Staying Awake 'til He Comes

November 27, 2011                                     1^st Sunday of Advent

 

Isaiah 64: 1-9, Psalm 80: 1-7, 1 Cor. 1: 3-9, Mark 13: 24-37

 

Keeping Awake

 

              I trust that everyone had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. I always realize on Thanksgiving that I am blessed to the max. A have so much to be thankful for that words fail me. Just saying thank you…seems too sparse somehow.

 

I don’t know how many of you might have gone out to the Black Friday sales. I ‘m not a fan of crowds, so I didn’t go.  A lot of people make fun of those who go to early morning sales. But I think we go because of our innate “hunter-gather” genes in our DNA. Why…I know men who will get up at 3 or 4 am, to go out into the cold woods, climb up a tree, risking life and limb, just to wait for a deer to walk by. Same thing, I say. Black Friday shopping and deer hunting are evidence of our instincts to bag something nice for the family.

 

Today’s scripture from the gospel of Mark is more of the apocalyptic language that some of us have grown used to hearing during the weeks of Advent. It has always seemed to jangle my senses when I get to this time of the year in the lectionary cycle, when we are beginning to prepare for Jesus’ birthday celebration, that we read about Jesus’ return.

 

We read about the cessation of heaven’s light…the sun, moon and stars failing to give their light. And in the midst of the great darkness Jesus will come with “great power and glory.” It is always hard for me to reconcile these ideas satisfactorily: on the one hand...starlight, newborn baby, meek and mild and on the other…darkness, great glory, and the triumph of God in the Earth.

 

Jesus tells us in this Scripture that heaven and earth will pass away. Jesus also says that the day and time this will occur is not known, and Jesus directs us to keep awake, to be aware, and be ready for the day of his appearing.

 

Certainly in addition to being a busy time of year, the weeks before Christmas are filled with watching and waiting. Children are encouraged to be good, because Santa is watching. They wait and wait and wait (at least that’s what it feels like to them) for Christmas to roll around. We adults watch and wait for the opportunity for savings, in the Black Friday sales, or the last minute discount prices. But somehow, I don't believe this is what Jesus had in mind when he said, “what I say to you I say to all: keep awake” (Mar 13:37).

 

What sense can we make in comparing our anticipation of Christmas, the celebration of Jesus’ birthday, and the anticipation of Jesus’ glorious return? Well, when these words were written they pointed to the near present. Mark wrote that Jesus said the current generation would not pass away until it happened. Today just as then, we anticipate and are hopeful for Jesus' return in our own lifetime.

 

Apocalyptic scenarios are continually recycled. If we look back into our own lifetimes, we could come up with many examples, many predictions, many people fully believing in a particular day and time for Jesus to return. It seems that the lessons of the fig tree are always with us prompting us to gravitate towards dates like 12-12-2012.

 

As I was preparing this message this week I began to think about the idea presented in the Scripture: keeping awake. I thought about how difficult it is to stay awake at times, particularly when you really want to stay awake.

 

On Thanksgiving day after the huge meal we ate, I wanted a nap because I was tremendously sleepy. Fortunately, I was able to come home from the in-laws and rest, relax and take that nap that I wanted. But there are times when we are sleepy that we shouldn't stop and sleep: driving late at night, feeding a baby at 2 AM, 15 min. after the morning alarm has rung, and of course during my sermon.

 

You know how it feels: the temperature gets just right, your tummy is full, the seat or sofa is comfortable, the scenery is quiet or monotonous, and your eyes begin to close. It becomes a battle between staying awake and drifting off into quiet slumber.

 

I wonder if Jesus was thinking about how difficult it is to stay awake when he said, “Beware, keep alert. Keep awake.” The way in which Jesus stresses our need to stay awake and ready for his coming is both a warning and an encouragement. For those of us who are far away from God, Jesus' words act as a warning. They warn us about the coming darkness which symbolizes the death and end of all things.  Who wants to be far away from God when that wrath comes? I don’t.

 

For those of us who are near to God, Jesus’ words act as an encouragement. They give us hope to hang onto when the going is tough. When we are faced with the hardships of our life, the difficulties of our relationships, the disappointments in our work, and our failing health, Jesus’ words lay down a foundation on which we can stand. That hope brings us peace because we know that we’re going to be okay. We have true peace when we know that God loves us and will keep the promises God has made.

 

Here in the sanctuary as we look around, we and see the evidence of a promise kept by God: Christmas tree, poinsettias, banners, lights, etc. These things are reminders to us of God’s promise kept. A promise which is just as profound today as it ever was:  that God would become one of us, live among us, give up his life for us and save us.

 

For hundreds and hundreds of years a promise was given. God promised the people of Israel that their Savior, the anointed one, their Messiah would come. They hoped in every generation that it would happen. The prophets foretold the promise, David sang about it, and angels proclaimed it.

 

Then one day, God followed through on the promise God made to them. Jesus was born. In the greatest of miracles, where a young woman gave birth without the benefit of a man, God brought forth the birth of the Christ child. Jesus is Emmanuel, which means, “God with us.”

 

Today we look forward to another promise of God: Christ’s return. We watch and wait for God's promise. We try to follow Jesus’ command to stay alert and be prepared for the fulfillment of God's promise to us, God’s promise that the kingdom of God will be fully brought forth on earth like in heaven. We wait for it to happen at any moment. But it's not easy for us to stay alert because we are comfortable.

 

Take for example: Christmas. We are comfortable with Christmas. We get used to the season of Advent coming and going just as it always has: same trees, same Christmas parades, same family get-togethers, same Christmas presents to the same people year after year. We get upset and complain when something changes. When we are jarred momentarily out of our Christmas comfort zone, we do not like it.  

 

Herein lays our problem. We are comfortable in our zones. We have let ourselves stop thinking about the end…when people near to God will be saved; when those far away from God will be left in darkness. When we are sated and comfortable it is easy to fall asleep, to nod off, to stop looking for and anticipating God’s promise: that great day when Jesus will appear. Are we guilty of falling asleep?

 

I have found out that one of the best ways to stay awake is to stay busy. You may be saying… what? Preacher, are you saying that I need to be busier than I am now? Well no, actually what I'm saying is that in order to stay awake to the promises of God, we must make sure that the things we are doing are worthy of God's promises. What do I mean by that? What a mean is that we need to spend our time and our money on things that matter—.

 

Now you're thinking, uh oh, here comes the, “don't spend so much for Christmas” part of the sermon. The part where the preacher tells you all the statistics about how much people spend for Christmas, how they accumulate huge debt that they must struggle to pay back all the rest of the year. Well I could do that, but I'm not because we all know that lesson. We all know that running up debt on frivolous Christmas presents is just wrong. So let's just avoid it. I mean…do things matter so much as love?

 

This week I have been reading the book by United Methodist pastor Mike Slaughter, called, Christmas Is Not Your Birthday. This little book which I recommend to you encourages us to experience the joy of living and giving like Jesus. Mike clearly says that indeed, Christmas is not your birthday. But sometimes it seems that it is.

 

I don’t know a lot, but I do know something that I believe is true about every one of you. I know that the giving you do at Christmas comes from tremendously generous hearts. You all know that Jesus is our greatest gift, and you know and feel generous towards others because of all you have been given.

 

A generous heart is exactly what the Lord Jesus want us to have. What I hope we can better understand this year is that, really, we have enough. Do we really need that new sweater, the new iPad, that new Xbox, or the hundred other things we give each other? Maybe we can let God direct our generous hearts in a different place this year?

 

People the world over are hurting. I wonder what would happen if we took the same amount of money we spent on Christmas gifts and gave it to…well…give it to Jesus…um for his birthday. For example if I bought Ed a $50 gift, then I would give $50 to charity. Of course what that means in a practical sense is that Ed would probably get a $25 gift.

 

Or I suppose we could turn it around and say this: if Ed gave me a $50 gift, then I could give $50 to charity…because it's not my birthday. It's Jesus's birthday, right?  A leaner Christmas would be the result…at least for us…but for Jesus, it would be bigger. I wonder, is this too hard for us? Would it move us too far outside of our Christmas comfort zones? Maybe. But why not try?

 

Let’s all try to wake up this year, as Isaiah said, “Arise. Shine! For your light has come!” (Is 60:1). Let’s all try to focus on Jesus, whose birthday it really is. Let’s prompt and encourage one another to get beyond our Christmas comfort zones. We must be aware, be alert to the fact that we have to avoid falling into worshipping our Christmas traditions more than we worship Jesus.

 

Let’s show each other and the world that we are close to God, that we may prefer our familiar Christmas traditions, but that we can take the challenge and the risk to wake up, to reach out and do a different and new thing…if that is what Jesus wants us to do at Christmas.[1]

 

How important is it to us to look like we have always looked at Christmas? How important is it to us to act like we have always acted? How important are our traditional things to Jesus? I know when we really think about it, what Jesus would want for Christmas is for us to do something meaningful with our resources and give him a gift that is worthy of him. Just what that gift might be is…between you and Jesus. Amen.

 

©2011 Judy H. Eurey

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