Advent 1 / Year B
Mark 13:24-37
The way the new Church Year and the season
of Advent begins with the end always feels counterintuitive. It is like one of those movies where the
opening scene is actually the end of the story and the rest of the film reveals
all the events leading to the ending.
“The sun will be darkened… stars will fall
from heaven… They will see the Son of
Man coming in the clouds…” Whatever this
imagery describes, according to Jesus it has already happened. Speaking to his original followers he states
clearing “This generation will not pass away until all these things have taken
place.” There have been about 100 generations
since then, and yet still we wait for something that transpired in some form or
fashion a long time ago.
Some biblical scholars associate Jesus’
apocalyptic vision with the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the Temple in
70 AD – an event taking place within the lifetime of the actual generation
Jesus addresses. The pleas to watch for
signs, to stay alert, and to keep awake urge followers to anticipate the
catastrophe to come and to trust Jesus will provide a pathway to deliver the
faithful through it.
Because the language is so vivid and the
‘signs’ are so timeless and universal, believers have long suspected they are
living in the end of days. During last
Monday’s Evening Prayer we heard a passage from Ephrem of Syria, who lived in
the 4th Century. He notes how
the signs Jesus describes “have come and gone with a multiplicity of change;
more than that, they are still present.”
What does is it suggest to you that a person writing around 350 AD is
bemused by all the generations before him who thought Christ was going to
return at any moment in their own time?
It suggests to me those who attempt to sync events in our world with
apocalyptic imagery in the bible are mining for fool’s gold.
But it is such a tempting project, isn’t
it! In the midst of threats and
calamities, we long for explanation and meaning. We want something or someone to quell our
anxieties. What more powerful narrative
can there be than grounding our present challenges in a cosmic struggle and
believing specific troubling signs indicate a Savior is coming who will rescue
those who recognize what is happening while those foolish enough not to pay
attention will be left behind. I take
from today’s reading Jesus promises to be with us to deliver us, no matter what
the challenge.
Jesus draws on two kinds of signs as he
speaks to his followers. The first kind,
of course, is dark and dramatic. The
second kind of sign is softer and more hopeful.
Did you hear it? Jesus said,
“Learn the lesson of the fig tree: as soon as its branches becomes tender and
puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.” This second kind of sign points not to an
ending, but rather toward renewal, a new beginning.
What signs do you see indicating God is
about to do a new thing?
Origen, who was born in Egypt in 185 AD
became the leading representative of the school of theology in Alexandria. He possessed the most powerful mind in
Christendom in his age, but sadly many of his writings have been lost or
destroyed. In his work On Prayer, he offers these thoughts
which help to illuminate today’s reading:
According to the
words of our Lord and Savior, the kingdom of God does not come in such a way
for all to see. No one will say,
“Behold, here it is!” or “Behold, there it is!” because the kingdom of God is
within us. Indeed, the word of God is
very near, in our mouth and in our heart.
Thus it is clear that the one who prays for the coming of God’s kingdom
prays rightly to have it within, that there it may grow and flourish and reach
its full potential. For God reigns in
each of his holy ones.
Advent begins at the end because we
anticipate God’s kingdom will break forth in us in a new way. As our lives change and as our world evolves,
God’s Spirit in us manifests itself in new ways; creating new paths to worship,
to pray, and to serve. Jesus’ words
remind us to be open to possibility and to except renewal.
