Advent Sunday 2002.
Advent 1: 1st December, 2002
Fr John Davis, Vicar of St Peter's, Eastern Hill
Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. (Mk 13:33)
That is how our gospel for this first Sunday of the Church year begins. The Lord warning his disciples of uncertain times ahead. This is all in the section of St Mark's gospel which deals with the signs of the end of the age. On the face of it, this is not terribly encouraging material. This is not what those of us who just want to have a quiet life actually want to hear. Instead of offering a peaceful refuge from the troubles of the world – gentle soothing reassurance perhaps – instead, this set of readings from the Scriptures sounds more like the evening TV news. They speak of upheavals in the natural and in the political order. They speak of persecutions and violence and distress. They speak of too many confusing choices on offer. They speak of loud enthusiastic wrong directions. If that were all there was in these readings, they would be grim fare indeed. But of course it is not.
The readings also declare this Advent time to be a time that is exciting and renewing. There would be reason enough even if all this was about was to make a good preparation to celebrate God's wonderful gift to us at Bethlehem – the enormous reassurance that comes to us in the knowledge that God is with us in this world and in this life, alongside us, born of a woman as we all were, knowing our hopes and our fears. That would in itself be a good reason year by year to make good preparation for the end of December.
But of course there is more. Because Advent is not just the time to prepare for Christmas. It is also the time of preparation before Christmas. Our readings from Scripture and perhaps especially our hymns that are particular to this time point us in the right direction. My favourite Advent hymn for instance is the stirring 18th classic: "Lo he comes in clouds descending". We do not go through Advent without it! We sing in Wesley's words one of the most vigorous of the great Advent hymns. That hymn is one of anticipating triumph and wonder and eager awaiting. It is, contrary to all the indicators of great change and disruption still proclaiming a time of hope and great joy that is very close to us. That is the way this final coming together of all things at the end of time is described.
So, for two thousand years there has been this particular time in the year when it is made clear that we are waiting. And what we have experienced so far is only just the beginning.
Therefore this immediately becomes a question of how we are to choose to live our lives. It is strongly suggested to us that the day to day meeting of immediate needs and desires is not enough. The bigger perspective includes God.
Right now all this is given a certain edge at a time when we are all already aware that the times are uncertain. Where could we start? It is the day after a state election. It is a time when our country seems to be moving into the worst drought in generations, and a frightening bushfire season. There remains a high level of unemployment. Above all, this is a time of international uncertainty and threat that is more disturbing than anything we can remember in recent times. What might the New Year bring? What might happen next? What further atrocities might bring such pain and suffering, and where? Might we find ourselves unwillingly at war? Which one of us has not had these or similar thoughts? What possible equipment do we have to try to process thoughts and fears like these?
The readings that are set for Advent, actually speak of times like these, and they bring us back to God.
Advent then, traditionally engages the big themes, the basic issues of meaning, direction and purpose. This is even though the four weeks of preparation and reflection before the celebration of the festival of Christmas has a hard time finding any space in our time or our minds. The round of enjoyable parties and gatherings is already well and truly with us. The superficial is easier. So everything really does conspire against much of an engagement with matters of life and death or heaven and hell, or with the consideration of the underlying fragility of much that we would assume to be solid.
Most of us would remember the parable about the rich man who spent his considerable energies accumulating a barn full of material things and did not, it seems, concern himself with much else. But those material riches were of no use to him when one night he suddenly and unexpectedly died. Huge wealth will not buy hope or happiness – or heaven.
Our gospel today makes it clear that this experience could be upon us at any time. That is of course true at the very least in that none of us can know when we will be called to our Maker. That could indeed be suddenly and unexpectedly. As well, none of us knows when the carefully put together constructs of our worlds of politics or trade, or even the climate, will completely let us down. So, as the gospel today so strongly reminds us, let's not be caught napping.
We need sufficient personal self-awareness to assess, to balance and to discern. Or sufficient spiritual openness to be able to hear and see, spiritually speaking, when the issues are again placed before us, in the liturgy, in the Scriptures, in prayer, or even by a good friend or in the process of reflection on what life has thrown in our direction. Any or all of these is possible.
But a basic reconsideration and a reassessment of what is important and what is not – what is lasting and what is not – this sort of process is what the readings and themes of the season of Advent are quite clearly intended to assist us with.
Even though the times are uncertain, yet there is assurance and hope. That is a fascinating proposition. Some things are found just not to be as important as they formerly seemed to be. And other things very much more so. Some goals and objectives no longer seem to be life defining, or that which gives meaning to a life, in the way that they had previously. Some structures previously depended upon, ways of trying to understand the world, may be seen to have lost their strength and importance. The Advent challenge is certainly to work out first and second level priorities.
Many things in our world are uncertain, or breaking down, or under threat. Yes, this is true. But even so, this season is urging us towards an understanding of living that places all this yet in a context of a growing sense of assurance and hope. 'Consider the lilies of the field', the Lord reminded those who were consumed by second level anxieties.
Advent certainly suggests a change of gear and pace. Advent is potentially about revolution, upheaval and change. Advent is about promise and expectation and judgement. It is certainly not about comfort and complacency. These themes are altogether too heavy to have a hope of dominating even an Australian Christian's December. But they are also too important to be completely abandoned in a headlong rush to the manger in Bethlehem and the birth of a little child. For in these Advent themes we find pointers to the central message, the good news and the hope for an ever changing world, that that Child was to grow to teach and to live.
Whatever the headlines bring in tomorrow's papers, this then is not the time for overwhelming fear or for denial. Yes, the times are hard, yes, the challenges are confronting and huge, yes, the world and most of its people seem to be going crazy or out of control. But yes too, there is a God, yes too there is life for each and all of us . Yes, God will indeed come again in great glory. Yes, in God's way and in God's time that will be ours to see and experience. Yes, there is yet hope.
Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. (Mk 13:33)
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