Jeremiah 33: 14 – 16 / Psalm 25: 1 – 10 / I Thessalonians 3: 9 – 13 / Luke 21:25 - 36
This is the homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA), McKnightstown, Pennsylvania on Sunday, December 2, 2024 by The Rev. Gene Tucker.
“THE MYSTERY OF
FAITH”
(Homily
text: Luke 21: 25 – 36)
In
my childhood, our family lived at the edge of a good-sized community, in an
area where many people had large gardens and small farms.
We
had a man in the neighborhood who would come and plow your garden or field. He
used a team of two horses, pulling a plow that he sat on. He was quite an
unusual sight, as he and his team clattered along the gravel roads from one
field to the other. After all, by this time, most people were using tractors to
do this sort of work.
One
year, we elected to have a large garden, and we hired this man to come and
prepare the soil. It was fascinating to watch him work with those two horses.
They were a well-matched team, with commands given the animals, along with a
subtle flap of the reins. They knew just what every command meant, and they
responded quickly.
Along
with their harnesses and their behavior, I was fascinated by the blinders that
were over part of their eyes. (Those of us who’ve seen the many Amish buggies
in our area are familiar with these….they are meant to keep the horses’
attention on the task at hand, and not to get too interested in other things
that might catch their eye.)
Now,
as we turn our attention to this morning’s Gospel text, keep in mind the image
of the teamwork that existed as the plow’s blade was drawn through the soil.
This
morning’s text is troubling, at least on the surface. Our Lord says that the
coming of the Son of Man will be accompanied by signs in the heavens, troubling
signs that the Lord says will cause some to faint, as the nations are in
distress. But then, He says that the Son of Man will come in a cloud with power
and great glory. His coming is the sign that God’s redemption is drawing near.
(This
text is an appropriate one for the season of Advent, for we focus – in this
season – on two major themes: Preparing for the Lord’s first coming as a babe,
born in Bethlehem, and preparing for His coming again at some point in the
future. This text, in particular, prompts us to cast our eyes into the future.)
This text forms part of what some biblical scholars call the “Little Apocalypse”. (I invite you to look at parallel passages in Matthew and Mark’s accounts to see the similarities and the differences.[1]) An apocalypse is a type of text whose purpose is to encourage God’s people to remain faithful, especially in times of turbulence, turmoil and persecution.[2]
But,
if we concentrate on the Lord’s assurance that His coming will be the sign of
our redemption coming near, then, really, this is good news. It is a great and
good gift.
We
live in the in-between time between the Lord’s first coming and His second one.
What
are we to do as we await that second coming?
We
might begin by reminding ourselves of the image with which we began…that of the
teamwork that existed between the team of horses and their driver. We are
“teamed” with the Lord in Baptism. By virtue of this new life that Baptism
grants us, we are called into service with the Lord, called to work in the
field of the world. Called to prepare the soil for the planting of God’s final
and complete will and word.
To
do this, we must remain focused on our relationship with God. It won’t do for
us to get distracted by the various things of contemporary life that call out
to our attention. The work that God calls us to, and that work which He
directs, is the most important and the most central thing we can be doing.
Like
the unseen driver sitting on the seat of the plow, the Lord directs us, unseen
and yet present in each and every day.
We
should expect opposition as we work to prepare the way for the Lord. The rocks,
the weeds and the roots in the soil of the world will challenge us as we move
forward. The condition of the field of the world often looks pretty daunting!
One
final thought is in order, perhaps: It won’t do to sit around, with our eyes
fixed on the clouds, awaiting the Lord’s return. Christians down through time
have adopted that response, some of them even to the point of selling all their
possessions so that they can sit on the hilltop, waiting for the sound of the
trumpet.
No!
God
has work for us to do. He has provided all the tools we need to do the job. He
is confident that the power He provides will overcome the roots, the rocks, the
weeds and whatever else might lie in our path as we do our part to bring God’s
reign into being.
AMEN.
[1] Matthew 24: 1 – 51 and Mark 13: 1 - 37
[2] Apocalyptic literature often contains a mixture of identifiable events/places/things/people, along with other aspects that are symbolic. The challenge in interpreting the meaning of such texts is to be able to discern which is which.
