Today marks the beginning of the Advent season for Christians. Advent means “arrival.” It is a time set aside by the church to reflect on the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is also a time for reflection on God’s role in our lives in the past years.
In just a few weeks, we will celebrate the birth and first coming of Jesus with bells and carols. While the world is preparing for this celebration with shopping, galas, and exotic dinners, the scripture readings frantically caution us with another sense of preparation—the scriptures ask us to be diligent in our prayers, to keep watch, and to remain faithful, lest we miss the day of our Lord's second coming for redemption.
In our Old Testament reading reminds us of Jeremiah’s foretelling of the coming of God’s Son, a promise made to Israel and Judah (Jer 33:14-16). That prophecy came to pass, but the people of Israel and Judah missed it because they were not watchful and did not heed the message.
In our gospel reading, Luke gives us an account of yet another prophecy with Jesus’ warning of his second coming. His words express the signs of awe-producing power; “men will faint with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world, and the powers of the heavens will shake.” Like Jesus’ first coming, these warnings were for those seeking hope. In ancient times, seers warned the people through prophecy and tested its fulfillment. Today, we look to the media for warnings of things to come because we know too much. We have known exceedingly too much about ourselves, our universe, and life, and once we tasted life, we became chronically addicted to the impulse of self-preservation. We tend to hold on to what we know – things that may not necessarily be best for us, and it gets harder and harder until our lifestyle becomes habit-forming as cocaine. So, how are we then to escape the warnings of the scriptures?
Jesus tells us what to be watchful for and how to stay prepared. “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.” (Lk 21: 25). These are fearful words of agony and destruction, and it is tough not to be afraid of such a disaster. But Jesus also gives the escape route. “Be on guard,” he says, “so that your hearts are not occupied with too much feasting and drinking with the worries of this life, or that Day may suddenly catch you.” (v. 34 Good News Translation). The Bible contains many analogies, given in their context, that are appropriate to the people's experiences, and we must be careful when taking one prophetic voice and leaving the others. We must heed to understanding the scriptures.
Some of you may remember the story of the Heaven’s Gate cult back at the end of the 1990s when the world watched in horror as the bodies of members of this cult were discovered; we couldn’t help but wonder what the world was coming to. Their belief in the apocalypse of the Book of Revelation 11 was the start, which they added on with other scriptures, etc., as the cult developed. The cult members had seen the Hale Bopp comet as a sign of the end times, and they happily looked forward to a better world. Today, when we think of the grim reality of people who leaped too soon at the wrong idea of a new world and a new life and their attention to signs and misinterpretation of scriptures, we are reminded of the deep sadness in the pit of our stomachs.
The Heaven’s Gate incident and many similar stories are teachable moments to remind us that not all world intelligence comes from God. Most importantly, not all signs of scriptural interpretation are from God, however brilliant it may sound. And though things may look frightening, Jesus asks that we not let our guards down but stand up, raise our heads, and not let fear overtake us.
We are to look for worries and situations that trouble us as signs of God’s living presence and the dark skies and dark moments as anticipation of God’s eternal redemption. But we need not look too far and too deep - we can look at here and now; we can look in our communities and receive people around us with a new attitude of love and compassion.
Staying alert means holding your head up and eyes open. Study the scriptures; snatch the moments from your busyness; reflect and meditate in silence so you don’t despair. Most importantly, continue praying that you are not trapped in the darkness and that all the noise around you will not deafen you because you need the strength to help you stay awake so you can embrace the Son of Man when he arrives.
Amid this life and the many events that evoke despair, let’s plant the seed of hope in a bright future in which God is made manifest in Jesus.