“The Beginning of the Beginning”

Scripture: Mark 13:24-37

Today is the first Sunday in Advent. Advent, of course, is the time when we prepare our lives for the coming of the Christ Child. Truthfully, though, we should be doing that every day of our lives, but for most, we need a specific reminder and a specific season to consider the full impact that his life has had on ours.

The effect that his arrival had on this world is described by the various names that Jesus is called – Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Savior, Redeemer, the Hope of the world. An anonymous writer once wrote this about the hope of Christ:

We tend to think of hope as a winged thing, flying serenely above the storms, untouched by the mundane earth. But the value of hope lies in its presence in our everyday lives, a constant earthly promise of welcome into ultimate fellowship with God. And hope doesn't have wings - if we choose to invite it, hope walks beside us as we travel.
- Homiletics On Line

Have you ever heard a better explanation of Christ’s presence in our lives? Intimate, personal, immediate, near, never aloof.

Our reading today is Jesus’ words on our hope for his Second Coming, but I think we need to also consider it in light of our preparation for the First.

Read Mark 13:24-27

Throughout the Bible, signs and wonders are constantly being given as proof of God’s almighty power. And how often do the people see them for what they really are? There were ten miracles in Egypt, all designed to show Pharaoh just who he was up against, and he ignored them all. The children of Israel saw the same miracles, and the only thing that they did was to complain and grumble all the more.
During the 40 years in the wilderness, God lead the people with the signs of cloud and fire; he fed them with the sign of manna and quail; he satisfied their thirst with the sign of water out of solid rock; he rescued them and gave them victory after victory, simply through the sign of the raising of Moses’ staff; and they settled in a land that was gained, not by their hands, but by God’s.
And in return, they continued to be unfaithful to the God who had given them so much. The sign of a holy birth would be given, and only lowly shepherds and foreigners would pay any attention. And in our reading today, Jesus gives all the signs of his return, and the world is still going to turn a blind eye to the glorious happenings.

But in grace, Jesus gives us the word, just the same. And the best part is in verse 27 – “He will send his angels and gather his elect from ... the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.” That will be the final and greatest sign, and no one is going to be able to miss that one. But what about his First Coming? Do people focus too much on the Second, and nowhere near enough on the significance of the First? Are we still looking for signs of the Second, but missing the signs that are still coming to us from his holy birth?

Read Mark 13:28-31

We all know that Spring follows the Winter, and the Summer follows the Spring, but does anyone really know when Spring will arrive? When next Summer finally gets here? Now I don’t mean the calendar date that is designated as the first day of each season. I seem to remember some snow a few weeks ago, and the calendar date for winter is still a few weeks away!
The seasons arrive when they arrive. And so does Jesus – both the first time and the second.

And I expect that in the moment that Christ came into your life, that this was unexpected, too. At least it was for me; it was unplanned, startling, and over the years, I still describe it as “traumatic”. And every time that Jesus touches us in some new way, it becomes a new beginning – Christ is “the beginning of each beginning”, if you will. There never is an ending, except for the life that was before Jesus. Each new beginning in Christ is a new phase, a new opportunity, and life in him just keeps getting more interesting and more exciting!
But we have to accept him and welcome him if we truly want each and every new beginning. And we can’t wait until the signs indicate that time has nearly run out!

The ark was completed, the storm clouds were beginning to gather, and Noah was waiting patiently at the foot of the gang plank. Very soon, the animals began to arrive and they started boarding the ship two by two.
Pair after pair of animals passed by Noah, heading up the ramp into the ship. Finally a lone hippo waddled up and Noah asked him where his mate was. The hippo replied “Well, I was hoping to meet her on the cruise!”
--With thanks to Kirk A. Erwin, Lyons, Neb.

We can’t wait and hope to meet Jesus on the eternal cruise! We have all the signs that we need, and the time is running out. Summer is coming, even though we have a few months of cold ahead of us yet, but do we stop planning for our summer projects and get togethers? Not on your life! My brothers and I have already started talking about our weekend together in the late Spring. I am already thinking about the things that I didn’t get done this year, and what I need to do when the weather turns warm again. I already have my application in for a Course of Study class in March and April. Waiting until the last minute never works out very well for me, and in Christ, it may mean that when the “ship of eternity” sails, we will be left standing at the wrong end of the gangplank.

Advent is about getting on the ball and beginning our celebration, our reflections, our relationship with Jesus Christ now. We can’t wait for his arrival to discover the plans he has made for us – that will be too late.

Read Mark 13:32-37

Jesus told a number of parables that dealt with the topic of waiting and watching. But the bottom line in each of them was that while we must be alert and watchful for the great event, we need to be prepared for the arrival. He told of the 10 virgins who were waiting at night for the bridegroom to arrive for the wedding feast. 5 of them had their lamps ready, and 5 did not; the ones who were ready were honored to escort the groom into the feast, while the unprepared were left on the outside, wondering what had just happened. (Matt 25:1 – 13) He told 2 other parables that are seen to be similar to each other – the Talents, and the Minas. Each was about how we are to act while we wait for our Master to return. (Matt. 25: 14 – 30 & Luke 19: 12 – 27) And this story that we just read is about the servants who are told to be alert for their master’s arrival, because they don’t know when he will be returning. Not one of them tells us that we can sit back and not worry about the Lord’s return. Even though there will be signs and wonders giving us all kinds of hints, we will still be surprised and amazed when the time arrives. Each and every parable tells us to be prepared and ready throughout our time of waiting.

Advent is not the time to sit back and take it easy – it’s a time to prepare. Advent is the beginning of the new beginning, when everything will be made new (Rev. 21:1-5). It is a time when we surrender our old lives in order to receive the new. It is a time when we wait eagerly, but at the same time, preparing for the greatest moment we will ever experience.

Advent is not the time to become complacent – it’s a time to become energized and expectant! And I don’t mean for the commercialized form of Christmas – I mean for the celebration of God’s arrival in the world! It’s a time to put the past behind and to start preparing for the “beginning of our beginning”. It will be here before you know it!