Waiting and Watching December 3rd, 2023
God of grace, you speak words of hope in the midst of anxious times. Send your Holy Spirit to open our ears to that hope. Give us wisdom to read our own times through the lens of your grace, and find comfort and courage through Christ, your Living Word.
Our Gospel reading this morning, from the Gospel of Mark, opened with these verses, “‘But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.’” Not the greatest way to start off our season of Advent, and not a lot of hope to be found on this day when we lit the first Advent candle, the Candle of Hope.
We have to ask ourselves what bearing this text has to the Advent season, a time when we begin to wait in anticipation and hope for the day when we will celebrate the birthday of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus. But this was the Gospel lesson chosen for this Sunday by the leaders of the Christian churches of North America over 50 years ago and no doubt the choice was made through years of consultation and by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And, as the Apostle Paul wrote to his protégé, Timothy, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) So let’s have a look at our text and try to discover what message of hope lies in it for us in our world today.
As we enter the Advent season, we’re told to do three things, to watch, to wait, to work. Watching can be hard. Waiting can be stressful. Work can be difficult. Still, just like the disciples of Jesus we are called to actively wait, with anticipation. We may not know what exactly is to come, but we do know who is to come.
In this first Advent gospel reading, three times the disciples are called to keep awake, stay alert, and be on the watch. Something is going to happen. Jesus says,”’ Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.’”, then “‘Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn.’” And finally, “‘And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’”
And his last warning was not for only for the disciples, but for us as well, we’re told to be alert and stay awake. We’re told to pay attention. Watch for deception. Watch out for ourselves. Watch during the difficult days ahead.
That warning applies to us in this present time. Advent reminds us that we live in the in-between time. In-between Jesus’ first and second comings. It is in this time that Jesus is speaking about in our lesson this morning. This is a time for being ready, being on watch. It is the time of dutifully fulfilling the responsibilities that Jesus had commanded us, to love God and love our neighbour. But, as we have seen in the two stories at the beginning of this reading, this a difficult time, because we don’t want to change. We like staying the way we are and really being prepared seems to be a lot of work.
In our passage from Mark, Jesus gave the disciples two examples of remaining alert and watchful, because we do not know when that day or hour of his return will come. He uses the example of a fig tree, which sprouts leaves when summer is near, to illustrate how we can recognize the signs of the times. He said, “‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.’”
Jesus also uses the example of a man who goes on a journey and leaves his servants in charge, each with their own task, and tells them to keep watch for his return. He said, “’It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly.’” Jesus urges us to stay awake and be ready, because one day he will return and wants us to be prepared. It is easy to let time slide by and think we will get to certain things one day, but that is not how Jesus told us to be ready.
And, the second coming of Jesus is also certain, just as the first one was. How certain? Jesus promised his disciples, and us, “‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.’" Those words are given to us to brace up our faith in a time of testing, a time when it might appear that the Bible will be wrong, and events appear to be going a different route. When it seems that perhaps the biblical record is just a dream and cannot be trusted, remember these words of Jesus: "Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away.’” This is absolutely certain to happen. History is going to end this way.
So, what are we to do with Jesus’ warning, pretend that the return of Jesus is not going to happen in our lifetime? No, we shouldn’t ignore it. We should do as Jesus instructed, we’re to watch and pray, we are to be like the servants of that man who went to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work to do, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. We don’t know when his return will happen, but we can be sure and certain that it will. In fact, when Jesus himself was here on earth as a mortal not even he knew, he told his disciples, “‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.’”
What does this passage mean for us today? How can we apply it to our lives? I think there are three main points that we can learn from it:
- We should not be afraid of the troubles and tribulations that we face in this world, because they are part of God's plan, and they indicate that his kingdom is near. Jesus says that the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. These are images that describe the cosmic upheaval that will accompany the end of this age and the beginning of the new one. They are not meant to scare us, but to assure us that God is in control and that he will bring his justice and salvation to his people. Jesus is our hope.
- We should not be complacent or lazy in our faith, but we should be diligent and faithful in doing what God has called us to do. Jesus says that he has left his servants in charge, each with their own task, and he expects them to be faithful until he returns. He warns us not to fall asleep or get distracted by the things of this world, but to keep watch and be ready for his coming. He says that he will reward those who are found doing his will, but he will punish those who are found sleeping or doing evil. Jesus is our hope.
3. We should not be curious or obsessed with predicting when Jesus will come back, but we should live each day as if it were our last. Jesus says that no one knows when he will come back, not even himself, only the Father knows. He says that it will be like in the days of Noah, when people were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage, until the flood came and swept them all away. He says that it will be like in the days of Lot, when people were buying and selling and planting and building, until fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all. He says that it will be sudden and unexpected, like a thief in the night.
Therefore, we should not waste our time trying to figure out when Jesus will come back, but we should live each day as if it were our last. We should love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and we should love our neighbour as ourselves. We should seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and trust that he will provide for all our needs. We should share the gospel with others and make disciples of all nations. We should pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances. We should rejoice always and have peace in our hearts. Jesus is our hope.
Finally, what does this passage teach us? It teaches us that we should live in hope and readiness for Jesus' return. It teaches us that we should not be distracted by the troubles and temptations of this world but focus on his promises and his word. It teaches us that we should not be complacent or lazy, but alert and faithful. It teaches us that we should not be afraid or anxious, but confident and joyful. For we have a great Savior who loves us and who will come again to take us to himself.
These are some of the ways that we can keep watch and be ready for Jesus' return. We do not know when he will come back, but we know that he will come back. And when he does, we want to hear him say: "Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master." (Matthew 25:23)
Let us Pray:
Thank you, Lord, for your faithful word which tells us there will come tests and trials in this world, and times when we must make choices which are painful and difficult to make, when it will cost us something to stand for the truth. Lord, we pray that you will steady us and strengthen us and help our confidence and trust to be in you, that we may endure to the end, that we too may join in that great day with those who are given the crown of eternal life. Thank you, in Jesus' name, Amen.