Loving God, you come to us today in Word and Sacrament, calling us to live every day in faithfulness and trust.  Help us to recognize Jesus whenever he comes to us, even as we continue to grow in faith and in love, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    If I were to ask you, “Where is Jesus?”, how would you respond?  (Here?  In heaven?  Everywhere?)  Actually, all of those answers are right.  When Jesus was here on this earth, he could only be in one place at a time.  However, when he ascended into heaven, then he could pour out his Spirit and be wherever God’s people are gathered.  Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, and at the same time, he promised to be with us always, even “to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:20).  And so, if Jesus is already here, why are we hearing about the coming of the Son of Man and the coming of the Lord?

    For one thing, there will be the “big” coming, right?  Jesus will come with the clouds of heaven, and the world as we know it will come to an end, and all the world will be judged in righteousness.  Yet, at the same time, Jesus comes to us even now.  It is because of this double meaning that some of the newer translations of the Apostles’ Creed simply say that Jesus will come rather than come again.  Some people even talk about Jesus’ final appearing, which acknowledges that Jesus is also with us here and now.

    I don’t want to get too bogged down on words, but sometimes it is helpful to know their deeper meaning.  When we speak about Jesus coming, the Latin word is adventus.  This is where the word “Advent” comes from.  However, there is also the Greek word parousia, which also means “coming,” but has the sense of “being near” or “presence.”  In today’s gospel, we are reminded of the God who comes to us in Jesus, and who is present with us even now.

    At the same time, we are admonished to “keep awake” and “be ready,” for Jesus will come - or appear - at an unexpected hour (Mt. 24:42, 44).  In one conversation this week, a person asked me if keeping awake is really the most helpful translation.  After all, we really do need our rest in order to be healthy!  We can’t stay awake all the time.  And so, I looked up this word as well.  The meaning is closer to “be on the watch.”  We are to be alert and active, living in faithfulness and watching for Jesus.  However, we are also to be fully alive!  In the New Testament, sleep is often used as a metaphor for death.  And so, in at least one place, this word that can be understood as “be awake” is used to mean “be alive” and “live.”  It has the same root as the English word “gregarious,” and so has a lot more vitality in it than simply staying awake.

    To me, this makes a lot more sense than the picture that comes to mind when I hear “be on the watch,” or “keep awake,” or “be ready.”  I have this picture of a guard on full alert or a football player who’s ready for the play.  You can only maintain that level of watchfulness for so long.  It would get old in a real hurry if you’re actually waiting for years!  And so, instead, we are called to be ready at all times through living each and every day in faithfulness and trust.

    It seems to me that there is a message in there, too, for us at St. Luke’s Zion as we celebrate 13 years as a congregation.  As I suspect you have noticed, we live in changing times.  People no longer attend worship simply because it is the “thing to do.”  Many people are at work or at hockey or at skating or at dancing or any number of other things on a Sunday morning.  And did you notice that shopping is also more important than worship on the second day of Christmas, Dec. 26th?

    At the same time, for years Lutheran churches grew simply through immigration and having children.  This is simply not happening any more, and it’s been a pretty steep learning curve for many people to realize that their personal invitations to others to come and worship are more important than ever.  There are people living next door to us and down the street who have never heard of Jesus except as a curse word, and there are more and more twenty-somethings who have never, ever been inside a church.  This is simply the reality in which we live.

    It would be very easy for us to sink into despair and to lament about how things are simply not like they used to be.  However, it seems to me that this would be the equivalent of being asleep, or even being dead, rather than being alert and fully alive.  And so, rather than focussing on everything that’s wrong and everyone who’s not here, let’s focus on God’s blessings, and on the good news of Jesus Christ, and on the amazing people who are here!  You bring so many gifts with you - every one of you.

    Now this is not to say that we stop caring about the people who are missing.  Any one of us can phone somebody up and say, “Hey - I’ve missed you.  How are you doing?”  Most people would appreciate being missed!  And this is simply part of being a caring community in Christ.

    Today we are reminded to be alert and to be fully alive, for Jesus comes to us, even now.  Part of this, I believe, is keeping the main thing the main thing! We are here to share the good news of Jesus Christ, and if that is not happening, we are already in trouble!  We are also here to grow faithful followers of Jesus.  That means opportunities for spiritual growth for all ages.  It’s not always easy to know how to do these things in this day and age, but God’s Holy Spirit will work through us when we ask.

    Meanwhile, there is also a word here today for all those who long for the presence of the living God, for Jesus comes to us, even now.  Today, Jesus comes to us in the Scriptures, and in the Word that is spoken and sung, and in the bread and the wine at the Lord’s Supper.  Jesus comes to us, giving himself to us in love, and inviting us into a life-giving relationship with God.

    At other times, Jesus comes to us in the loving service of another, who ministers to us at our time of deepest need.  Sometimes Jesus is the invisible presence who walks with us, whether through the valley of the shadow of death or through other difficult times.  And sometimes Jesus is not invisible at all, but comes to us in dreams and visions.

    At other times, just like in Matthew 25, Jesus comes to us in the people who are in need, for when we feed the hungry or clothe the naked or give the thirsty a drink or welcome the stranger, it is just like we did it to Jesus himself.  And so, sometimes Jesus serves others through us, and sometimes Jesus serves us through others.

    Yes, Jesus comes to us even now, and will come for us at the end, whether the end for us personally, or the end when we experience Jesus’ final appearing.  In the mean time, we are called to be alert and fully alive, giving thanks for God’s gift of forgiveness and salvation, and recognizing Jesus wherever we meet him – for God’s Spirit continues to guide and empower us, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Advent 1(A)                                    Matthew 24:36-44
November 28, 2010
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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