On this first Sunday of Advent, moving into the season of Advent, we know ahead of time, we can see in front of us, just how much will pass away these next four weeks -- and quickly.[2]
…nothing lasts forever and this month, we’re mindful of that. Our attempts to be, to remember, to pause, to reflect are the ways we cope with the loss -- that this moment in time can never be repeated in time, ever again.
At first glance, neither Paul nor Jesus seem helpful. Right here, at the beginning… they seem to raise anxiety, not lower it… pointing out all the most obvious hard truths about how Jesus comes into the world. We don’t know when it’s coming. We can’t control it. We can’t predict it. But we better be awake for it. Jesus can’t be calling us to a life of constant vigilance and insomnia, right? That doesn’t seem healthy… truly, though I’m sometimes hit with an inability to sleep, I most often know sleep as one of God’s greatest gifts. And there’s a precedent for that view in the first story of creation where there is evening and then morning. The gift of creation begins and ends with the gifts of night & rest.
But here, in an apocalyptic mood, with a sense of urgency that “followers to live every day in light of Christ’s imminent coming…”[3] both Paul and Jesus seem to want us to be really clear what we’re waiting for… Jesus… showing up. Because God’s unfolding story, Jesus life among us is not yet finished. So, the gospel tells us to be watching, ready for interruption. “When Jesus shows up, it often interrupts us…”[4]
In the musical Hamilton, Aaron Burr sings this…
Life doesn't discriminate
Between the sinners and the saints
It takes and it takes and it takes.
And we keep living [loving] anyway
We rise and we fall and we break
We fall and we make our mistakes.
And if there's a reason I'm still alive
When so many have died
Then I'm willin' to- then I'm willin' to-
Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it...[5]
Between the sinners and the saints
It takes and it takes and it takes.
And we keep living [loving] anyway
We rise and we fall and we break
We fall and we make our mistakes.
And if there's a reason I'm still alive
When so many have died
Then I'm willin' to- then I'm willin' to-
Wait for it, wait for it, wait for it...[5]
That’s undying determination…
Biblical scholar Wesley Allen Jr. believes that for Matthew, “Eschatological existence means more responsibility.” As we are baptized, as we are followers of Jesus’ way… and since we have not yet been taken, we are left carrying that responsibility.
“Some hearers’ first response will be to think of this added responsibility as a burden. For Matthew, however, it is a gift from God. Having already been transformed by the Christ-event, the church is invited to participate in the transformation of the world yet still in process!” [6]
And maybe Matthew’s question for us would be… do we have Paul’s sense sense of urgency, Jesus’ undying determination to participate in the transformation of the world… while we wait?So, what is it that we can do, how shall we practice being ready for Jesus while we wait this Advent? Or really, anytime in this unpredictable and fragile life?
This week, the movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhoodcame out, based on the real-life friendship between journalist Tom Junod and television star Fred Rogers.I haven’t seen the film yet but I did watch the interview from CBS this morning with Gayle King. As she spoke with Tom Hanks who plays Mr. Rogers, they noted how Fred Rogers had this incredible ability to make people feel like they were the only person he was paying attention to… and she said something like, “What a gift!” Tom Hanks responded, “Yes, a gift… but also a practice.” Tom Hanks talked about how hard it was to play such a person with the deepest of authenticity… how Mr. Rogers embodied his own quote, “The three secrets of happiness are 1) be kind, 2) be kind, 3) be kind.”
He said in the face of tragedy that we ought to look for the helpers… and that we ought to practice: Joy, light, hope, faith, pardon, love[7]
In whatever capacity you can bring those forward while you wait… bring them. Don’t wait.
Because we can all imagine how these practices transform the world, even if we have to wait for the full results.
As far as Jesus coming among us… interrupting, unexpected…
We can’t predict but we can prepare. We can’t be certain but we can be attentive. Jesus calls [people] to shape life as if [we are] living in “the golden hour.” The golden hour is a term familiar to photographers. It refers to that brief window of time just before the sun fully exposes itself to the earth. It’s a transitional period between the darkness of night and the light of day. Jesus calls his disciples to live as if day were just about to break.[8]
God comes into the world, and the risen Christ continues to give us abundant signs of God’s presence. Jesus commands followers in this season not to drop out of the world, but to be on the lookout for the presence of Christ in it.[9]
At baptism, we are clothed in the gift of God's radical love that carries us beyond our… own desires… to live for the neighbor. The Christian life is a daily practice, a continual exercise, of our baptism until the day we die. Baptism is a continual beginning. It is, yes, a death, an ending but then it engages us in a wakefulness that continues our whole life long.[10]
The season of Advent, and today’s readings, are chosen to help turn us on to the excitement and anticipation of God’s reign in our lives and tune in to the infinite opportunities we have to participate in it. In other words, they want to wake us up!
Eyes wide open and wrapped in Christ, we are called to this new day. Ready for encounters with Jesus, we may find God’s dominion when and where we least expect it.[11]
Wait for it…
[1]Used in several popular movies since the late 1990s, its colloquial usage as a dramatic interjection has been attributed to Barney Stinson (played by Neil Patrick Harris), one of the main characters in the American TV sitcom How I Met Your Mother. "Wait For It…" is an expression used to build up suspense in anticipation of an impending spectacle or climactic event. Online, the phrase is typically employed in the title or description of a video to inform the viewer of a gradual and uninteresting build-up before the sudden reveal of a surprising act or event, wikipedia
[2]Karoline Lewis, 11-25-2018, workingpreacher.org
[5]Songwriter: Lin-Manuel Miranda, “It speaks of Aaron Burr's undying determination in the face of Hamilton's swift rise to influence and power.”
[6]O. Wesley Allen Jr., Commentary on Matthew 24:36-44, 12-1-2019, workingpreacher.org
[7]Megyn Kelly TODAY interview with Joanne Rogers and Nicholas Ma, son of cellist Yo-Yo Ma and a producer of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” Jun 12, 2018
[9]Sundays and Seasons, First Sunday in Advent, 12-1-2019
[11]Sundays and Seasons, First Sunday in Advent, 12-1-2019
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