This morning marks our annual reminder as we begin the Advent season:
“Be prepared!” Every individual who has
been a part of scouting knows the old adage, “Be prepared!” Preparation always kicks off the season of
Advent within Christianity . . . we hear the scripture readings of the Old and
New Testaments telling us to be prepared . . . be prepared for the coming of
the Lord . . . be prepared for the new kingdom . . . and, be prepared because
no one knows when or where any of this is going to take place. Christianity has been hearing this message
for over two thousand years, and this morning we hear one more time.
Years ago there was a poster that announced: “Be a lert . . . heaven
knows we need more lerts!” Despite this
being a play on words, there is a whole lot of truth in this statement . . .
especially for those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus. The world needs more “lerts”.
Our scripture lesson this morning takes place later in the ministry of
Jesus—just days before his arrest, trial, and crucifixion. The disciples sense that something is up, and
they are beginning to worry about the future.
This reading is a part of a bigger “teach fest” which Jesus is
conducting with his disciples about the changes that are coming . . . about the
future that they are worrying about. It
is filled with all sorts of dark and scary image, especially when Jesus is
talking about the end of the age.
Who among us, upon hearing such news, would not like to know when this
so-called “end time” is going to come?
The disciples certainly wanted to know—“Hey, Jesus . . . give us some
signs so we can be ready!” And, Jesus
more than willing gave them some signs . . . wars and conflicts . . . natural
disasters . . . false prophets . . . false words . . . false promises . . .
strife . . . poverty . . . homelessness . . . despair. Then he tells them that these “signs” will be
present in any and every generation . . . so, be prepared. Be prepared because “no one knows about that day or
hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
The bottom line is . . . no one knows.
No one knows when the end will come and the new will begin . . . no
one! We know the signs, but the signs
have been there forever. We have heard
these words over and over again, at least every year as we enter into the
season of Advent . . . but, nothing has changed. It is like a continual game of the boy crying
wolf and no one believing him any longer.
Nothing ever changes . . . so, why bust a butt being prepared?
I think that is what has happened with those of us who follow Jesus . .
. we have lost the sense of expectation and urgency in our journeys of
faith. We are just cruising along,
letting life happen, and not preparing for something that can happen at any
moment. We are not being “lerts”. And, probably with good reason. The signs of the end have always been there .
. . they don’t even phase us anymore. It
is business as usual. Yet, Jesus keeps
showing up every year with the same old message . . . be prepared!
I am not going to argue that the “signs” of the end are not there
because they are there. If you were to
take this morning’s newspaper and read it from front to back, you would
probably find just about every “sign” of the end that Jesus spoke about. They are all there . . . each and every day,
they are there. Big deal! But, are we ready? Are we prepared? Are we going about the work that God expects
us to do?
Probably not.
From the very beginning, Jesus pretty much had an idea about how things
were going to turn out in his ministry and life—it was not going to be a pretty
ending. Yet, Jesus did not hole himself
up in some cave and wait it out . . . no, he kept on doing what it was that God
expected him to do . . . he kept on preaching, teaching, healing, and
performing miracles. He kept trying to
bring God’s kingdom to the people . . . especially those who were at the bottom
of the heap. This was his way of
preparing himself for the end as he knew it would be. This was his “way” of being ready . . . he
was dealing with what was there. Jesus
knew that there was nothing that he could do about yesterday—it was gone . . .
there was nothing he could about tomorrow—it had not happened; all he could
deal with was the present moment. He was
taking care of God’s business . . . he was loving God completely and loving
others . . . he was being a “lert” to God’s presence in the world around him
and doing what he could to fulfill that promise.
So it is with us as the followers of Jesus. We are to be prepared. We are to be prepared by being a “lert” . . .
alert to the presence of God around us in the world that we live in. God’s presence is all around us as we are
reminded in the Book of Genesis,
where we are all told that each and every one of us—all of humanity—is created
in God’s image. The question becomes,
how do we relate to the presence of God that is all around us? How do we respond to all the signs that the
end is coming?
How do we respond to the signs of war and conflict? How do we respond to the natural disasters
that shake the world and inflict so much damage upon so many? How do we respond to strife and discord? How do we respond to the poor, the hungry,
the naked, and homeless? How do we respond
to those who are lost, forgotten, and unwanted?
How do we respond to the presence of a suffering God who desires nothing
more than a relationship—an intimate relationship with each and every one of
us?
We live as Jesus did.
Jesus was a “lert”. The world
needs more “lerts” . . . more of us being aware of God’s presence in the world
around us . . . more of us being active in relating to that presence that we
encounter on a daily basis . . . more of us looking less for “signs” and
embracing the work that needs to be done now in bringing God’s kingdom into
reality. More of us need to be “lerts”.
As we begin the Advent season, we are reminded once again, that we are
to be prepared. I do not think that
Jesus was so focused on the future as he was in the present moment . . .
remember, he was astute enough to realize that yesterday was gone, tomorrow was
a hope, and only the present moment made a difference. It is in doing God’s will each and every opportunity
that arises that is the preparation Jesus is speaking about because that is the
only one in which a person can be prepared.
After all, no one knows when the end is going to come . . . ask anyone
before us and they will tell you . . . no one knows. All that any of us can do is to do God’s will
here and now.
So, let us heed this call to preparation once again. Let us prepare ourselves for the moment. Let us embrace the present. There is no gift waiting for us at the end of
the four weeks of Advent . . . the gift has been given. Let us embrace the gift, and let us begin
living in preparation for what is now . . . God’s presence calling out to us to
love. To love God . . . to love one
another . . . to love all of God’s family.
According to the signs we know, there is plenty to love right now. Amen.
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