November 30: The First Sunday in Advent

Tomorrow we begin a new Church Year, with the First Sunday in Advent. The Gospel to be read in many of our churches will be from St. Mark, Chapter 13: 24-37:

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. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to
you I say to all: Keep awake.”

As we listen to our Lord Jesus describe the coming of the Son of Man, the time of his coming, and his admonishment to us that we should be on the alert, I thought about the fig tree growing outside my study window here at the lakehouse. A few days ago I took a good look at it as I was mowing and mulching the leaves fallen over the grass around it. It's branches are bare now, but in a few months, along about mid-April, it will begin to "put forth its leaves," and once again I'll know that summer is coming. But today, in late November, Jesus asks us not only to remember the way our fig trees announces summer's coming, but also to remember that he is coming too. Surprisingly, even Jesus (so He tells us) doesn't know, by way of prediction, the exact time; only the Father knows. It's for this reason that we must all be on the alert.

But what does it mean to be on alert? As Jesus tells it, being on alert is like waiting for a door knock. While it’s hard for me to imagine myself as a slave who’s waiting for his returning master to knock on the door, I do know a bit about waiting for other similar kinds of door-knocks. In 1976, after receiving my Ph. D., I had sent out over 800 resumes and applications to universities and colleges for a new job. I desperately needed employment. Every day I was on the alert to see what the mail might bring; every time the phone rang, I was alert, hoping it might be someone calling to tell me that I had a job. Eventually the right envelop arrived. In 1992 I was very much on the alert as I waited to hear whether or not I might be able to adopt Chelsea—on pins and needles, really! And just recently I’ve been put on alert to watch my blood pressure; it’s been rising incrementally now, and every day I have to take a reading to see how I’m doing; even to the point of keeping a daily log so that in the event the numbers jump, I must make haste to tell my physician right away. In short, like you, I know what it means to be on the alert.

Being on the alert means keeping one’s eyes wide open, making sure one’s calendar is fitted for new possibilities, reminding oneself that good habits often make one ready for new information and necessary adjustments. Be mentally, spiritually, psychologically, and physically open to the in-coming Kingdom of God. This is the kind of alertful, watchful living that Jesus wants us to cultivate.

In the second reading from First Corinthians, Paul opens the watchful eyes of our hearts and points out what we see when our eyes are wide open:

Just think—you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.

O, yes, our culture will tell us to look at stuff and things a’plenty in the next few weeks. Bombarded by discounts, incentives, and come-ons (not to mention nearly constant contradictory economic advisories and political anxieties) , we’ll be tempted to shut the door, turn the key, and disremember that Jesus is a door-, mind-, spirit-and heart-knocker. He’ll be tapping and jiggling the latch often during Advent, especially as he makes his rounds among the unemployed, the lonely, the poor, and the suffering. (Remember last Sunday's Gospel reading from Matthew 25.) If you make sure your door bell rings loudly or that the door-knock on your life is a real banger (loud enough to be heard over a good bit of noise), you’ll find the Master returning, again and again. Say hello to Him when He arrives! Greet Him with a “Come on in, Lord! So good to see you again!"

Image: Holman Hunt, The Light of the World