November 8, 2020: May God’s words be spoken, may God’s words be heard. Amen.
“Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Well, isn’t that just a timely message from Jesus. It sounds like it could come from The Gospel According to Steve Kornacki as much as from the Gospel of Matthew, right?
This has been a tumultuous week, in an already crazy and difficult year…and it isn’t really over. Well, the election is, thankfully, but despite my joy at seeing an expiration date on a carton of milk yesterday in the grocery store that had a 2021 date on it, we still have a few more weeks of 2020 to get through.
Still, millions of people in this country and around the world were focused on a single thing the past few days – and it wasn’t whether Tom Brady should be allowed to play football again after deflate-gate, or how to get rid of all that Halloween candy with no office to take it to. Just on that last one – I saw one meme that said “I’ll get to 270 this week before the votes do.” Candy and election anxiety are NOT a good combo, so maybe we should move elections away from Halloween.
And sadly, as if that were not enough, there was the highest level of COVID cases recorded in the United States in a single day – that happened too.
Something has changed here too – at Christ Church – something a bit unexpected if you haven’t been worshiping here for a few years. My chasuble and stole are blue. The church is decorated in blue. There is a wreath with candles and we sang a verse from “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” So, you may be wondering if you stepped into some time warp and ended up on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, because all of this means that we have entered the liturgical season of Advent.
But the truth is, as I have preached about before, the original Advent was seven weeks long, changed as late as the 7th century, with some orthodox communities still practicing the longer Advent. And over the past several years, many churches like ours are returning to it as well. The lectionary, the cycle of scripture we use from week to week, has always been in Advent in these weeks after All Saints, we just ignored it. But that needs to change.
That needs to change, because Advent is needed, especially now. But let’s step back a minute, because it helps if you haven’t been in church in awhile (or even if you have) to understand what Advent is and is not. First, Advent is NOT Christmas, and it should not be relegated to the secular Christmas shopping season that follows Thanksgiving. In fact, it is helpful to set our hope on Christ in an Advent state of mind before that insanity happens.
Advent is also the beginning of the church year. So, while we have to wait a bit to get out of this crazy 2020, the church is already saying goodbye to the old and hello to the new. And like we do with the secular new year, it might not be a bad idea to make a few resolutions, but I will get to that in a minute.
The reason we need Advent right now is because of what it brings to mind and heart – the hope, promise, expectancy, and joy to be found in the coming of the Word made flesh – the incarnation – the birth of Jesus. But as much as it is about all those things, Advent, 4 weeks or 7, doesn’t begin with scriptures about the birth of Jesus, but about his second coming. These are like the t-shirt I once saw in a boardwalk souvenir shop that had a picture of Jesus on it, and the words “Jesus is coming! Look busy!” These scriptures are saying much the same thing – so save your money and skip the t-shirt. They were written at a time when many were discouraged in the faith, for they had thought that he would return in their lifetimes. And today’s gospel from Matthew is no different.
In this parable, Jesus likens the kingdom of heaven to a wedding. There were 10 bridesmaids – talk about your crazy big wedding – and it says that 5 were wise, and 5 were foolish. That is the only distinction – there was no way to know from outward appearance, just by their actions. And, even their actions were all basically the same, right? All of them went to meet the groom (and presumably the bride one would hope), all fell asleep waiting for the groom who was really, really late. All woke to go out to meet him when he came near. The only difference was that some had oil remaining because they brought extra, and others had lamps that were going out because they did not bring enough oil. The ones who had oil wouldn’t share it, the others then went to get more, and they end up shut out of the wedding feast, with the groom claiming not to know them. Jesus then finishes the parable with that warning, “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
That’s a crazy parable, right? I mean, folks like to talk about Bridezillas, but seriously what is with the groom being so darned late and totally rude? Of course, as is true of parables, and much of scripture, taking them literally will have us missing the point. The groom is Jesus, the bridesmaids are his followers, the feast is the kingdom of heaven. Or, for the Cliff Notes version – being a follower of Jesus isn’t a part-time thing. You have to be all in, all the time because you never know when he is going to “come back.” Here’s the thing though… he already has!
I remember once sitting in a weekday service being led by a friend of mine. I was in seminary, and she was an Associate Rector at this particular parish. The service was like our Mass on the Grass, in that an informal discussion on the gospel would be a part of the service. One elderly woman a few pews ahead of me asked her “Do you believe there will be a second coming?” My friend looked at me and said “So, let’s ask the seminarian.” Seriously? I mean I thought she was my friend! Anyway, I said “Yes, I do believe it – but it already has happened, is happening today, and will happen again tomorrow!”
Jesus is coming, that is true, but he is already here with us! We proclaim this in our mystery of faith, right? Do we recognize him in our midst?
In a few weeks, the lectionary will give us the gospel passage from Matthew where Jesus tells us, in yet another end-times narrative – you know, cause it’s Advent, where to find him. He is in the hungry, the stranger, the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned. And so, the thing is about the gospel we heard this morning about the bridesmaids and Jesus really should be told this way: There were 10 bridesmaids with oil for their lamps. When the groom was late, they went out to find him, and realized that he was always near – with those who had no place to take shelter, who had no oil for their lamp, who had no food awaiting them at a grand feast. So together with Jesus, they went to the doors of the wedding feast and threw them wide open – the table was made longer, the oil burned brightly, and all who hungered were filled.
That is really what the good news – the gospel – is all about!
And it is an Advent call to us in our time, for we live in a world that is bitterly divided, a nation mourning over the pain of loss in a pandemic that has claimed hundreds of thousands of our loved ones, and there are voices crying out for justice as hatred and bigotry infect the souls of so many. This is a time of lament in our country and in the world. As a people of faith we know a lot about lament – we find it in our psalter – that collection of beautiful psalms written by an exiled people who yearned for being known by God, who wept over what had become of their people, who cried out for justice, for restoration, for new life.
As we lament, we must remember that we have to look for the Jesus in our midst, but we must also be Jesus in the world, if we are ever to heal our divisions, reconcile with our sisters and brothers, and together build lasting bridges of hope and peace. And to begin, we must be Advent people – the ones rooted in the hope and promise of the incarnation – the ones who know that when a people walk in darkness, there a great light will come – the ones who know where to find the proverbial bridegroom – in the least, the last, the lonely, and the lost.
It may seem like it has been a long night in our country, but if we remember that we aren’t waiting for Jesus – he is here with us – there is nothing we cannot do. And so, as it is our church new year, let us make a few resolutions:
Let us resolve that we will seek Christ in the world, not only in our churches.
Let us resolve, that we will be Christ in the world, meeting people where they are.
Let us resolve, that we will share Christ with the world, being a healing presence amidst pain.
This is who we are, who we are called to be, who we promised to be in our baptismal covenant. But to do it, we must remember that we cannot change what is if we are unwilling to hear others, especially those with whom we most disagree. The way forward is to truly “walk in love as Christ loved us.” That is not just what the priest says as an invitation to communion, it is our very life. The bitter divides within our families, with our neighbors, and across our nation will not heal unless we prioritize love and relationship over opinion and full agreement. In last week’s gospel, Jesus said “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Children of God.” He did NOT say “Blessed are all those who agree with one another.” You are a peacemaker if you bring two sides together, not if you expect everyone to come to you.
This is hard stuff. Truth be told, being a follower of Jesus is not an easy journey, but it is the most rewarding, the most life giving, and the most joy filled for all of us who were baptized into his death and life.
And when we are weary. When our inner light of Christ is starting to fade, we come here to have our oil replenished, to be nourished in the Jesus that is present whenever we are gathered and in the Eucharist. This has been hard for us these many months separated. We know that spiritual communion with one another and in the Eucharist in this virtual environment has been life giving, but we all lament for what we do not have, and yearn for the physical presence, for the ability to receive the body and blood of Jesus, and be in fellowship with one another as we are in him. Today, across this entire diocese, we are building that bridge across the digital divide.
Today, I will answer the call of our bishop to join with priests in other churches to safely consecrate enough of hosts to bring communion to as many who want to receive it. Like our Ashes To Go, I will be joined by two lay leaders out in the park for an hour today following our coffee hour, and I will distribute the consecrated host to all who come by. We will make the rest of hosts available for safe distribution to those who are homebound. I will talk more about that during coffee hour and at the peace, but this is one way for us to be united one to another in Jesus Christ, so we are given strength for our common journey of faith.
The other is to pray – pray for our loved ones, but also for those whose with whom we disagree, for they are children of God – our sisters and brothers.
We are in Advent, and so many live in fear, in darkness, and in despair.
We have to be the people of light we are called to be, for his light will overcome darkness.
We have to be the people of love we called to be, for his love will defeat hate.
This is how Jesus will know US – that is how he will know us – when we encounter him in the world – by his light shining in our hearts, and by our reconciling love in his name.
Let us now all work together to heal this divided nation, to bring peace where there is war, love where there is hate, healing where there is pain, and hope where there is despair. Amen.
For the audio from the 10:30am service, click below, or subscribe to our iTunes Sermon Podcast by clicking here:
Rev. Diana L. Wilcox
Christ Church in Bloomfield & Glen Ridge
November 8, 2020
First Sunday of Advent (7 Week Advent)
1st Reading – Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25
Psalm 78:1-7
2nd Reading – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Gospel – Matthew 25:1-13
