Luke 21:25-36
25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
29 He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
32 “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
One would think that in the midst of advent, all things would be joyful. If Advent is leading us to the joy of Christmas, why aren’t our readings positive and joyful? Our reading today seems anything but. As many times as I have had to preach on this text, I have never liked it nor become comfortable with it.
One of the things preachers do, especially with difficult texts, is pull up commentaries to see what others have to say about it. But this year God gave me a commentary that hit home. And I am not alone.
The truth is, that in real life, Advent and Christmas are not always delightful. Sometimes life brings us things that shake our very being. Instead of sending us forth into the season with certainty and purpose, these times leave us distressed and confused, as our reading says.
A couple of weeks ago we received a call that Bruce’s brother, Dan, was found unconscious and was rushed to the hospital. He had had a catastrophic brain bleed. They gave him hours to live. We took off for Kansas City but arrived an hour too late to say goodbye. The next days were taken up with the funeral and helping his daughter clean out the house.
I know that this congregation has also experienced such loss. In fact, if we consider the events in our schools, our country, our world, we begin to understand exactly what Jesus is talking about here. “People will faint from fear and foreboding for what is coming upon the world.”
No, holidays do not always promise laughter and joy. All the advertisements neglect to tell us anything about this side of the Holidays.
So perhaps we can find something in our reading that can speak to us in the midst of our own angst. Something that causes us to look up and find hope.
It is important to remember that, despite the beauty of our manger scenes, Jesus is not born into a time of peace. Jesus is born into a country that is ruled by a conquering nation. Its rulers are selfish and cruel. They lack morals. The Roman empire is known for its immorality, war, crucifixions and lust for power.
We declare Jesus as the Prince of Peace, but the world around him did not know or receive that peace.
So what is the peace then of Christmas? What is the peace that Advent is meant to point us towards? Where is this peace in the midst of our Gospel reading?
Read again verse 28 and hold it with you no matter what life brings your way.
“When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (NIV)
Life is hard. Just ask the disciples. None of them found peace, love, and joy in this world. They were jailed, beaten, tortured, and murdered. So where is this Christmas promise?
Jesus tells us the kingdom of God is in us, in our midst. It is within us that we find that peace. And it is from there that Christmas becomes the beauty and hope that we have been promised.
Our consumer culture tells us that the more we buy the better Christmas will be. Those of us who have lost someone, who are in financial distress, who are weeping over the events of our world, know better. We can’t buy our way out of those places. We can, however, lift our heads to trust in the kingdom that is unseen yet waits to flourish within us.
This is the promise of Christmas. This is what Advent points us toward. This is why Advent begins with the truth of this world. This is why Jesus warns us about the melee that life brings, so that we will know not to give up or be trapped by its ways. For the Kingdom of God is here within us.
In the midst of all this gloom and doom, I want to end with the hope of Love. Ann Weems writes in her poem ANGEL-FILLED ADVENT:
Wouldn’t it be wonderful
if Advent came filled with angels and alleluias?
Wouldn’t it be perfect
if we were greeted on these December mornings
with a hovering of heavenly hosts
tuning their harps and brushing up on their fa-la-las?
Wouldn’t it be incredible
if their music filled our waking hours
with the promise of peace on earth
and if each Advent night we dreamed of
nothing but goodwill?
Wouldn’t we be ecstatic
if we could take those angels shopping
or trim the tree or have them hold our hands
and dance through our houses decorating?
And, oh, how glorious it would be
to sit in church next to an angel
and sing our hark-the-heralds!
What an Advent that would be!
What Christmas spirit we could have!
An angel-filled Advent has so many possibilities!
But in lieu of that
perhaps we can give thanks
for the good earthly joys we have been given
and for the earthly “angels” that we know
who do such a good job of filling
our Advent with alleluias!
Ann Weems
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