When Will We See Jesus?

Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24: 36-44

“Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”

As we begin the Advent season, we are reminded once again that in our expectation of the coming messiah – our savior, we are to stay awake and be ready. Yet staying awake, as some of us can verify, can be difficult at times. Think this past Thursday, or in past years, after the traditional Thanksgiving dinner when you’ve settled in on the couch or easy chair or sprawled out on the floor to watch a little football before dessert, and somewhere in the second quarter… it becomes harder and harder to pay attention to the game. It’s second and nine for the Patriots on the Lion’s thirty-five yard line …your eyes close … then the Lion’s are kicking the ball off after just scoring a touchdown. After watching a few more plays, with the score tied, your eyes close again and the next thing you know the game is over and everyone but you have had dessert.

It’s times like that, when your stomach is full, you’re relaxed, and everything is as it should be, that it is hard to not fall asleep. Rev. Carol E. Myers, Iowa Falls First United Methodist Church, says the same can be true for life in general and that of the church. We are in risk going to sleep. She says, “To be asleep is to have our eyes closed, to not notice, … to not pay attention … to go through the motions of life, unaware (of what’s really going on). Meyers goes on to say, “All too often we sleepwalk, (even) in this season of Advent, …immersing ourselves in the busyness of Christmas preparation, oblivious to what God is doing in and all around us.” Let me add that in doing so, we run the risk of missing out on dessert.

The apostle Paul perfectly describes in Romans 13, the challenge for this season when he writes: “…make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!” Our day-to-day obligations often increase as Christmas gets closer and closer and we think about all the things that have to be done for a perfect Christmas. These are the things that get in the way of our seeing God at work in our lives and in the world. Yet the hope of the gospel is; relief is near! Dawn is about to break! God intercedes in human affairs, bringing life to us. God’s incredible love is dwelling among us, a love that is be reflected by us.

But, for this to be a life-giving Christmas, our drawing closer to God needs to take priority over any material desire on this year’s Christmas list. Our focus needs to be on seeking God first; on living into eternal hope, carrying that hope for others, knowing that no matter what we go through, we are never alone. God is here, right now, if we would only open our eyes.

In Matthew today, we are told, Wake up! Open your eyes! See the Light!
Look! In the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s vision for creation has already come and breaks into our today in surprising ways. Look! Christ is here, right now, in the ordinary events of life. Unexpectedly, the Son of Man can be found in the faces of the hungry, the sick, the thirsty, the poor and the imprisoned (Matthew 25:31-46). God is at work here and now, bringing new life, resurrection life, if only we have eyes to see. When we see clearly, we see hope. We see urgency. We see that we are being asked to live as if God’s kingdom has already come, agents of God’s peace and justice and compassion in the world.

The text today reminds us we are either part of God’s kingdom, part of the faith community, or we are not. To live as though God’s kingdom has already come is to be saved, literally “to be healed,” right here and now, today.

In your mind’s eye, look ahead to Christmas Eve. Imagine someone in town watching this church from across the street as all of you gather for worship. In the darkness, there is a soft glow of candle light through the stained glass windows. Prayers are prayed, songs are sung, Holy Communion is celebrated. Then the light from the Christ candle begins to spread from one person to the next. Slowly but remarkably, the windows of the church begin to blaze with light and color. That light and color is reflected on the cold snow outside. This is God’s kingdom come! As people stream forth through the doors, carrying that Light back to their homes and into their community, the Light of Christ is made visible for all to see.

The question of this first Sunday of Advent is not about when Jesus is coming or when will we see him, but rather have we been ‘asleep’ to him in all the things that occupy our time. “Do we recognize Jesus when we see him in others and in ourselves?” Where have we seen God at work in the world? When has God gotten us through something that seemed hopeless at the time? Think about it.

Now ask yourself, “How might others experience that same hope of God’s presence through a card or caring act by me? How can I help them know the possibilities for healing and restoration that are only found in God? Paul says, “Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!” That’s good advice for people like us, isn’t it? May we and others be blessed by its hearing and its doing.