St. John’s Lutheran Church, Toluca, IL – 1st Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37
Mark 13:24-37
[Jesus said:] 24“In those days, after that suffering,
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
25and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
28“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. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
32“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34It 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. 35Therefore, 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, 36or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”
NRSV
. . .
When Jesus Returns for a Visit
Grace to you, beloved of God, and peace from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
As our lifelong relationships develop, we grow to have a pretty good idea of what to expect when someone comes for a visit.
My uncle Bob, for instance. By the time I was in high school, we knew not only what to expect but could also predict, with a fair amount of certainty, when he would come for a visit. Rio has four major soccer teams, all arch-rivals. My father and my grandfather cheered for the same team. My uncle cheers for one of the rival teams, while my middle brother and I are dedicated fans of yet another rival team. So, whenever there was a match between those soccer teams, we knew to expect my uncle to stop by to talk trash either with my father, brother, and me or with the three of us all together. He would also show up at mealtimes for the profound dislike of my mother, because he would often complain if none of his favorite delicacies were on the table. Therefore, depending on the result of the match we knew he would talk about, the anticipation of his coming visit could be even a bit dreadful.
My Goddaughter Bridget, on the other hand, only lights up the room when she comes for a visit. She is cool and fun – and loves to crack a joke. She brings a warm and comforting presence; seeing her grow from an infant to a teenager has been a joy.
In the same way, thanks to the inaugural text of the Gospel of Mark that we receive on this first Sunday of Advent, we know what to expect when Jesus returns for a visit.
This section of the first gospels to be written, when Jesus talks about his return, has a different flavor than Matthew and Luke’s version. Here in Mark, we have a sense of a farewell speech. It begins when Jesus is asked by the disciples when the temple’s destruction will occur (Mark 13:1-5), which his audience would know to be one of the signs of his coming. Jesus then foresees the desolation that would come with the Jewish war against the Romans, all the death and suffering for all Israelites, and the persecutions that his followers would endure for staying faithful to him (5-23). It is in the aftermath of all this suffering that Jesus promises to return for a visit.
We know from the gospels that the promise was fulfilled after the resurrection amid the loneliness and fear of persecution. Jesus came back for a visit a few times, they say. We can’t be a hundred percent sure he was present among them after everything they knew to be was burned to the ground. Nonetheless, I suspect he carried them in some shape or form over some horrendous times. Otherwise, we would not be here this morning.
So, beloved of God, we can look at these verses and have a pretty good idea of what to expect when Jesus returns for yet another visit.
We may expect things not to be the brightest. There may be challenges that feel too big to overcome. Perhaps even leading to deep sorrow or despair. It is then that Jesus asks us to pay attention to the lesson of certain fig trees, the only one in Palestine that loses its leaves during winter. Perhaps there we find the hope we need to move through this Advent. And this is what we find. We find that all the anxiety, sorrow, and despair, like the seasons, pass, but Jesus’ Words of promise remain.
No matter how close our hearts might be to the brink of collapse or how withered by our transgressions our faith may look, our Savior is at the gates.
No matter how long the nights have been, he will bring another day.
No matter how desolate and cold it may feel, He will bring comfort and warmth.
No matter how crushed we may feel by death, he brings the certainty of new life.
Keep awake, beloved of God, but wait in peace. God is faithful. May you dwell in the anticipation of the return of our Messiah and in the hope that has the power to renew every Spirit and strengthen every soul. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Bridging Faith 