God’s grace, peace and mercy be with
you. My focus is Mark, chapter 13 where we read: “in those days, after that
tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. …What
I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the
psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the
Lord.’”[i]
Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we
listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply
as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
Game shows for $1,000. “This show has
been granted trademark status as ‘America's Favorite Quiz Show’ by the U.S.
Patent & Trademark Office.” Answer, please. “What is Jeopardy!?” Correct.
Each week, 25 million viewers watch Jeopardy! Its unique answer-and-question
format is a popular motivational tool for educators.[ii] It also lends itself well
to our text.
Based on Jesus’ answer, we ask three
questions. First, what was the question? Second, what are we waiting for?
Third, what should we do?
First, what was the question? What
question did the disciples ask that prompted Jesus to reply, “In
those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will
not give its light”?
Backtrack 20 verses. Jesus was sitting
on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, when Peter and the others queried, “When
will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about
to be accomplished?” These
things meant the destruction of the Temple, and sign meant fulfillment.
In essence, the disciples asked two
types of questions. The first was historical. The Romans destroyed the Temple
in 70 A.D. The second was eschatological or an end-time question. In the 19
verses between their questions and his answer, Jesus instructed his disciples
what they should do and not do in the meantime.
Jesus taught using cosmological and
apocalyptic images – wars, earthquakes, famines, birth pains. Followers would
experience family betrayal, beatings and death. He promised an abomination of
desolation and false prophets and christs who would perform signs and lead
astray the elect.
Next, the good part. Sun and moon go
dark. Stars fall and powers in heaven are shaken. Then the Son of Man would come
in clouds with great power and glory to send angels to gather his elect from
the four winds and the ends of earth.
Now, what was the question again? The
question was, “When will the destruction
of the Temple occur, and what is the sign of fulfillment?” Jesus’ answer to
his disciples’ question (in 30 A.D.), and Mark’s answer to Roman Christians (in
60 A.D.) prepared them for our next two questions. What are we waiting for?
What should we do?
The answer prepared them not for an
apocalyptic end of the world, complete with the smell napalm in the morning,
back-dropped by Wagner’s Ride of the
Valkyries, but for a new beginning. The destruction of the Temple meant a
new beginning.
The Romans destroyed the Temple in 70
A.D.; however, it was not be restored but replaced by the Son of Man. The very Person
of Jesus, the Son of Man, became the place of God’s dwelling.[iii] The dramatic collapse of
the world’s power structures meant not the end of world history, but the
beginning of a new and better phase in which God would work out his purpose.[iv]
What does all of this mean for us today?
I will get to that when I ask my third question. Next, what are we waiting for?
Mark indicated a new beginning, and
today, the first Sunday of Advent, marks a new beginning for us as church, the
beginning of the church year.
The word ‘advent’ is from the Latin word
ad, meaning "to" and venire meaning “come.” Advent focuses on
Christ's coming to us in the flesh; however, Christ's coming manifests itself
among us in three ways – past, present and future.
In the past, Christ came to us in the
flesh, an infant who grew to a man. In the present, he comes to us in Word and
Sacrament. In the future, he will come again in glory.
On the first two Sundays of Advent, we
focus on Christ’s Second Coming. The third and fourth Sundays have
incarnational themes – John’s magnificent prologue and Luke’s annunciation to
Mary.[v] Advent ends when we gather
for evening service on December 24th. Only then does the Christmas
season begin.
Christ’s coming evokes urgent excitement
for the believer. We wait on tiptoe of expectation. We sense His presence is
here. We sense His presence is near. Each day brings us closer to the reason
for our waiting, the reason for our being.
Perhaps this will help. In January, our
daughter-in-law, Kendra, gave birth to our first granddaughter, Emma Jade.
Cindy and I were so excited that on the day we left to see her, we could not
sleep, and left two hours ahead of schedule. Good news stimulates excitement.
More good news!!! On April 17th,
we expect our first grandson, Levi Ryan Gregg, expectant son of Brody and Jen
Gregg, the most excited couple in Glenview, Illinois. You can bet that like Jen
and Brody, we will be so excited that we will not sleep. In Lutheranese, it is
meet, salutary and right to be excited about the birth of little Levi, Christmas
and Christ’s return.
As Christians, are we excited as we wait
for the liturgical celebration of Christ’s coming and the final celebration of
His return? Are we excited about His presence here and now as He comforts and
challenges us in Word and Sacrament?
God comforts and challenges us in Word
and Sacrament. He comforts and challenges us to do what? That moves me from
‘what are we waiting for?’ to ‘what shall we do?’
The Daily Double! Pray and act,
otherwise known as the Christian Life. The Christian life is prayer and action,
worship of God and love of neighbor, meditation and mercy.
Last week, I mentioned that in Matthew’s
Gospel, Jesus repeatedly said, “Learn the meaning of this phrase, ‘It is
mercy, I desire, not sacrifice.’” … I learn and live mercy through meditation,
a life of prayer. A Christian without an active daily prayer life is like a
candy cane without stripes.
Prayer gives meaning to my life as a
pastor and husband. Cindy, who also gives meaning to my life, and I spend time
daily meditating on Scripture passages. Currently, we are focusing on Advent
passages. The other day Cindy told me, her prayer life used to be one where she
only threw up petitions to God.
Petitionary prayers are important, but there
are other forms of prayer – thanksgiving, repentance, adoration and praise. Bible
phrases tell us that praying to God can include “call upon,” “intercede with,”
“meditate on,” “consult,” “cry out to,” “draw near to,” “rejoice in” and “seek
the face of.”[vi]
For me an active prayer life includes these
forms as well as meditation and contemplation; however, the mere mention of meditation
and contemplation unnerves some Christians. Some pastors rail against meditation
and contemplation, while others promote them. I suggest one never engage in any
prayer or practice that leads away from Christ.[vii]
For me meditating on Scripture is simply
having a conversation with God. Since God is wise and merciful, I sit silently
and wait for God to speak. Meditation is that simple. I wait for God to speak a
word.
In his Simple Way to Pray, after prescribing an organized method of
meditating, Martin Luther wrote, “If in
the midst of such thoughts the Holy Spirit begins to preach in your heart with
rich, enlightening thoughts, honor him by letting go of this written scheme; be
still and listen to him. Remember what he says. Note it well and you will
behold wondrous things in the law of God.”[viii]
In Meditation
on Christ’s Passion, Luther wrote, “We
say without hesitation that he who contemplates God’s sufferings for a day, an
hour, yes, only a quarter of an hour, does better than to fast a whole year,
pray a psalm daily, [or] hear a hundred masses. This meditation changes man’s
being and, almost like baptism, gives him a new birth.”[ix]
Meditation, almost like baptism, gives us
new birth. In short, Luther encouraged meditation as a way to deepen our
understanding and appreciation of God’s Word.
Meditation relates well to my first
point in that the destruction of the Temple meant a new beginning. Worship at
the Temple was replaced by worship through the new place of God’s dwelling, the
Christ.[x] Likewise, through baptism,
my old sinful life was destroyed so a new grace-filled life could emerge.
As a Christian, I live by faith. I am
not promised exemption from suffering, trial or even death for the sake of the
gospel.
One of the more compelling stories of
martyrdom is that of Jim Elliott, who ministered in South America to the Auca
Indians, who eventually killed him. Shortly before his death, Elliott said, “He is no fool who gives up
what he cannot keep [his very life] to gain what he cannot lose [eternal life].”
Though they did not articulate it in these words, many early Christians lived
by the wisdom of this motto.[xi]
Living by this motto means that one must
stay awake. One must imitate the doorkeeper.[xii] As Christians living in
between the time of Christ’s coming in the flesh and his glorious coming, we do
not know when he will return.
The doorkeeper could surmise that his
master would return during the day. It was dangerous to travel through the
night. Yet, parables always challenge one to consider the improbable. So, he
needed to stay awake. The Christian, like the doorkeeper, is never off duty.[xiii] Christians must live
mercifully and pray actively.
I close by checking my calendar. Between
now and next Sunday, I have four Christmas parties to attend – Ladies Aid, 20s
and 30s group, 40s and 50s group, and Fellowship Club. After that, two schools
functions and a Christmas pageant. I have to write three more sermons, and lead
two classes for new members. I will make Lord’s Supper visits to Extended Care,
Friendship Manor and members’ homes. Then family matters demand Christmas cards
and gifts. Of course, you have professional and personal duties as well.
My point is that in the busyness of the
season, we are easily distracted. No longer awake, Christ’s coming catches us
unaware. We lose the sense of wonder and contemplation, unable to read the signs
of the times because of our distractedness.
Staying awake is not about sleep, but
about spiritual laziness, which often manifests itself as busyness in the form
of distractedness. Distractedness is a way of not paying attention to oneself
or the needs of others or the voice of God because we are so busy doing nothing
– shopping for bargains and checking our smartphones, catching up on small talk
and on social media, attending parties and festivities.
Being awake when Christ arrives depends
upon my ability to wait quietly and attentively. My difficulty is not that I
reject Christ, but staying awake and attentive to the signs reminding me that He
is coming. [xiv]
If you do not know how to stay awake –
how to pray – use Portals of Prayer.
Each day there is a Scripture passage and a meditation.
As we begin Advent, I
ask you to do one thing – pray daily – so that when the Day of the Lord comes, He
may find you awake. As you pray, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.[xv]
[i] Psalm 122
[ii] http://www.jeopardy.com/
[iii]
LaVerdiere, 207
[iv]
France, 533
[v]
John A. Melloh, Advent , 18
[vi]
Margaret Dorgan, 1037
[vii] http://www.lcms.org/faqs/lcmsviews#yoga
[viii]
http://www.se.lcms.org/uploads/simple_way_pray_luther.pdf
[ix]
Paragraph 10 - http://www.lutheranmissiology.org/Luther%20Meditate%20Passion%20of%20Christ.pdf
[x]
LaVerdiere, 207
[xi]
Witherington, 357
[xii]
France, 545
[xiii]
France,546
[xiv] http://americamagazine.org/content/the-word/daily-distractions
