Sermon; Advent 1B; Mark 13:24-37

We have been hearing Advent stories for the past several weeks.  The ten women waiting for the bridegroom.  The slaves and their talents.  The separation of the sheep and goats.  These were all stories telling us to keep awake and be prepared for the end of days.  And today, on this First Sunday of Advent, we get a typical visual description of the end of days.

Today Jesus tells us there will be suffering, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, stars will be falling from heaven, powers in heaven will be shaken, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria.  Well . . . okay . . . maybe not that last part; but you get the idea.

For as long as there have been humans on earth, people have been expecting the end of days.  Ancient people feared both solar and lunar eclipses.  Wars, rumors of wars, floods, earthquakes, and plagues have all generated end-of-the-world speculation and for all that speculation, for all that effort to try and pinpoint the end, for all the hysteria, for all the books and radio shows, every one of those end-times “prophets” have been wrong.  Every.  One.  Every. Time.

The fact of the matter is that not one Bible prophecy expert knows when the end times will take place.  So if you’re one of those people who listen to them eagerly waiting for the end days, please stop.  They are wrong.  They will always be wrong.  They prey upon your fears.  And they really don’t know when that day will be.

You know who else doesn’t know when that day will be?  Jesus.  Jesus himself doesn’t know when the end of days will be.  “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, NOR THE SON, but only the Father.”  And if Jesus doesn’t know, what makes anyone else think they do?

I have one question, and one thought.  First, the question:  Why are people so concerned with the end of days?  People with signs proclaiming, “The End is Near.”  False prophets proclaiming made-up dates of the end.  Millions of people willing to buy into the lies.  Why?

I believe people want to know when the end will come because it offers an easy out.  Think about it:  If I'm saved, and if I know when the end is coming, then I don’t have to do anything.  I don’t have to care for those in need, because I'm outta here.  I don’t have to protect the environment, because I’m outta here.  I don’t have to work for equal rights, justice, or anything else to help make the world a better place because I’m outta here.  It’s an easy life of escapist rapture fantasy that has no basis in reality.

As an example, there are several scenes in the unfortunately all-too popular Left Behind series in which the “heroes” of the book ignore people suffering and dying only to focus on themselves and the happy fact that they have been saved, so they don’t need to bother with the world’s problems.  It’s a rapture fantasy with no basis in reality, nor with any basis in Christianity.

Now a thought.

Advent is the season of the Already and the Not Yet.  It looks forward to the Already of the coming of the Messiah, born of Mary in Bethlehem.  It also looks forward to the Not Yet of the coming of the Messiah at the end of days.  It is this looking forward aspect of Advent that led to it becoming the first season of the new Church year.  So, once again for fun . . . Happy New Year.

Here we are in Advent, the season of looking forward to the coming of the Messiah.  Which naturally leads some people to anticipate the end of days.  After all, it’s right there in the gospel.  I can almost picture Jesus with a sign or t-shirt that says, “The End is Near.”

But what if we changed our mindset?  What if Advent isn’t about preparing for the coming of the Messiah at the end of days?  What if Advent is about new beginnings?

Advent is the beginning of the Church year.  Advent looks forward to the birth of Jesus 2000 years ago.  Advent looks forward to the coming of the Messiah in power and great glory.  Yes, pieces of Advent, primarily today, look forward to the end of days, but the overall theme of Advent is looking forward to new beginnings.

Today it looks forward to the new beginnings of God’s reign.  Advent 2 & 3 look forward to the new beginnings of Jesus’ ministry.  Advent 4 looks forward to the birth of Christ.  The Advent signs we carry shouldn’t say, “The End is Near,” but should say, “The Beginning is Near.”

Advent is the season of beginnings.

What if we began to pursue justice.  What if we began to treat others as we want them to treat us.  What if we began to push for living wages or universal health care or affordable housing.  What if we began to manifest gospel justice.  What if we began each day by praying the Baptismal Covenant.

The end will surely come.  Hebrew prophets talked about the end of days.  You can read about it in Revelation.  Jesus discusses it.  The end will surely come.  Even so, no one, not the angels, not the prophets, not the televangelists, not end-times authors, not even Jesus himself, knows when that will be.

But you know what we do know?  We know when the beginning is.  This Advent, let us work to make a right beginning so that the kingdom of God may be manifested here on earth as it is in heaven.

Amen.