Mark 13:24-37
(Jesus is speaking)
24 “But in those days, following that distress,
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
“Watch - In Faith”
The word watch often goes with the word out.
“You better watch out, you better not pout...”
It carries more from the sense of a threat of something bad happening rather then a promise of something good happening.
This produces more fear, guilt, apprehension which leads to up tight, unhappy living and believing. Not able to let go and live.
How contrary to the spirit of Jesus, who came that we might have life abundantly!
So...lets put in a different preposition - in.
Watch in faith, in joy, in thankfulness, in anticipation of something good going to happen. Watch in faith for the mystery of God to unfold before your very eyes.
It will...it has...it does...it is happening now!
To stay awake means to stay faithful at each moment in our lives. Living not in the idolatry of certainty, but in the ambiguity of faith which wrestles with mystery and dares go beyond reason. Christmas is not reasonable. It is mystery opening before our eyes when we are open to seeing it. This is what we watch for!
“The Mystery Awaited”
Mystery means (5th meaning in Webster) “any truth unknowable except by divine revelation.” That is, mystery can be something I discover and live with, embrace and experience through encounter.
We don’t solve the mystery of the end time. We live ready lives, alive and alert to the mystery of God’s love as it has been, is, and shall be in our world.
These words are not a threat; they are a promise. A promise which creates hope in our lives.
To be watching for Jesus return is to be watching for the return of a lover, and you know how exciting and energizing that can be!
We are to live as those who know a great mystery, and live to experience that mystery in deeper and deeper ways in our lives. As Albert Einstein has said:
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science (and at the center of all true religion). He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead.”
“And Yet O lord”
“Such a text must be approached cautiously, lest we say too much and therefore be too much misunderstood.” Walter Brueggemann, Proclamation 3, p. 13
It is tempting to try say too much about the second coming; and use it to try scare people
into being good and in believing in God, like we do with children.
“You better watch out, you better not pout,
you better not cry, I'm telling you why,
Jesus Christ is coming to town.”
This is not what these words are about. They are about hope and are meant to generate anticipation, excitement, expectation, and joy because the One we are waiting for is a friend, not an enemy. We are to get ready for something big which is going to happen.
In this, which is not the easiest time of the year, we hear this word of hope which gives meaning and direction to all we do. Our God, who has come to dwell with us is coming again, now and at the end of time - we need not fear, we can live in hope! For with God there is always hope. And with God’s coming we experience hope. Nothing can happen to take this away from us, for no matter what happens God is present for us and will turn the worst into the best. Christmas will be a joy, no matter what!
“There were many periods in our past when we had every right in the world to turn to God and say, ‘enough. Since You seem to approve of all these persecutions, all these outrages, have it Your way: let Your world go on without Jews. either You are our partner in history, or You are not. If you are, do Your share; if You are not, we consider ourselves free of past commitments. Since You choose to break the Covenant, so be it.’
And yet, and yet...We went on believing, hoping, invoking His name...We did not give up on Him....for this is the essence of being Jewish: never to give up- never to yield to despair.” A Jew Today, p. 164 Elie Wiesel
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