Mark 13:24-37

Advent 1 | December 3, 2023 | Mark 13:24-37 | Luther H. Thoresen |

Mark 13:24-37

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then 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 out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” (ESV)

Note 1: All quotes in the sermon are from the English Standard Version.

Note 2: This initial two paragraphs in italics of this sermon might be used as the basis for a Children’s message. If not used that way, one might adapt it as the beginning of the “usual” sermon, or inserted at a later time in the sermon.

Good morning. Is there a movie that you have watched several times? Frozen? Encanto? Moana? Home Alone? Cars? Lion King? You watch them even though you know how the story goes, and can say many of the lines or sing the songs, right?  The season of Advent is kinda like that. We go through the season that leads into Christmas every year. We may know part of the story, and the songs. We still go through the season. Did you know that the word “Advent” means “coming.” What are some signs of the season? [In conversation, allow youth to name Advent wreath, blue paraments, Advent themed banner(s), blue stole, maybe crèche in sanctuary, etc. or lead them to notice them.] So much blue, right? Let’s think about just the color blue for a bit. We often think of the big blue sky. Have you ever watched a sunrise? Did you know that before the sun rises, the sky turns blue? Yes, it does. The blue signals the end of night and the coming of the day. In a similar way we expect the sun to rise, we also expect the coming of Christ. The blue in our church is a signal that shows up to remind us that Christ is coming.

You might know that the season of Advent anticipates the 1^st coming of Christ in the flesh – born in Bethlehem; and Advent anticipates the coming of Christ at the end of all things; and Advent anticipates the coming of Christ to us in our living now. Let’s pray: “God thank you for the color blue to remind us of the coming of your Son Jesus. Thank you for sending your Son to come among us at Bethlehem. Thank you for promising that your Son will come again at the end of all things. Thank you for sending your Son to us every day until then. Amen”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

Near the beginning of the Gospel text we hear Jesus say, “…then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory…” (v 26) Then, at the end of the reading he says, “Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come…what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” (vv 33, 37)

Have you been at a volleyball or basketball game and heard a coach, or maybe someone in the bleachers yell, “Stay awake out there!” Do we really think someone on the ball court would fall asleep while playing? Nope. So, what do we mean when we say to a ball player, “Stay awake out there”?  If we stay with basketball, when we yell “Stay awake” we are encouraging team members to keep their eyes open for an opportunity. Another team member may be open, so one would pass the ball to them. Or you keep your eyes open to “take the shot” or watch for an opportunity to steal the ball. Also, “stay awake” can mean something like “Keep your wits about you. No sloppy fouls or bad passes.” Or, “Stay awake” may include “Watch out so the other team does not steal from you, or get an easy shot.”

So, “Stay awake out there” encourages both good offense and good defense. “Stay awake out there” anticipates the moves of other team members and of opponents.

Overall “Stay awake out there” leads to action.

In the season of Advent, and in particular with today’s Gospel, Jesus says to all of us, “Stay awake out there!” I will not try to connect every basketball comment to Advent. However, with that in the background, we seek to listen to the message of Jesus in today’s scripture. In part Jesus says “Stay awake. Keep awake for opportunities to play good offence. Keep your eyes open for opportunities NOW –

• Opportunities to serve your neighbor
• Opportunities to serve the poor and disadvantaged
• Opportunities to share the love of Christ in acts of kindness

In addition, when Jesus says, “Stay awake.” He also means, “Keep your eyes open for trouble!” Like driving at dusk, “Keep your eyes open. Watch out for ___________(deer)!” We are to watch for trouble on the basketball court, while driving, and in life. Keep your eyes open for trouble, for the enemy, the devil, will oppose the work of God’s kingdom. The enemy will oppose God’s work through us. The enemy will oppose God’s work on our behalf.

To this we might add, Jesus says, “Stay awake! Keep your eyes open to the bigger picture, to the breaking in of God’s kingdom Now. Now and not just at the end of all things; Now in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

So, HOW? How do we stay wake? How do we keep our eyes open? This happens by ongoing engagement with scripture. It is in the scripture hat we learn how God has worked in the past. This tunes our eyes and ears to see and hear God’s work in the present. The Kingdom may break in – God may claim us anew in the hearing of scripture itself.

The kingdom may also break in as we return to the grace of baptism in the Confession and Forgiveness; or receive the bread and wine of Holy Communion which IS for us the Body and Blood of our Lord. The Kingdom may break in as we serve our neighbor or those in need.

The whole season is a season of Anticipation, Waiting and Hoping. For we long for the coming of Christ to make all things right again at the end of all things; and we long for the coming of Christ now to live in and among us.

Often people think of a chameleon as an animal that changes its color to fit into its surroundings. They are often green in some settings and brown in others. When a politician or another changes their position on an issue, they are often called a chameleon as a sort of put down. However, did you know that a chameleon is also one of very few animals that can look in two directions at one time? That’s right. With one eye they can look forwards, and the other they can look back. Most animals can only look forwards, and maybe to the side…in sequence. As a small creature, you can imagine how their ability to look in two directions at one time could help them survive predators that come from behind.

We may never develop the ability to look in two directions at once. However, we do look back through the scriptures for inspiration, direction and to hear the Gospel anew. At the same time, we look forward, through the present into God’s future that is assured through the death and resurrection of Christ. As surely as a blue sky before dawn heralds the rise of the sun, so also the resurrection of Christ heralds the return of Christ as our hope.

In basketball, players “Stay awake” they keep alert not just for the final buzzer, but for the whole game. As followers of Jesus, we “Stay awake,” we keep alert not just for the end of all things, but for the whole of our lives.

Amen.

Now, may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

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Pr. Luther H. Thoresen, ELCA, STS, retired

thoresenluther54@gmail.com