Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44
Advent 1A
Salvation is near.
That’s the overwhelming word for this first week of Advent. God comes near to us and draws us close. I know texts like the one from Matthew – texts about one person being taken and one being “left behind” – often get used to scare people into faith. They are read and followed with urgent questions and pleas like: You don’t want to be left behind do you? Get right with Jesus, or else. However, given the entire biblical canon and the story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, this kind of interpretation does not seem justified. Why would the One who came to save the whole world all of a sudden write off half of God’s beloved creation? Yes, God holds us accountable. Yes, all will be judged, but the judge is Jesus Christ. Yes, we believe Jesus will return, but how can that be anything other than good news to those of us who know the mercy and grace he literally embodies?
Advent comes not to frighten, but to offer a clarifying lens through which to see ourselves and our world. This first Sunday of Advent – with Isaiah calling us to walk in the light of the Lord and Romans reminding us that salvation is nearer to us than ever before and Matthew giving us a wake-up call to the certain return of the Son of Man – the biblical cannon urges us to stop and remember what truly matters. The liturgical season of Advent provides a counternarrative to the consumerist culture, divisive politics and sensationalist clickbait headlines. These texts tell us to focus on God’s ways and works, to keep in mind that at any moment we might come face to face with Jesus Christ, and to intentionally cultivate a sense of divine presence and purpose so as to be ready to respond faithfully to whatever comes our way. Advent calls us to pay attention to the divine in the midst of the mundane so as to live in ways that reflect whose and who we are — or at least whose we are and who we want to be.
During this time of much rancor and upheaval (has there ever been a time absent of these things?), I do not want to add to the anxiety or alienation already so prevalent in and among us. I hope and pray that in our communities of faith this Advent, we might proclaim the promise of Immanuel, God with us and God for all creation and God’s promise of no more war, certain justice, patient instruction, radical forgiveness and exuberant homecoming. No matter what swirls around us, we who follow Jesus Christ know what time it is, what time it always is: It is time to walk in the light, put on the armor of light, be the light of the world no matter if we are in the field or eating or drinking or marrying or working. Disciples of Jesus Christ are to be on the lookout for the holy already here and surely coming, the light on the horizon, the inbreaking of healing, the hope of reconciliation and the possibility of peace, and nurture their coming into the world.
As we gather for this first Sunday of Advent, perhaps we could see our worship as an opportunity to rub the sleep from our eyes, wake up and become alert to the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives and in our world. If we know we will encounter the divine in our daily living, how do we want to live? What do we want to be doing when we meet our maker? What will we set aside and what will we take up as result of our alertness to God’s judgment, instruction and grace?
Right now I am acutely aware that for several people close to me, seeing God face to face is a very present concern, not an abstract thought exercise. They are not so much thinking about the Second Coming this Advent as they are pondering what it means to know that soon they will die and leave behind those whom they love. They are alert and awake, keenly aware that this may well be their last holiday season on this earth. They are people of more or less faith, more or less church involvement, more or less piety. Nonetheless, there is a commonality in their focus, a clarity about what truly matters, a deep sense of knowing how they want to live even as they face death. They want to set things right as best they can. They speak profound truths about love and forgiveness. They do not want to leave anything unsaid or undone that might ease the pain or burdens on those who will remain. There is much they no longer worry about. Things that once felt so important now seem utterly irrelevant. Simple pleasures are relished. Nothing good is taken for granted. Time, for them and those who love them, takes on a precious quality because its limitedness cannot be ignored. The reality of our boundedness attunes us to the importance of paying attention to the good, the beautiful, the true, the holy.
Advent is a wake-up call to our human limits. We do not know the day or hour of our end or of Christ’s return. We do know, however, that our days will end and Christ will return. We do know that we will be judged and we do know that the judge is Jesus Christ. We do know that God is patient, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. We do know that Jesus came not to condemn the world but to save it. We do know that the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established and all nations will stream to it. We do know that God will bring an end to war and that salvation is nearer to us than ever before. If we are awake and alert, on the lookout for these certain truths, how then will we live? I suspect we will be prepared to focus on what really matters and let go of so much that, in the end, is utterly irrelevant. And in so doing we will radiate the light of Jesus Christ until he comes again, and come again he will.
This week:
- What do you need to focus or re-focus on this Advent season?
- If you are to lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, what would that look like in your life or congregation or community?
- Read the Gospel lesson from Matthew with the assumption that it is good news. How does this change your understanding of the text if you view it through this lens?
- Pay attention to light this week and allow it to remind you of God’s near presence. How does this awareness change your perspective?
- How do you observe Advent in your church or home? What do these practices alert you to in your daily living?
- When have you felt keenly aware of God’s presence?
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