We kick off the season of Advent with
“end time” talk. Our gospel reading is a
continuation of Jesus’ discourse with the disciples about his second coming and
the end of the age; of which, they are curious to know when that will be. Of course, we know the answer to the question
of the disciples . . . no one knows!
Jesus says, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven,
nor the Son, but only the Father.” Which is not the answer the disciples are
looking for, nor is it quite the way that we imagine that we should kick off
the season of Advent . . . a season which focuses on the journey to welcome the
Christ into the world and our lives . . . a season that should be filled with
great joy, longing, and anticipation of a great gift. We don’t want to hear about “end times”.
Yet, here we are . . . kicking off
Advent with a depressing passage of scripture that sounds way too familiar to
each of us. Familiar because of all the
signs of the end fit our times like a glove . . . Jesus named it, we could
point to something in our time and place that fit. But, let us not kid ourselves. All that Jesus spoke about concerning the
signs of the “end times” have fit every generation. And, why shouldn’t they? After all, Jesus said, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven,
nor the Son, but only the Father.” In
fact, the message of Jesus is quite plain . . . it could happen at any moment.
Thus, it is that Jesus admonishes his
followers to be “a wake” and to “keep watch”.
To always be prepared. He says, “Therefore
keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” Set in the discussion of “end times”, Jesus
offers practical advice to his followers.
Because no one knows when the end will come, Jesus wants his followers
to live as if every breath . . . every action . . . every word, could be their
last. He wants them always to be
prepared for whatever is coming . . . even the end.
When one lives his or her life as if he
or she does not know whether tomorrow will come, it makes one live
differently. Every moment, relationship,
and word become important. Because of
this it is important how we are present in each moment and live each moment.
I thought about this because I am not
always good about living in the moment . . . I am always worried about what
could happen next. And this is what I
came up with: We rob ourselves of the gift of joy and hope when we do not allow
ourselves a presence in the moment. We
rob ourselves . . . we rob others. Of
course, I am good at saying that I will do better next time . . . but we all
know that there might not be a next time.
Think about it . . . how many unsaid
“goodbyes” happened because we figured those friends and family members were
going to be there tomorrow? How many
opportunities did we miss because we were too scared or figured that we would
wait for a better time, and the time never came? How often have we said we were going to do
something, but we put it on the back burner because we didn’t think we had the
time to do it. Now, when we do, we are
too old, too tired, and too poor to do any of it. How many times are we going to rob ourselves
of the moment that we are presented to discover joy and hope?
It is understandable that those who were
present with Jesus expected that his second coming and the end of time would
happen quickly. They really believed
that it would happen in their lifetimes.
For them it wasn’t so difficult to hang onto this anticipation in their
lives because it was coming, and it was coming soon. Yet, it didn’t . . . and, it still hasn’t. Which brings us to our second reading . . .
Paul’s letter to the Romans.
This is a congregation that has become
complacent in its faith . . . it has lost its “edge”. It is no longer practicing the teachings or
living the example of Jesus. No, they are
more wrapped up in squabbling amongst themselves about who is more
important. They are slipping away from
following Jesus and his way. There is no
great anticipation in their actions or words . . . there is no living as if
there was no tomorrow. To this situation
the apostle tells the people that they are closer to the end than they realize
. . . which, of course, they are because the end could be at any moment. Thus, he tells them that they need to shape
up and start living as if this is it . . . that the end is here. Just because they are “saved” they cannot
take it easy and cruise through with no mind towards Jesus and his
example. No, Paul tells them to wake up
and get back into the game.
Paul writes: “And do this, understanding the
present time. The hour has come for you
to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we
first believed. The night is nearly
over; the day is almost here.”
Here the apostle is telling the people
that it is the moment . . . the present moment that matters. They are to be in the moment . . . living it
to its fullest as Jesus would do. They
are to make the best of it. Yesterday is
gone, tomorrow may never come . . . it is the now that matters. Paul tells them to live as Jesus had lived .
. . in the moment.
Does this sound familiar?
Our readings are not as disturbing as we
imagine them to be when we focus on the real message. That real message is a call to live in the
moment . . . to do what we can right where we are. Remember, yesterday is gone, tomorrow may
never come, and all we have is the present moment. With that present moment we should live our
lives as fully and faithfully as we can.
That means we should love as openly, honestly, and deeply as we
can. That means we should do what is
right . . . to seek peace and justice.
That means we help our neighbor and bring them to the table. That means we do not wait to let someone else
know how much they mean to us. That
means we allow ourselves to discover and receive the gift of joy and hope.
With that in mind, I echo the words of
Jesus and Paul when they tell us to be on the watch . . . to be in the
moment. As we enter this season of
Advent . . . as we journey towards the gift, may we be not so much watchful as
we are mindful . . . mindful of being present in the moment and opportunities
around us to live as loving and graceful as Jesus lived. May we discover the holy in the moment,
receive the gift that it is, and know that no matter what we are prepared. Our actions will show it . . . so, let us
enter the season of Advent.
Watch!
The gift is in the journey, but who knows when the journey will
end. Make the best of it. Be in the moment. Amen.
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