1st Advent, December 3 2017
Is 63:16b-17, 19b, 64:2-7; 1 Cor 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37
Brookdale
I’ve always thought of Advent as a time of waiting for Christmas. But today’s readings don’t have much to do with the joys of Christmas. They are oriented toward the second coming of Christ and are rather dark, focused on our sinfulness and inability to do the right thing. The readings seem more in tune with a dirge like Dies Irae (Day of Wrath) than with carols like Oh Come Oh Come, Emmanuel.
What are we to make of the second coming of Christ? St. Paul believed that Jesus would return to earth in his lifetime and establish God’s kingdom in Jerusalem. St. Paul was wrong about that. He had to learn from events, as we do. I don’t know what the second coming will be like or when it will be. But it is obvious from today’s readings and others that there will be a time of judgment. And at that time, we’ll be in the uncomfortable position of having to give an account of ourselves.
Obviously, we try to behave ourselves—otherwise we wouldn’t be at this communion service. But just as obviously, we mess up. I sympathize entirely with Isaiah in the first reading, “Why, O Lord, do you make us stray from your ways and harden our heart, so that we do not fear you?” We don’t really want to mess up, but we do.
We are like the servants that Jesus talks about in Mark’s parable. A man leaves home and puts his servants in charge. I imagine this taking place in a big manor house like the one in Downton Abbey, if you watched that BBC series. We’re the staff: the butler, the maids, the cook, the footmen. The lord of the manor goes out of town, and we relax just a bit. We take shortcuts. We put off until tomorrow what we might have done today. We know the boss is coming back, but not yet. There will be plenty of time to get ready for his return.
“Watch!” I used to hear this parable in terms of the Last Judgment: the Boss will return, and anyone who is found not doing his job will be dragged off to the hot place. Now I think that when the Boss gets back, there will be a big party.
But we still have to get everything ready for the party. When he returns—maybe during the night—will he say, “Well done, good and faithful servants. Now let’s celebrate!” Or wilI I find myself saying something like “Wait a minute, all the tablecloths are in the laundry? Or, “Wait a minute, I need to replace the light bulbs in the banquet room”? Or, “Wait a minute, I forgot to fatten the calf”?
“Watch!” In Mark’s Gospel, this is Jesus’ last parable, and it marks the end of his teaching. The story moves on to the Last Supper and the garden of Gethsemane, where so far from staying awake to watch, the disciples promptly fall asleep. As Jesus says then, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” That’s the human nature Isaiah complained about. That’s me, who aspires to follow Jesus.
Advent is a good time to remind ourselves of our jobs as disciples. It’s time to make sure that the table cloths are clean and fresh—that is, that I’m keeping up with spiritual disciplines like prayer. That the light bulbs are all working—that I’m in right relationship with other people and treat them with respect and kindness. That there’s a fatted calf on hand—i.e., that I’m keeping up with longer-term projects to help build the kingdom. The Boss is coming. Watch! Let’s make sure we are ready for the party.
Happy Advent! And have a wonderful Christmas!