Year B: First Sunday of Advent
Disappointment, Frustration, and Impatient Anticipation
There are four Sundays of advent every year, and these four Sundays focus on the arrival of Jesus in three different ways: (1) his second coming, (2) his presence in the life of the believer, and (3) his incarnation.1
The first Sunday of advent primarily focuses on the eschatological arrival of Jesus while the next three prepare the congregation for the celebration of his birth.2
Year B, First Sunday of Advent, December 3, 2023
First Reading: Isaiah 64:1–9
Psalm: Psalm 80:1–7, 16–18
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3–9
Gospel: Mark 13:24–37
Sermon - Disappointment, Frustration, and Impatient Anticipation
This sermon text is not a manuscript. Instead, it functions as extra reading to supplement the sermon.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12
Advent is a season of anticipation. It is a season of hope. The readings from the Hebrew Scriptures, Isaiah 64 and Psalm 80, are messages of impatient expectation. With the temple gone and Israel in exile, the authors behind these passages long for the day when God will do what he had done so many times before in Israel’s history:
O that you would tear open the heavens and come down… Isaiah 64:1
When we read these passages, we get the sense that the authors were impatient, perhaps like we are at times, “God, you are faithful. You are just… so where are you now?”
But these writers were also expectant. That is, they expected that their petitions would be heard and God would fulfill the promises made to their ancestors.
This kind of speech may seem inappropriate to us. Are God’s ways to be questioned? After all, if God knows all and is all powerful, who are we to voice such concerns? Yet, the Bible is filled with similar cries, requests, and even outbursts.
When we consider the condition of the world around us, which seems even worse because of the 24/7 news cycle that capitalizes on our fear and anxiety, perhaps this kind of bold, impatient expectation is needed, is healthy, and is life-giving.
In fact, this is the exact attitude Jesus wanted from his first followers. We might recall the parable of the unjust judge in which a poor widow went to the judge regularly to seek justice (Luke 18:1-8). Jesus then calls his disciples to pester God in the same way. After all, if the unjust judge will grant justice after persistent prayer, surely God will too right?
But this persistence, this watchfulness, is not just something Jesus wants us to embody; it’s something we must embody in order to be who he has called us to be.
The gospel reading for today comes from Mark 13:24-37 and encapsulates this watchful attitude:
“But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
“Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels and gather the elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert, for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake, for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening or at midnight or at cockcrow or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” Mark 13:24–37
In this passage, Jesus is finishing up a lengthy answer to the disciples’ questions about the fall of the temple. He begins his conclusion by drawing from apocalyptic language common to the prophets to describe the national conflict between Rome and Jerusalem. The sun and moon going dark and the stars falling from heaven is the same imagery employed by the prophet Isaiah to describe the fall of Babylon (Isaiah 13:10, 19).
This climactic event in Israel’s history would be seen by Jesus’s first followers as a sign of his kingdom and of a new kind Jerusalem. This tragedy, one which Jesus wept over, was the culmination of years of a an ever-escalating cycle of violence.
In light of this impending violent revolt and the consequences thereof, Jesus warns his disciples to be on constant watch for the signs so that they would know when the events were near. “Keep awake!” is his final admonition.
Living on this side of these events, how might we understand this passage in relation to our own lives as Jesus followers? Perhaps we might consider that the same principles apply: when nations participate in ever-escalating cycles of violence, it ends with the world around them being shattered. Stars may not fall from heaven, and the sun may not go dark, but human lives, made in the image of God, are destroyed.
Of course, this apocalyptic imagery may become very real if the violence escalates too much. If the wrong people are in power at the right time, the fallout from nuclear war may just block out the sun and darken the moon. Missiles, like stars, may rain down from the heavens causing death and destruction wherever they fall.
Furthermore, there is a different kind of war being waged—not between two or more nations but between corporations and our planet. Is there no end to our greed? We pursue wealth at what cost? The extinction of species? The desolation of acres of forests? The further corruption of pristine wilderness?
Oh Lord, how long?
God, if you intend us to be a kingdom of priests, why is the world in the condition it is in? God, if the tree of life is for the healing of the nations, where is that healing? Lord, it has been almost 2,000 years. Is the power of the gospel less powerful than our power to divide over doctrine, ignore the poor, and silently watch the creation around us suffer?
Tear open the heavens and come down! Work through us as ministers of peace! Let your face shine that we may be saved!
You told your disciples to wait one generation. You told them the end was near. You told them the kingdom was at hand. You told us to pester you like the persistent widow. Here we are God. Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven and see.
Second Reading - Dysfunctional Partners of Christ
For my weekly church bulletin article, I’ll be writing a reflection on the second reading.
"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus…God is faithful, by whom you were called into the partnership of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:3–9).
When we think of the church at Corinth, we probably don’t think of grace or Paul being thankful or of the church at Corinth being partners with Christ. Instead, we might think of their divisions or their misconduct or their discrimination or their pride. But aren’t we glad that God does not think like we think or see like we see.
Though the church at Corinth was dysfunctional, they were still loved by God, shown all kinds of grace, and were filled with the Holy Spirit.
So many times in our culture, we are quick to cut people off because of minor infractions, maybe even thought crimes. But God (and Paul’s) patience towards the church at Corinth should cause us to pause when we are tempted to bring down the proverbial hammer on another believer or group of believers.
Instead, we should first exercise patience, affirming their faith and dedication to God, and then we can work towards managing conflict in hopes of bringing them along with us towards maturity in Christ.
In these kinds of scenarios, patience and tolerance do not mean supporting or agreeing with someone’s behavior or views but bearing with them as we all strive to maintain the Spirit’s unity. Being quick to hear and slow to speak can solve the church a world of trouble. At the same time, being slow to speak doesn’t mean staying silent forever. After affirming their faith and expressing his thanks for them, Paul moved on towards correction.
May we have the wisdom to follow in Paul’s steps as patient, loving, honest ministers of God.
Reflections
Yesterday was my first Sunday ever preaching from the lectionary for Advent. While I’ve given a few sermons related to the lectionary texts, this was my first sermon related to the Christian calendar.
I had fun using the various resources from the introductory post to pull together a common message across the passages. I wish that we had more time during the worship for scripture reading, but my pool of people who would read is so small that I’m not sure if I want to implement that just yet. I don’t want to burn them out.
Regardless, I had good feedback from the first sermon. I didn’t go as deep as I usually do on the text from the Olivet Discourse in Mark 13, like I did in the text above, but I didn’t feel like it was the time for that since that wasn’t the point of the sermon.
As a final note, I encourage you follow my friend Greg’s blog Life in The City. He is currently doing a series through Advent where he explores a different saint or mystic everyday. You can subscribe below:
Thanks so much for keeping up with this blog. If you have any suggestions, reccomendations, or critiques, you can always comment here or reach out through my website: https://danielr.net.
“Advent is the celebration of the three comings of Christ: his coming in the flesh, which is the primary focus of the feast of Christmas; his coming at the end of time, which is one of the underlying themes of Advent; and his coming in grace, which is his spiritual coming in our hearts through the Eucharistic celebration of the Christmas-Epiphany mystery.”
Keating, Thomas. The Mystery of Christ: The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience. New York: Continuum, 2008. Print.
Fuller, Reginald and Daniel Westberg. Preaching the Lectionary: The Word of God for the Church Today. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2006. Print. page 1.