You have followed the Rabbi, Jesus, to the Temple. The rabbi
has just said the most remarkable thing, after all the wealthy have put
huge gifts into the treasury, he noticed a poor widow woman, who put in
just two copper coins, and he praised her! Her pitiful gift,
the entire pitiful sum that she had, he said was better than what the
wealthy had given!
Then, one of the country hicks, one of those Galileans, spoke of what a
beautiful building the Temple was; the rabbi’s reply was that it would
soon all come tumbling down. This beautiful temple, with its huge
columns and great stones! Imagine! You also, have been
impressed with this magnificent building, and, getting up your nerve,
you ask him, “Rabbi, if that is true, how will we know it’s going to
happen? Will there be some warning?”
This country rabbi replied, “yes, there will be some warning, but don’t
pay attention to those folks who claim they are me, and carry signs and
placards that say ‘the end is near.’ They don’t know anything!
They can’t know anything! That is for my father alone to know. So,
when you hear of terrible wars, natural disasters, and great terror from
the skies, don’t be worried. Even though those in worldly power
will persecute those who believe in me, even then, you will be safe from
judgment. You will still tell my story – your story – you will
talk about your journey with me; don’t worry; I’ll give you the words.
Although some of you may lose your life, because of your faith you will
gain it. Nothing important to you will be harmed. You
will prevail because you are faithful.
“So, when armies surround you, and those in authority flee to the
countryside and the mountains, and people around you are miserable, take
heart! You will see me coming in power and glory; you will
raise your heads to the heavens, and you will know that the Kingdom of
God is right there before you, reaching out to you, only for you to grab
on to!
“You ask for signs! But the signs are simple!
When trees grow leaves, you know it is spring, and not far beyond will
be the summer. So when these things happen, you’ll know I’ll
be right there, you will be redeemed; you will be part of my kingdom.”
You are still troubled. You think to yourself, “This is hard!
I really don’t understand it? How can I survive, and what will
happen to my family? What does all this have to do with what
the rabbi has been teaching in the countryside?”
oOo
Well, brothers and sisters, you are not alone! I’ve had a
similar reaction to these lessons every time I read them. Here we
are in Advent, a new Church year. Although winter is coming
outside, inside it is springtime, as we await a new birth – THE new
birth. -- A babe, born of a virgin, lying in a manger.
So, what in the world is going on in these lessons? Why in
the world do we herald our new year and the new birth with talk of an
apocalypse – the so-called end times? Why are we talking
about signs, about distress, about fear and about foreboding?
Hey! Christmas is coming; Santa Claus is comin’ to town.
Well, these readings are placed here, on the First Sunday in Advent, to
remind us, even as we prepare for Christmas, that we are preparing for a
much longer journey, a journey toward the Kingdom of God – a journey
symbolized in the church year by beginning with the birth of our Lord,
and ending with the celebration of his Kingship over the world -- a
journey with lots of trials and tribulations along the way, both for
Jesus and his followers. These lessons are placed here to remind
us that Christmas is only the beginning -- and they remind us not to
lose sight of the destination.
The Gospel speaks of a journey full of trials and tribulation, but its
ultimate message is God’s help along the way, and a final destination
which is redemption, Shalom. But we can’t reach the
destination of we pause too long at Christmas. We need to prepare
for that journey.
There’s a whole series of books and movies about the end times, where
the focus is on Armageddon and the so-called rapture. I suppose
it’s human nature to dwell on those things; it’s the stuff of Star Wars
and blood and gore that seems to interest us most. But it’s
a tragic mistake to focus on a small portion of the story instead of the
promise of the story. If we do so, we will be distracted from the
essential message of this lesson and the Gospel as a whole, which is the
hopefulness of the Gospel, the promise that the Kingdom of God is at
hand. For that is the message; despite all the trials and
tribulations this world is called to go through, we will all be
redeemed. The world will finally see what the Jews call
Shalom, which means to be safe, to be made whole, to be at last
at peace, in the glorious presence of God Almighty.
Second, and most important to our present life, is the fact that this
Gospel speaks to us on a personal level. The prophets of the
Hebrew Testament spoke to the redemption of a nation. Jesus,
on the other hand, speaks to our hope as individuals. Just prior
to today’s Gospel reading, Jesus was asked, “when will these things
happen, and what will be the sign that they are going to happen?”
Jesus replies with several comments that still hold meaning for us:
(1) beware of false prophets who will announce the end times, they
really won’t know what they’re talking about; (2) there will be lots of
troubles between now and then, and we will bear a burden
for following him; (3) we will be given the opportunity to tell his
story and our stories of our walk with him; and (4) nothing will really
harm us for doing that. In today’s Gospel, Jesus continues
with much of the same, but tells us that whatever happens, we will be
redeemed, which means that we will be safe forever, and that we will be
walking with him forever.
So, my brothers and sisters, as you approach this Christmas Season,
don’t forget that the journey is only beginning. Christmas is not an
end in itself. Christmas is really not about a virgin,
although it is about being open to God. It is really
not about a manger and a stable, although it is about
humility. It is really not about shepherds, although it is
about equality before God. It is really not about wise men,
although it is about the salvation of all humanity.
And it is really not about a baby, it is about the incarnation –
Emmanuel, “God with us.”
There is a sweet Christmas carol, “God came down on Christmas Day;”
That is the true message of Christmas. God becomes one with humanity on
Christmas Day. He comes to wear diapers just like us, he
comes to be hungry just like us, and he will be tired just like us.
He will learn to walk with us, and talk with us. He will
understand exactly what it’s like to walk in our shoes, to live like us,
and to die like us. And then, he will conquer death for us.
During this church year, we will take this journey with him.
Throughout our lives, he will walk this journey with us.
Christmas is the beginning of a wonderful journey. It is a
journey to a destination that has been promised to us by a faithful
Savior. We will do many things between now and Christmas to
prepare for the day; but we must not neglect packing our things,
re-reading the maps, and making sure our walking shoes are in good
order. On Christmas Day, we have a journey to begin – A
journey that will lead us to a new life with our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Fr. John Harris
December 3, 2006