Bible Text: Mark 13:24-37 | Preacher: Pastor Elizabeth Damico
Advent I
12.03.17
Mark 13:24-37
“Keep awake” our Savior says. He is about to be arrested, and denied. His closest friends will turn away while Jesus is subject to corruption, fear, injustice and death. And this is his advice: beware, keep alert, keep awake, keep awake. He says it again and again.
And later, in the garden, in the moments before the rush of armed guards haul him away he says it again, “Keep awake and pray!”
A couple years ago, I was really good at this. Too good.
Just after moving from our cozy mountain home in the North Cascades and relocating to a nice, safe neighborhood in St. Louis Park we had an intruder. A man broke into our home, walked all the way through, I’m sure disappointed that all he found were boxes of music and theology books and finally left with just my purse…well, my purse full of a wallet and keys and so drove off with my car, too! To be honest, I was so relieved nothing worse had happened and my car was found about a week later, so the fear did not set too far in. We moved on with our lives, more careful, still brave. It was two months later, when this thief came back in the evening, and used that same stolen set of keys to drive off with my car again. Then fear moved in, settling deep in my psyche. Sleep was fairly impossible to come by, I became hyper vigilant, too aware to let myself fall deeply into sleep. And it reached a point that my sleeplessness affected my work, my productivity, my sparkling personality was fading.
I was keeping awake out fear, constantly holding my breath, holding self-destructive all night vigils for months. I was really good at “keeping awake” as our Savior said. However, I highly doubt this is the kind of wakefulness Jesus was really looking for.
It is now the season of Advent, the season of expectant waiting and longing for a hope-filled future. Every year, in the season of Advent, we have at least one Sunday with apocalyptic themes. Jesus is painting a stunning and terrifying picture of the future, not exacting what we want to spend Advent waiting for. Jesus says that God’s coming into the world will be so powerful, so world turning that even the most powerful entities of our lives submit. The sun will lose it’s shine, the moon it’s waning reflection, the stars will fall. The in-breaking of God into the world is not all about the humans, the whole of creation will be bow to the Creator. An announcement of a new dawn; what could be more hopeful, what could be more terrifying?
And what kind of wakefulness is Jesus charging us with here? Is it really to watch for the falling stars and the fading sun? Is it really to sit around and wait for the world as we know it to be upended? Or is Jesus shaking up the disciples to alert them that God is on the move and the way God moves is surprising, so otherworldly that only a dramatic, apocalyptic scene would really get our attention? It is easier, really, to get caught in those fear-focused vigils like the ones I was keeping. It is easier to anticipate disappointment and danger, isn’t it? To keep awake only to be waiting for pain and suffering, untrusting and defensive. Think of every religious group that heard these words of Jesus and then turned to predict the ending of the world and yelled doom and condemnation to everyone else. This cannot possibly be the kind of wakefulness our Savior calls us to attend to.
Keep awake, our Savior says. Be alert so that when God is working in your life, you’ll know it. Keep awake and feel the difference between fear-filled vigils and vigils that keep watch for the coming Messiah. Keep awake, so that when the ways of God smack against the ways of our world, you will know the difference between Divine power and power hungry mortals. Keep awake.
If this one world-ending scene is all Jesus every reveals about God Almighty, if this is the picture of future hope, then we would all be stuck in those self-destructive all night vigils I was keeping. How can we wait for God in a defensive, fearful posture? How can we brace ourselves for the entrance of such cosmic upheaval?
Sisters and brothers in Christ, do not forget — we know the rest of the story! Beginning in a crude stable, Jesus revealed so much more of our God. Through challenging the religious status quo, healings and a merciful life, Jesus revealed more and more about the Father. We know how our Savior came into the world really, we know Jesus paved the way towards reconciliation with God really. Trusting in our ever faithful God, we will keep awake this Advent, we will light tiny, fragile candles that defiantly stand against the darkness, witnessing to the light that is never, ever overcome by the darkness.
Keep awake and be the witness to redemption won on the cross.
Keep awake and worship the Creator, deeply intertwined with the cosmos and our planet-home.
Keep awake and pray to God, draw close to our Lord who is ever drawing close to you.
Keep awake to see where Christ will go so that you may follow him in healing, loving, merciful ways.
Keep awake to see the power of God on the loose in this world! Though the mountains may shake in the presence of such Almighty being, that Almighty being chose vulnerability to meet you. Chose the shape and helplessness of a tiny baby to be near.
Keep awake and know a God who entered our time and our place through Jesus and chose to love all creation, to love the sinners, the lost, the hurting, the dying.
Keep awake — for God is coming to us in world turning, unexpected ways and you won’t want to miss it!