Psalm 138:1-6, 8a
Amen to the psalmist; thanking God with our whole heart. As I was washing dishes on Thanksgiving, the least I could do after having enjoyed such a sumptuous feast without all the work, the woman drying told me after she was done there she and her husband take ham and rolls to the emergency rooms of Watsonville and Dominican saying thank you to those who work on this day of thanks. I thought what a great way of actively being thankful!!! This generosity was so welcomed after all I have heard about Black Friday which now lasts for a week completely overshadowing Thanksgiving. Being grateful to God is the point of our holiday in the first place. Let’s return to the psalm and give thanks for God’s steadfast love and faithfulness and God’s holy word.
Our gospel word for this the first Sunday in Advent needs some context. It is known as the “little apocalypse” taking imagery from Daniel and Ezekiel to warn the disciples to watch and wait. In Mark’s account, Jesus’ ministry is complete, he has yet to be arrested, but he tells of prophetic judgment and comfort, and how things will get worse before they get better.
This doesn’t feel like an advent text. Where is John the Baptist or stories of Baby Jesus? Instead we hear doom and gloom, a story of a fig tree and a warning to “Keep Awake!” Jesus calls us to diligent waiting. Just like we saw active thankfulness with my friend’s taking food to those who serve, we can have both active and passive waiting. Imagine a girl standing on the corner waiting for a bus, passive waiting. Then consider a girl on her tiptoes waiting for the parade to turn the corner so she can see the band she can hear and anticipates- active waiting. Another way of thinking about this is a fisherman waiting for spring to arrive- passively waiting for the fishing season. Once he is fishing, however, he does not mind waiting for the trout to rise to his fly because it is an active kind of waiting, full of anticipation. We are to wait for Jesus. The question we get to ask is, are we actively or passively waiting?
So maybe this odd passage can help us with that. Let’s start with the fig tree. The lesson here is to be present to what is around you. If you are so caught up in shopping and preparing this holiday season you might miss the natural signs of God’s coming peace in the world. Are you present to your family when they gather or are you trying to endure the emotional triggers that seem to ignite when families connect? Jesus is encouraging us to be present with our families, noticing how the tender stem changes much like how your relative has turned over a new leaf. Family feuds will come and go, holiday sales will come and go, but God’s word and God’s promise of peace and love will endure forever. Do we wait trusting in this absolute, rather than the human things that distract us from the true meaning of Christmas?
In the same manner are we waiting for the return of the Son of Man? Hearing of the cosmic destruction; sun darkened, and stars falling is a very scary image to consider. Mark is using common imagery known to his readers to say something big is about to change. The world will not be the same. They were seeing their world change with the struggle with Rome and the destruction of their temple in 70 AD and Mark was helping them to know Christ would be coming even when it felt like their world was falling apart. Everyone in Mark’s time knew of Isaiah’s warnings, Joel’s destruction and Daniel’s apocalyptic visions. It would be like me writing of the end battle from Harry Potter, with Harry and Voldermort fighting for the Elder wand, and who would have power in this cosmic struggle; or how about using Star Wars imagery to explain a coming change using “the force” to save the world. To an outsider, these images sound strange. For people who are well versed in Old Testament prophecy these images declare with force the coming of Christ, the Son of Man.
At Christmas time we are more attached to Christ coming as the baby in the manger than the Son of Man coming in clouds. The same one we will welcome in 25 days is the one who will gather the elect in power and glory. The Jews were not waiting for a holiday on the calendar, with a count-down of shopping days. No they were waiting for God’s messenger, the Messiah. Today we are placed right alongside those waiting for the Messiah, the one who will come and save the world. Neither those who waited for the first coming of the Messiah, nor those of us who now await his return, know when he will appear. I think not knowing lulls us into to waiting for Christmas more eagerly than we wait for Christ. We like counting the days with the Advent calendar, knowing when to celebrate, we don’t like waiting expectantly never really sure when Christ will return.
That is why this first Sunday in Advent we are told to Keep awake! To wait expectantly. Not simply for a baby, but for the Lord of our life. We have to remember this waiting is based on relationship. We follow Christ; we are his servants, his workers in this world. Helping our neighbor and serving God’s church is doing kingdom work, and being a confident witness to those we meet is doing God’s business. All of these are forms of active waiting. Through our relationship with Christ, he has left us each with our own kingdom work. He has gone to be with God, but he will return. When we live in that reality then it changes how we wait. No longer are we only waiting for Christmas with the presents and the parties and travel. Instead we are waiting for Christ, with time in devotion and prayer and the exchange of gifts that does not happen around the tree. When we wait for Christ instead of Christmas then we have a beautiful gift exchange with God. We receive God’s loving gift of his Son, opening this precious gift, seeing it with new eyes, and feeling the love and sacrifice given to us personally. We then give our heartfelt gift to God. We give our life, surrendering our wills, and basking in the joy of such an honor.
This Christmas don’t be asleep to what matters, be awake to Christ in your life and the joy of giving your gift to God on Christmas morning and every day. Amen
