Isaiah 64:1-9a
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Mark 13:(24-32)33-37
Psalm 80 or 80:1-7
Fights break out at Wal Mart, children burst into tears, and people steal things from other people's shopping carts. When you see these things taking place, you know that the time is very near – Christmas is coming. It's Advent and the shopping frenzy begins. Have you got the perfect gifts yet?
Choosing just the right gift can be difficult. There were three guys who found that out the hard way
Three sons left home, went out on their own and prospered. Getting back together, they discussed the gifts that they were able to give to their elderly mother.
The first said, "I built a big house for our mother." The second said, "I sent her a Mercedes with a driver."
The third smiled and said, "I've got you both beat. You know how Mom enjoys the Bible and you know she can't see very well. I sent her a brown parrot that can recite the entire Bible. It took 20 monks in a monastery 12 years to teach him. I had to pledge to contribute $100,000 a year for 10 years, but it was worth it. Mom just has to name the chapter and verse and the parrot will recite it."
Soon thereafter, Mom sent out her letters of thanks:
She wrote the first son, "Milton, the house you built is so huge I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house."
She wrote the second son, "Marvin, I am too old to travel and I stay home all the time, so I never use the Mercedes. And the driver is so rude!"
She wrote the third son, "Dearest Melvin, you were the only son to have the good sense to know what your mother likes. The chicken was delicious.
The brown parrot was the perfect gift. Though it was not received quite as the giver intended, Mom was quite happy with it.
But did any of the sons really listen to what Mom wanted? Did Mom really pay attention to the gifts she was given?
"Keep awake!" Jesus tells us. "Pay attention. The time is very near."
Advent is a time to stay awake and pay attention. Advent is a time to listen carefully for God's word even in the middle of the frantic rush.
Advent means that Jesus is coming. And today's readings suggest something more than a sweet baby in a nice clean barn surrounded by pretty animals. We are told that: God is angry. God has hidden his face from us. The master is coming for his chosen ones. Jesus is talking about judgment. We don't want to pay attention to that one. Most of us would really rather go shopping for a nice pair of socks for Uncle Harold.
We don't like hearing about judgment day, but we say it every Sunday: "He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead." Just where will you stand on judgment day?
Are you ready? Are you staying awake? Are you listening? Did you hear Jesus say we don't know when he will come? What if he comes early, say next Wednesday? You might have Uncle Harold's socks all wrapped, but will you know what to do when the Son of Man arrives unexpectedly? Is the unexpected arrival of judgment anyone's idea of the perfect gift?
Yet God is sending us a gift. Jesus is coming. When the gift arrives, will we know what to do with what we receive? Or will we gobble it up without listening for the instructions?
Listen Listen for the gift of Advent – the gift of Christ's arrival among us. Is it judgment? Is it love? Is it a baby? Thank God, that unlike other babies, this gift comes with a User's Guide. (Hold up Bible. "No, it's not the Prayer Book.") There are a lot of instructions here. It says: God is coming. God is coming in glorious judgment. God is coming in a helpless child. God is coming to name the truth of our sin and our brokenness. God is coming full of forgiveness and life and love.
The User's Guide says these apparent contradictions are all true for those who accept the gift of Christ: judgment and mercy walk hand-in-hand throughout the Bible.
Listen. There's more. The User's Guide pages for today say that God is waiting for us in surprising places, when and where we least expect to find Christ. AND that at the same time: God is always with us, meeting us right where we are, in the middle of the messes of our lives. Both are true of this mysterious, paradoxical and perfect Christmas gift..
Yes, we can just gobble Christ right up and give thanks for the wonderful gift. And Holy Communion can be a great blessing in our lives. But just like that delicious brown parrot, there's much more here if we would stop to listen.
Listen to God's word: The User's Guide has instructions for how to live in the blessing of Communion The Bible describes for us Life in Christ. And that's the life that can make the coming judgment into a glorious gift.
Listen to today's reading and you'll hear it: We hear about turning and calling on the name of the Lord. Turn to God in prayer and LISTEN. And Paul tells us that in the fellowship of Jesus Christ we may be found blameless on the day of the Lord.
We find Christ in surprising places – right here in the fellowship we share. We find Christ in each other.
Listen for God in prayer. Listen for Christ in the people you meet – the poor and the sick, the silly and the self-righteous, as well as the loving and the wise. The gift of Christ's presence is always right here waiting to be heard; and Jesus promises that his words will not pass away.
Choosing the right gift need not be difficult; You needn't do battle at Wal Mart or take it from someone's shopping cart. You only need to listen.
Listen to what the Bible tells us: The perfect has been prepared for you – the gift is for you to receive and for you to give: the gift is the presence among us of forgiveness and life and love. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake and listen for Christ among us.