There is much hope in today’s readings. Jeremiah reminds the Israelites that God made a promise to raise up a descendent of David who would “run this country honestly and fairly” [The Message]. The Psalm we read is full of hope and speaks of God as “fair and just” [ibid]. There’s Paul’s loving letter to the church at Thessalonica and the wonderful joy he feels just because they are there. While many will face the signs of Jesus’s coming with fear and foreboding, we are to stand up and raise our heads in anticipation because our redemption is drawing near.
All of these passages expound the Judeo Christian concept of history. Humanity is going somewhere. We are not living lives of futility, history is not destined to merely cycle through the same process over and over again. There is a goal for our lives and for the world. We have hope for our corporate and individual future. Each of these passages, other than Jeremiah, also contains a warning. We need to be watchful, not just for signs of the times but watchful of our own behavior.
It is human nature to try to reach a point of stasis. We want to feel secure. And, the world is not a secure place. Just when we think we have our plans in place or our income meets our expectations, we have some unforeseen event that makes us feel insecure again. A death, an accident, a broken furnace, a change in employment, or a rise in everyday costs. Gilda Radner would often quote her father, “It’s always something.”
In reading some old sermons, I realized that I never stop worrying about my family-the adult offspring in my life. As I stated in one of them, “working hard to be a competent human being” is a theme with them and with myself. We have no stasis-at least not for long. Yet, we always have hope. Whatever is going on right now will get better. Or, maybe even be forgotten. Jesus’s words in Luke stand out: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with…the worries of this life, and that day will catch you unexpectedly,…”
William Barclay wrote this: “The Christian must never think that he (or she) is living in a settled situation. …We must live forever in the shadow of eternity, in the certainty that we are [people] who are fitting or unfitting [ourselves] to appear in the presence of God.” I am aware that even though it is normal to worry about my family and the state of the world in general, I still must not get bogged down in the worries of this world. I and my family are firmly in the hands of God and n one can hold my children closer or more lovingly than the One who loves us all.
Revisiting Paul’s letter to this Macedonian church, I see the love of a parent. Paul had great enthusiasm for establishing a church community in the old territory of Alexander the Great. In this letter, we see the love Paul holds for the people in this church. He has the same anxieties as a parent for a child. He worried about them so he sent Timothy to make sure they were okay. For those who have been parents, think of the joy that child has brought you. While I worry about my family, I still have joyful moments with my grandchildren and now, Kinley. In those joyful moments, I relive past joys with my own children. Parenting never stops.
Paul started this church, he sent an emissary to help them, and he pined for the moment he could see them all face to face to assure for himself that they were really doing fine. Just as I would love to see my son face to face. It’s similar to the relationship between a bishop and priests and congregations. Remember this: each one of us has people in the heavenly and earthly communion who bear this kind of love for us. People who would support us to be better, people who experience joy for all of our successes and who hold us up in their prayers.
Jesus and Paul spent a great amount of time praying alone. Both of them knew that God was part of whatever they did in their lives. We see in Paul’s letters that his goal in life was to live not only aware that God was with him always but to live a God-directed life. That was what he wanted for all the church communities he founded. He knew if they could grow in their love for one another and for all people, they would naturally pray for one another. In their prayers they would fin direction from God for the way they needed to live. This would prepare them to stand in anticipation of their source of redemption when the Son of Man came in power and glory.
The shock of the Second Advent is for those who meet God and don’t recognize their salvation. For those who have lived God- directed lives, the Second Advent will not be shocking but will be an expected and awaited event. Today’s readings call me to contemplation. What world’s worries am I allowing to consume my life? This first day of Advent i appropriate for such contemplation. Consider this: acknowledge your worldly worries and add 10 more minutes of prayer to your daily schedule. Perhaps, by praying for ourselves, others and the world, perhaps we will fin direction from God so we are prepared to invite the Christ Child into our hearts and lives again. Rise up and stand in the hope of the redemption of the world.