expectation that
Jesus CAN enter our lives in a new way.
But, most of us are like the
person sitting in front of the TV excitedly waiting for the $300 million dollar
lottery numbers to be called — when we did not buy a lottery ticket! Somehow hoping for, dreaming about a
wonderful future when we did not bother to prepare for that future.
I an intrigued in this context by today’s gospel
reading. Few people bother
to consider what it says. Those who
want to strike fear into people like to quote the part about one will be
taken and one will be left but notice the context. Unlike those passage which SEEM to
predict a time of extreme destruction, here Jesus says first, no one, not
angels or even the Son of God know the day or hour — so stop telling me
you are smarter than the angels and have figured it out !! Sorry – those people annoy me.
But even
more interesting notice what Jesus says will be happening. He says it will be a pretty normal time:
people eating and drinking (not necessarily to excess), people
being married, people going to work – just a normal time. I know this seems to contradict the
teachings about there being wars, and famine, and earthquakes as a sign of the
end. And I have struggled with
that.
I have also struggled with
the entire “keep awake — if the owner knew when the thief was
coming” imagery. A
frequent image in art for Advent is the watchman on the castle wall looking for
the enemy.
Those don’t feel like
images to suggest a time we WANT to have occur. A time when our Lord and Savior will
return to make right the evil that exists ... either in society or in
ourselves.
If someone wants we can go
into my thinking ... my hypothesis ... in more depth but for today let me just
suggest a couple answers.
First, I have trouble finding
a time in history when there were NOT wars, and famine, and earthquakes. I suspect ... and hear this as my
understanding and not as the one and only answer! ... I suspect Jesus was driving
at that before the perfection of the kingdom there will be the imperfection of
wars and famines and earthquakes etc.
NOT saying those IMMEDIATELY proceeded the end
but rather that they will continue to happen until the end. In fact, in that
passage in Luke 21, Jesus says, the end will not come immediately.
OK, but what about the
“watchman” imagery? The idea of watching for the enemy? The thief in the
night?
I think Jesus was simply
trying to tell us to be alert ... be ready. I believe Jesus probably was clearer
when He told the story of the ten bride maids. Five were prepared for the arrival of
the bridegroom and the celebration, five were not ready. The five who were not ready were not
allowed into the celebration.
I believe Jesus is telling us
there will be a celebration and we need to be ready for it.
Unfortunately we don’t
believe the world as we know it will end during our life time, so we
don’t have to worry about being ready. And we don’t like to think about
the time we will meet our maker so don’t spend a lot of time preparing. Advent time.
AND, I think even more
importantly, we don’t focus on how the celebration has already begun ...
the party is going on and we have the opportunity to join in ... IF we prepare.
So how do we prepare? If we expect, hope for, joyously anticipate
Jesus’ deeper involvement in our lives ... how do we prepare for that?
The Cursillo
movement uses the language of piety - study - and action ..
as good a summary as any. Piety comes first because it
is ultimately the most important.
Within that category, worship
is most important in the sense of adoration. I firmly believe that until we get in
touch with a God so much greater than we are ... get
in touch with the God worthy of our awe and adoration ... until that happens
the rest is ethics, not religion.
Treating a person well is an ethical decision. Loving your neighbor is a religious
calling.
I say that this form of
worship is most important because once we respect, are in awe of, love God
intensely we will want to know God more thoroughly and therefore will study
more.
Being in love with God, and
knowing about God leads inevitably to doing for and with God. One of the things we learn is God has
chosen a path that requires us to help build the kingdom. God requires our help if the world is to
improve. Certainly God could do it
another way, in a more miraculous manner, but God has chosen to involve us.
Being involved with God to
improve this world is the most exciting and satisfying thing we can do which
leads us back to loving God more deeply.
Now these three steps are not
followed in any particular order.
Some people begin with ethical action such as a food bank, and through
that begin to study God, and only then really begin to love God. The order does not matter. What does matter is that if we are to
prepare the way for Jesus, we need to do them all, all the time. No one is beyond learning. No one does too much. No one worships too deeply.
Something fascinating about
this tripod is that it covers body, mind and soul. The body to do, the
mind to understand, and the soul to worship.
Another way to look at it is
body, mind and emotion. Religion
which is pure emotion is not very deep and not likely to last. However, a religion without any
emotional connection to God is also shallow and short term. It is love that carries us through the
tough times in a marriage or other relationship. It is love that carries us through the
tough times with God ... and they will happen. Times we are angry at God ... question
God ... even doubt God. They are OK
and with the connection we can work through those times.
Can you remember, in the
words of Amazing Grace, the time you first believed? Possibly not. Still think about your journey and hear
again the words of the apostle Paul.
Substitute into Paul’s teaching whatever separates you from a
deeper relationship with God.
You know what time it is,
how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than
when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us lay aside the works of darkness
and put on the armor of light. Let
us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in
debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Seek a true Advent.
AMEN
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CLICK HERE TO RESPOND: I would enjoy reading your comments about this sermon. Please feel free to discuss content or presentation. (If you wish to use another email system send your comments to: ken@st-christopher.com)