Text: Luke 21:25-36
25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
29 He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
32 “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
In the Name of God, the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Amen.
So, here we are, a couple days after Thanksgiving, looking ahead to Christmas …
Oops! Wait. I nearly forgot – we’re in Advent now!
It almost seems as though Advent is fast becoming a forgotten season of the church year. The day after Thanksgiving – “Black Friday,” which gets its name from the fact that it’s the day of the year when retailers get into the black – the profitable side of the ledger – gets an inordinate amount of attention, all of it geared to buying stuff for Christmas. The airwaves are already getting clogged with Christmas specials, our calendars are filling up with invitations to Christmas parties…and Advent just seems to get pushed further and further back, out of the limelight and out of our minds. There’s just so much to do before December 25th gets here!
So when most of us think of this time, we think of the Christmas story. We think of the angel appearing to Mary, we think of the journey to Bethlehem, and most of all we think of the Baby born in that manger. We think of these stories, which we have heard since we were children, and they’re really dear to us and help make this season special.
And I love this time of year just as much as anybody. Mostly I love it because of the excitement all the children I know feel. I remember with fondness – and a little sadness – all those seasons of years past when my kids were small and I remember how excited they were, how easily they believed in the magic of this time of year. I think back on all the gatherings of friends and family, some of whom are no longer with us. And I wouldn’t trade even one of these memories for all the gold in the world.
But the fact is that we are just at the beginning of the Advent season. The tone and character of Advent is quite different, and today’s text on this first Sunday of Advent proves that – it isn’t about the Christmas theme at all. It’s not about babies in mangers; it’s not about angels; it’s not about shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night. All of those things that we expect to hear about are at the beginning of Luke’s Gospel; the lesson for today is toward the end. In fact, in the very next chapter of Luke’s Gospel comes his betrayal by Judas, followed by the Last Supper and then the Passion. These are themes we expect to hear during Lent!
We hear Jesus – very much an adult – talking about some dire things to come – “signs in the sun and the moon and the stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the clamor of the ocean and its waves; men dying of fear as they await what menaces of the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.” This is what’s been called the “little apocalypse” of Luke’s Gospel, where Jesus talks about his Second Coming. Well, no matter what you call it, it’s not very cheery, and doesn’t exactly put us in that Christmasy mood, does it? So why is this particular lesson at this particular place in our Lectionary?
I think the color of the season gives us a clue. The liturgical color for both Advent and Lent is purple. Purple is not only the color of royalty – and certainly, Jesus, being of the House of David, was royalty – but also the color of somberness and reflection. It is the color of waiting and penitence. It is the color of preparation – by which I mean, not the preparation for holiday events, but the preparation of one’s soul.
For that is what Advent is. It is a time for taking stock of one’s life; it’s a time for prayer; it’s a time for doing a bit of soul-searching. Like Lent, the Advent season is meant to be a time when we take a close look at ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves the questions we otherwise skip over. Questions like: Am I offering my humanity to Jesus? To others? Am I being true to my calling as a Christian? Am I taking my faith seriously? Is Jesus growing in my life? If so, how? Am I showing Christ’s love to others? Am I carrying Christ in my heart? Am I going where Christ would have me go? How is the work of my hands becoming the Word made flesh, as I go about my daily tasks? Am I practicing patience during this season of waiting?
We ask these questions by way of getting ready for that truly unbelievable, truly magnificent, truly earth-shattering, and universe-changing event of the Birth of Christ, God-With-Us.
And that is a profound event which goes far beyond the tinsel and the carols. Our joy and happiness in this season is not, I like to believe, just because of gift-giving, or parties, or time off from work, or even from seeing old friends and gathering with our families – I like to think that our joy comes from something much deeper: The knowledge that, yes, this Christ Child is also our King, who loves us and who will set all things right.
For we know that life can be hard. We read of people who hate this time of year. They hate it because they think they’re supposed to be happy, but they’re not; optimistic, and they’re not; joyful, but they’re not. Instead, they’re sad, even depressed; and the joy of the people around them, the holiday lights, the holiday music blaring at them in every store, just seems to make things worse.
My Dad was fond of saying, “Into every life, a little rain must fall.” To put it another way, the truth of life is that no one escapes living. And certainly, not one of us has been immune to sadness, or disappointment, or heartache. Books have been written on the subject of human suffering, like When Bad Things Happen to Good People, written by a Jewish rabbi. Living involves hardship and pain as much as it does joy and gladness. The truth of life is that God does not lift anyone up above the turbulence or the heartache – not even Jesus, God’s Son. Jesus came among us to know human life, which means he experienced life’s low points as well as life’s high points. He was dropped right into the midst of human life, with all its uncertainty and messiness, along with the rest of us.
As one pastor, Dr. Jeffrey London, puts it: “The redemption that is ours in Jesus Christ is not some sort of luxury cruise through the calm waters of the Sea of Pain-Be-Gone. God’s plan has never been to insulate His people from the rain that falls, but to prepare us for the storms that come our way.”
Let’s read again the part of the Gospel lesson that goes like this: “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
Advent is not a time for ignoring the unpleasant facts of the world around us. We’re not called on to just paint a happy smile on our faces and “get into the Christmas spirit.” The somber purple of Advent, the call to repentance, to take all of who we are into account, warts and all, prevent that.
But Jesus is not just trying to throw cold water on our happiness; even though he seems to be accentuating the negative in our lesson for today, what he’s actually doing is making a truthful assessment of the world as it is, by way of reminding us how much we need that coming Kingdom of God. What seem to be signs of disaster are actually signs of God’s working in the world, signs that God is present and acting in human history, working inside the good things, and even the bad things, to bring about a glorious victory, a new creation where mourning and crying and pain will be no more, where God himself will wipe away every tear. That is God’s promise; and God always delivers.
I’m reminded once again of the words of the psychologist Carl Jung: “Bidden or not bidden, God is present.” In other words, God is present and active in the world, whether or not we ask him.
So, for us, a key point in Advent is: Don’t lose heart. We are covered by the presence of the King of Kings. This is all adding up to something, Jesus tells us. And that something will be mind-blowingly great.
Advent reminds us that we don’t just live for ourselves, and more importantly, that we are not left to ourselves, so that when the trials that happen to all of us just by living life come our way, we have the strength, the faith, the hope, and the love to meet them; we have the insight to sense the nearness of God’s Kingdom in Jesus Christ and know that we are never, ever alone — not in life and not in death. (Romans 8:38-39)
God is present, working and acting through history, through our lives, through the good, the bad, and the ugly. God is at work, bringing about the redemption of the world.
That’s the good news that gives us the strength to stand up and refuse to give in to the cynicism and hopelessness of the world. This is what empowers us to not fall victim to the desperation of the world. Faith in Jesus Christ gives us the lens through which we are able to see in all things, however dimly at times, the nearness of God’s Kingdom.
“Through faith in Jesus Christ,
we are able to eat and drink,
live and love,
without fearing the rain and the storms of life.
“For in Jesus Christ
our lives are secured, saved, redeemed;
our lives are covered in our King’s purple reign.”
(Dr. Jeffrey K. London)
In the Name of God, the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Amen.