Sermon | Year A - The Year of Mark

November 30, 2008 | Advent 1

Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37

Advent arrives in a season of darkness. The sun sets early now. Long gone are the gentle sunsets of summer when the light would linger far into the evening. This time of year, the season of Advent is dark, cold, and often snowy. For that reason, Advent is all about lights. The candles of the Advent wreath burn to remind us that Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness. They burn to remind us that our faith is about hope; and if it is about hope, then, it is about the future. Advent is about waiting.

As much as we try to deny it - the end is coming. Science tells us this, experience tells us this, and the scriptures tell us this. Furthermore, it will not be some temporary system failure. Rather it will be a complete crash - a crash that will bring in its wake a new heaven and new earth. It will not be a quick fix, which allows us to go on as if nothing had happened. Everything will change.

The end is coming. That is the truth of our faith. It's our faith's prayer - as in the reading from Isaiah this morning where Isaiah said, "O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence"

It also is our faith's promise. Jesus said in today’s Gospel, "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"

The end is coming - it is coming to all of us - a fact which cannot be denied. The end might be sooner - or it might be later. Never the less, it is coming.

Advent is about waiting. It is about wondering. It is waiting for the end of time. If we really let ourselves think about Judgment Day, we can fear of the end of time. However, in that fear, Advent is also about hope. It is about hope for the return of the Lord. It is about expectation, anticipation, and waiting for the time of the kingdom in all of its richness, fullness, peace, and beauty.

Advent is about hope. It is the hope that the wrongs of this world will be righted. It is the hope that the evil of this world will perish. It is also about the hope that justice will be done.

Advent is about hope and the future. However, notice a contrast. Many times, I have said something such as, “It is important to live one day at a time. Live focused for today, do not dwell on the past or future, or you will miss the present; today is a gift to be cherished.” That is a nice and vital sentiment. Even Jesus said, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." However, Jesus was talking about needless worry.

The Christian faith is always forward looking, and it does so not in worry, but in hope. The whole focus of our faith from the days of Abraham and Sarah to now is that God is using history, time, and the present to take us into the future. We are in a progression towards something new, big, and wonderful. We along with Moses and Miriam, the prophets, the people of Israel, Ruth, King David, and the Levites are part of God’s holy history bringing us ever closer to God’s final kingdom. Therefore, we are always forward looking. We are always looking to something good for tomorrow. We are not about pessimism and gloom. We are about the hope and promise that God is with us working in our lives.

God is bringing us to his kingdom. If we live focused only on the present, we blind ourselves to the future and we limit ourselves to the present.

Christianity frees us from the past and the sins we have. Christianity does not trap us in the present, but allows us to live it in the freedom of knowing that God is with us. Christianity is always drawing us into the future. Christianity pulls us into the unknown. It does so not in fear, but in hope.

Advent is about darkness. However, it is also about the power of Christ’s light to shine through the darkness into the present and show us the way into the future.

We know, as did Paul, that God will keep us to the end. God will do so in order that we will be waiting and prepared on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Advent comes to remind us that our faith brings us the anticipation of God's help. So help us Lord. Help us to wait in faith. Help us to watch eagerly for your coming. Help us to come into the future you have prepared for us, and relieve the fears of hearts.

Make us a people of peace and hope, a people of confidence, a people unafraid to call upon you, a people who proclaim the coming of your justice, and your love in the midst of darkness.

As Christ was born in Bethlehem and grew to maturity, we, too, are born and grow in him through our baptism. O Lord, let us grow to maturity of faith, as we await your return to the world in glory. Amen.