Advent 1A - First Thoughts

First Sunday in Advent, Year A

Matthew 24:36-44

24:36 "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

24:37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

24:38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark,

24:39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.

24:40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.

24:41 Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left.

24:42 Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

24:43 But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.

24:44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

This passage, taken in conjunction with the Romans passage gives us a great reminder to "Wake Up," and to stay alert. We live in a time when it simply can't be "life as normal," but we are aware of a greater reality. The contrast between the coming of the Son of Man and the flood is disturbing, to say that least. Just as they had no idea that a cataclysmic event was about to occur, we often march through life as though tomorrow will be just like today.

While I attempt to treat Advent as separate from my treatment of Christmas (and not confuse the two seasons), it occured to me that we are told to stay awake in preparation for the coming of Christ. This is nothing like what we were told as children when preparing for the coming of Santa. Then, we were told to go to sleep--for Santa only comes to houses with sleeping children.

While there are obvious cosmic differences between Santa and Jesus (and it seems crass to even speak of them in the same sermon, let alone the same sentence), there might be some interesting lessons to learn her. There were reasons why we were told to sleep as children waiting for Santa, and there are reasons that Christ tells us to stay awake as we prepare for His return.

1) We want to be surprised by Santa--we don't want to be surprised by Jesus.
2) Santa prefers his anonymity--Jesus will be noticed and glorified when He returns.
3) The scale of consequences is different--the difference between some gifts and an eternity.
4) We slept as children so that time would seem to pass more quickly--we need to be awake, and make the most of every minute.

May we never be so anxious for Christ to return that we forget that there are people who have never heard the Good News!