Isaiah 64: 1–9 / Psalm 80: 1–7, 16–18 / I Corinthians 1: 3–9 / Mark 13: 24–37
This is the homily prepared for St.
John’s, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania by Fr. Gene Tucker for Sunday, November 29,
2020.
“COULDN’T WE JUST SKIP
THIS ONE?”
(Homily text: Mark 13: 24-37)
Life often
presents us with unpleasant occurrences. Just think about how we welcome a
difficult medical procedure. Or how about that task we’ve been putting off for
a long time, or the bills we have to pay, or the ticket we got for speeding last
week, which requires either the paying of a fine or a court appearance.
OK, I’m
probably going a bit too far with that last example (the one about the ticket
we got.)
But, in
truth, each of the examples I’ve offered are ones we’d just as soon skip. We’d
just as soon avoid having to do them or to take care of them.
Our Gospel
text for this First Sunday of Advent is one we’d just as soon skip, I think.
Who among us welcomes God’s judgment? That is, after all, what Jesus is
describing with that troublesome language about the darkening of the sun and so
forth: God’s judgment. The Lord is using traditional biblical language to
describe judgment. And, as if the Lord’s warning about God’s coming judgment
isn’t enough, then we get to hear more troubling news: The Son of Man is
coming, and when He comes, He will gather his chosen ones (the biblical
language is “elect”).
But the
disturbing news continues: Jesus says that none of us knows when these things
will take place. So, He says, “Stay awake!”
I don’t
know about you, but when I read or hear those words, I get the sense that the
pages that contain them must heat up a little. And perhaps that’s the Lord’s
intent, to get our attention, to roust us out of our day-to-day concerns and
our habits which might make us a little calloused toward the things of God.
For
judgment is coming. God’s judgment is coming. At some point in the future,
these things will all take place. That’s one of the major themes of Advent: To
keep in mind the great, big plans of God, things like the coming of the Son of
Man, in judgment.
But, in
truth, what happens between those great and awesome events and what happens
today matters. To God, those everyday things matter a whole lot. So just in
case we thought it’d be OK to simply sit around, looking up into heaven for
signs of the Lord’s return, then the Lord tells us that just won’t do. For, He says,
in the meantime, it will be “like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home
and puts his servants in charge, each with his work….” Did you notice that in
the text: “Each with his work”?
That means
you and I had better be doing the Lord’s work in the here and the now, in
everyday life. For the Lord takes note of what we have done for the advancement
of the kingdom, and what we haven’t done to bring that kingdom into reality in
this present world. Liturgically, when we confess our sins, we acknowledge
those things we shouldn’t have done, but we also offer our confession for the
things we’ve left undone.
Talk about
news we’d just as soon skip….wouldn’t we much rather go about our usual and
customary tasks without remembering that all we do is being done in God’s
sight? I would, I know. Don’t we adopt an attitude that says, in essence,
“Lord, things are going OK down here, I don’t think I need your involvement
just now, but I’ll call you if something comes up that I can’t handle?” Isn’t
that our attitude? I suspect it is, much of the time.
In truth,
however, the Lord comes to us, not just at the end of time or at some point in
the future, but He comes every day, bringing with Him judgment for those things
we’ve done amiss, and those things we’ve failed to do. But He also comes,
bringing blessing for those things we do that bring credit to His name.
The Lord’s
daily coming to us changes things, it changes everything. If the Lord we love
and serve was simply that thunderbolt-throwing God, all of us would cower in
the nearest safe place we could find. But because the Lord’s character isn’t
just one of judgment, but is also one of mercy, forgiveness and love, we would
do well to remember those qualities our Lord possesses. Maybe that’d help us to
get over our inclination to simply want to skip news like today’s Gospel puts
before our eyes.
Happy
Advent, everyone!
