Advent I
By The Rev. Martha Frances+
Year B, Advent I - 30 November 2008
Text: Mark 13: 24-37; I Corinthians 1: 3-9
Other: Psalm 80: 1-7, 16-18; Isaiah 64: 1-9a
One Sunday when Pittman McGehee was Dean at Christ Church Cathedral, he was carrying a newly-baptized baby down the center aisle for all to see when a woman in a red polyester pants suit stopped him in his tracks with, "Hi! I'm Jesus."
Dean McGehee responded with a brief bow & nod, adding that he was glad to know her. As the Dean began preparations for communion, he remarked to his assistant at table Canon John Logan, "See that woman in the red polyester pant suit about halfway down the center aisle?"
John responded, "Yes, I do. Why?"
The Dean continued, "She says she's Jesus."
"Is that so?" the Canon countered.
Pittman added, "I'm not surprised at Jesus' return as a woman, but I would have thought she would have better taste then red polyester." After a few moments concentrating on the bread & wine, he asked his Canon, "What if she's right?"
With a straight face, Canon Logan replied, "Look busy!"
Today's scriptures not only call us to look busy but to be about the business of spreading the gospel throughout the world as we await Christ's 2nd coming. The man going on a journey in Mark's gospel today puts his slaves in charge & tells the doorkeeper to be on the watch, to keep awake & be alert for when the owner returns.
Those folks who camp out on a mountaintop with provisions & arms, believing they know when Christ is returning in glory might beware. This passage tells us not even the Son knows when the time with come; only the Father. Folks sometimes claim that disasters happening in our world are those predicted in the biblical apocalyptic visions; thus, the end of the world is right around the corner. Such dire predictions have been made ever since Christ's ascension as various horrendous events have occurred. Thus far, they've all proven short-sighted. The present horrors always seem the worst in history, but Jesus assures us that all our predictions are pretty egotistical, that not even He knows the day or hour. Who indeed claims to know more than Jesus?
The last few days I've been acutely sensitive to fears brought on by apocalyptic-type horrors we've watched from Mumbai, India, with Americans & Brits particularly targeted, since my own brother, sister, & brother-in-law are presently in India, having been scheduled to attend a wedding in Mumbai this weekend. Thanks to the miracle of e-mail, we have been in regular touch, & I can tell you I breathed a sigh of relief when they wrote that they would meet the wedding party the next day in Goa rather than trekking to Mumbai. However, my own personal relief is clouded by awareness of relatives & friends of nearly 200 dead & twice that many injured as a result of the terrorist actions. My siblings report the depth of disbelief & pain at such an assault upon their own financial center as we experienced on 9/11. Once again, our world must adjust to a new "normal" as we move into the future. And, inadequate as it may seem in the face of such inane tragedy, all many of us can do is pray for all those involved.
Earlier in today's gospel reading, Jesus tells his community the time to live a faithful life of discipleship is now, not when they see the fig tree begin to green & put forth leaves, for by that time, the precious time for a life of faithfulness will have passed. One early church father—Augustine of Hippo, I believe—when struggling with his response to his conversion experience, prayed, "Lord, make me holy, but not yet!" He wanted to be free to live life on his own terms just a little longer. He wanted to stretch out the time when he could be in charge of his life, pushing back when he would turn his will & his life over to the care of the loving God who then could make his life truly meaningful.
Over the years I've observed people who in their loved ones eyes had tremendous difficulties with alcohol, drugs, or people addictions yet who continued to say, "If I ever get that bad, I'll quit!" How many of us have thought the epitome of adulthood was being in charge of our own lives? When we were kids, we looked forward to doing just what we darn well pleased, sure we could do a better job of life than the adults around us did?
Perhaps you have never hit the wall of your own self-will run riot in some area of your life, but many folks I have worked with over the years have ended up on our knees, defeated, lives in shambles, finally admitting that we can't pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. And some of us—the lucky ones, I believe—have learned that we aren't supposed to live as masters of the universe & captains of our own souls. Some have found kinship with Adam & Eve in the Garden, discovering that God really does have a better way for us. Only then have we been willing to let God control our lives because our running the show made the whole drama a grotesque comedy of errors. That's ok. Whatever it takes for us to let God be in charge is what it takes. And the funny thing is, life is so much richer & fuller when we turn things over to God & try to live our lives the way God created us to live.
Advent, which begins today, is the time in the church calendar when we are all urged to slow down & listen, reassess our lives & hear where we are missing the mark, running the show, keeping our lives overly-full so that we leave no room for Jesus to be borne in us this year. Isn't it interesting that the wise folk who established our liturgical calendar recognized that we need to cycle back around each year to make space for Jesus to be brought forth in us anew?
When St. Paul took up his pen to write the new Christians in Corinth in the beginning of the letter which we read today, he was dealing with some folks who thought the 2nd coming of Jesus had already happened & that they could do as they pleased. They had heard the powerful preaching of Paul or Barnabas or Apollos & had become part of this new Christian community. They had begun to rely upon the many blessings God had given their community, various spiritual gifts or charisms they had been given, & they had begun to use them for their own individual benefit rather than for the whole community. They thought they were immune from sharing their gifts to build up the Body of Christ & were taking credit for those spiritual gifts instead of honoring God with them. They had grown tired of waiting for Christ to come again & begun to bicker among themselves. The rules didn't apply to them, just to others. (I'm sure this couldn't happen in a modern church community, could it?) So Paul picks up his pen to remind them God has given them all they have, God is faithful, & they are called into fellowship for building up the Christian community & proclaiming the gospel to the ends of the earth. Perhaps we at Hope can learn from Paul's community's experience.
Today, the first Sunday of Advent, 2008, we light the first candle on our Advent wreath. For several weeks, we have read scriptures relating to the end times, & now we move into the season of promise & preparation, of anticipation & hope, in what is sometimes called restrained excitement, awaiting the birth of the Christ child.
Jesus was born centuries ago in a small country where today there is still no peace. Yet, if Jesus' birth is relevant today, it is for Jesus to be born anew in our lives. Today & throughout the next 4 weeks, we come together on Sundays & hopefully on Wednesday evenings to tell the story again, to re-member Jesus' entry into our lives—re-member because it's so real to us.
For a lot of people, this next month will mean a frazzled rush to spend money, to buy gifts, to get just the right do-dad for Aunt Sadie or Uncle Carlos. Especially this year, we get mixed messages to get out there & spend in order to help the economy but also to cut back to care for ourselves & our families in the long run in case the economy doesn't rebound pretty soon. We can be carried along by the society to believe that "things" determine the value of Christmas. We can allow the commercialism of the holidays to steal our cool, to make us act very un-Christian. But we have an alternative to such unhealthy behavior.
That's what Advent is all about. Our Christian community can help us prepare for the true Christmas, the coming of the baby Jesus & the adult Christ in our lives. We can await the Feast of the Incarnation this year with eager longing for God's redeeming presence in our lives & the life of Hope Episcopal Church, even as we give thanks for the presence which is already here.
We return to the gospel call to wait & watch, but not passively. As Jesus tells us, we each have work to do. We must prepare our hearts for God the potter to mold us & make us anew this year. We are called to reach out to others, to offer them joy & transformation as we accept it for ourselves. Who can you invite to wait with us? Remember, the savior will come quickly. Be ready!
Year B, Advent I - 30 November 2008
Text: Mark 13: 24-37; I Corinthians 1: 3-9
Other: Psalm 80: 1-7, 16-18; Isaiah 64: 1-9a
One Sunday when Pittman McGehee was Dean at Christ Church Cathedral, he was carrying a newly-baptized baby down the center aisle for all to see when a woman in a red polyester pants suit stopped him in his tracks with, "Hi! I'm Jesus."
Dean McGehee responded with a brief bow & nod, adding that he was glad to know her. As the Dean began preparations for communion, he remarked to his assistant at table Canon John Logan, "See that woman in the red polyester pant suit about halfway down the center aisle?"
John responded, "Yes, I do. Why?"
The Dean continued, "She says she's Jesus."
"Is that so?" the Canon countered.
Pittman added, "I'm not surprised at Jesus' return as a woman, but I would have thought she would have better taste then red polyester." After a few moments concentrating on the bread & wine, he asked his Canon, "What if she's right?"
With a straight face, Canon Logan replied, "Look busy!"
Today's scriptures not only call us to look busy but to be about the business of spreading the gospel throughout the world as we await Christ's 2nd coming. The man going on a journey in Mark's gospel today puts his slaves in charge & tells the doorkeeper to be on the watch, to keep awake & be alert for when the owner returns.
Those folks who camp out on a mountaintop with provisions & arms, believing they know when Christ is returning in glory might beware. This passage tells us not even the Son knows when the time with come; only the Father. Folks sometimes claim that disasters happening in our world are those predicted in the biblical apocalyptic visions; thus, the end of the world is right around the corner. Such dire predictions have been made ever since Christ's ascension as various horrendous events have occurred. Thus far, they've all proven short-sighted. The present horrors always seem the worst in history, but Jesus assures us that all our predictions are pretty egotistical, that not even He knows the day or hour. Who indeed claims to know more than Jesus?
The last few days I've been acutely sensitive to fears brought on by apocalyptic-type horrors we've watched from Mumbai, India, with Americans & Brits particularly targeted, since my own brother, sister, & brother-in-law are presently in India, having been scheduled to attend a wedding in Mumbai this weekend. Thanks to the miracle of e-mail, we have been in regular touch, & I can tell you I breathed a sigh of relief when they wrote that they would meet the wedding party the next day in Goa rather than trekking to Mumbai. However, my own personal relief is clouded by awareness of relatives & friends of nearly 200 dead & twice that many injured as a result of the terrorist actions. My siblings report the depth of disbelief & pain at such an assault upon their own financial center as we experienced on 9/11. Once again, our world must adjust to a new "normal" as we move into the future. And, inadequate as it may seem in the face of such inane tragedy, all many of us can do is pray for all those involved.
Earlier in today's gospel reading, Jesus tells his community the time to live a faithful life of discipleship is now, not when they see the fig tree begin to green & put forth leaves, for by that time, the precious time for a life of faithfulness will have passed. One early church father—Augustine of Hippo, I believe—when struggling with his response to his conversion experience, prayed, "Lord, make me holy, but not yet!" He wanted to be free to live life on his own terms just a little longer. He wanted to stretch out the time when he could be in charge of his life, pushing back when he would turn his will & his life over to the care of the loving God who then could make his life truly meaningful.
Over the years I've observed people who in their loved ones eyes had tremendous difficulties with alcohol, drugs, or people addictions yet who continued to say, "If I ever get that bad, I'll quit!" How many of us have thought the epitome of adulthood was being in charge of our own lives? When we were kids, we looked forward to doing just what we darn well pleased, sure we could do a better job of life than the adults around us did?
Perhaps you have never hit the wall of your own self-will run riot in some area of your life, but many folks I have worked with over the years have ended up on our knees, defeated, lives in shambles, finally admitting that we can't pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. And some of us—the lucky ones, I believe—have learned that we aren't supposed to live as masters of the universe & captains of our own souls. Some have found kinship with Adam & Eve in the Garden, discovering that God really does have a better way for us. Only then have we been willing to let God control our lives because our running the show made the whole drama a grotesque comedy of errors. That's ok. Whatever it takes for us to let God be in charge is what it takes. And the funny thing is, life is so much richer & fuller when we turn things over to God & try to live our lives the way God created us to live.
Advent, which begins today, is the time in the church calendar when we are all urged to slow down & listen, reassess our lives & hear where we are missing the mark, running the show, keeping our lives overly-full so that we leave no room for Jesus to be borne in us this year. Isn't it interesting that the wise folk who established our liturgical calendar recognized that we need to cycle back around each year to make space for Jesus to be brought forth in us anew?
When St. Paul took up his pen to write the new Christians in Corinth in the beginning of the letter which we read today, he was dealing with some folks who thought the 2nd coming of Jesus had already happened & that they could do as they pleased. They had heard the powerful preaching of Paul or Barnabas or Apollos & had become part of this new Christian community. They had begun to rely upon the many blessings God had given their community, various spiritual gifts or charisms they had been given, & they had begun to use them for their own individual benefit rather than for the whole community. They thought they were immune from sharing their gifts to build up the Body of Christ & were taking credit for those spiritual gifts instead of honoring God with them. They had grown tired of waiting for Christ to come again & begun to bicker among themselves. The rules didn't apply to them, just to others. (I'm sure this couldn't happen in a modern church community, could it?) So Paul picks up his pen to remind them God has given them all they have, God is faithful, & they are called into fellowship for building up the Christian community & proclaiming the gospel to the ends of the earth. Perhaps we at Hope can learn from Paul's community's experience.
Today, the first Sunday of Advent, 2008, we light the first candle on our Advent wreath. For several weeks, we have read scriptures relating to the end times, & now we move into the season of promise & preparation, of anticipation & hope, in what is sometimes called restrained excitement, awaiting the birth of the Christ child.
Jesus was born centuries ago in a small country where today there is still no peace. Yet, if Jesus' birth is relevant today, it is for Jesus to be born anew in our lives. Today & throughout the next 4 weeks, we come together on Sundays & hopefully on Wednesday evenings to tell the story again, to re-member Jesus' entry into our lives—re-member because it's so real to us.
For a lot of people, this next month will mean a frazzled rush to spend money, to buy gifts, to get just the right do-dad for Aunt Sadie or Uncle Carlos. Especially this year, we get mixed messages to get out there & spend in order to help the economy but also to cut back to care for ourselves & our families in the long run in case the economy doesn't rebound pretty soon. We can be carried along by the society to believe that "things" determine the value of Christmas. We can allow the commercialism of the holidays to steal our cool, to make us act very un-Christian. But we have an alternative to such unhealthy behavior.
That's what Advent is all about. Our Christian community can help us prepare for the true Christmas, the coming of the baby Jesus & the adult Christ in our lives. We can await the Feast of the Incarnation this year with eager longing for God's redeeming presence in our lives & the life of Hope Episcopal Church, even as we give thanks for the presence which is already here.
We return to the gospel call to wait & watch, but not passively. As Jesus tells us, we each have work to do. We must prepare our hearts for God the potter to mold us & make us anew this year. We are called to reach out to others, to offer them joy & transformation as we accept it for ourselves. Who can you invite to wait with us? Remember, the savior will come quickly. Be ready!
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