Sermon: December 3, 2023

“Only The Father…” | Mark 13:24-37

Sitting here in our beautifully adorned Sanctuary with all of our Christmas decorations, minus the Poinsettias which will arrive this week for next Sunday, the text that I just read may seem out of order. It has nothing to do with Mary and Joseph—the Wise Men—or the shepherds watching their flocks. Instead, it’s a story about a fig tree—recognizing summer—and a man who leaves his home to the care of his servants. Instead, it’s a story about getting prepared—about getting ready—and about waiting.

Yes, it’s the season for waiting in lines, waiting for packages to come in the mail, waiting for children to give you their Christmas lists, waiting in line to have your picture taken with Santa, waiting for your Christmas bonus check, waiting in traffic, waiting for a parking space—waiting, waiting, waiting.

It’s an enormous job getting ready for Christmas for many of us. I heard one poor guy say, “I started my Christmas shopping. I shopped at three banks for a loan.” Some of you can relate to that. We’ve barely finished eating the leftovers and cleaning up from Thanksgiving and now we’re getting ready for Christmas—and waiting!

Waiting on God to act is hard for us to do as well. Waiting for healing, relief from an addiction, meeting that special someone, help with our finances, or the faith and salvation of our friends and loved ones.

Little Benjamin sat down to write a letter to God asking for a baby sister. He started the letter out: Dear God, I’ve been a very good boy….He stopped, thinking, “No, God won’t believe that.” He wadded up the paper, threw it away and started over again.

Dear God, Most of the time I’ve been a good boy….He stopped in the middle of the line, again thinking, “God won’t be moved by this,” so into the trash can went the wad of paper.

Benjamin went into the bathroom, grabbed a big terrycloth towel off the bar, brought it into the living room and laid it on the couch. Then he went to the fireplace mantel, reached up and brought down a statue of the Madonna, the mother of Jesus, that he had eyed many times. He placed the statue in the middle of the towel, gently folded over the edges, and placed a rubber band around the whole thing. He brought it to the table, took another piece of paper, and began writing his third letter to God.

Dear God, If you ever want to see your mother again….Poor Benjamin wanted God to act—he want him to act NOW—don’t we all get like that sometimes.
In our Gospel Lesson, the disciples wanted to know exactly when Jesus would be returning—when would the world as they knew it come to an end. Well, it didn’t end in their generation and 2000 years later we still debate when it will come to an end.

In 1988 there was a book out that was titled, 88 Reasons Why Jesus Will Return This Year. There were people who maxed out their credit cards preparing for the end, and I would venture to say that some of those folks are still trying to pay off those credit cards. There have been other predictions about the end of time down through the ages and we’re still here.

Months of planning and preparation go into the big events of our life. Weddings—the births of children & grandchildren—career changes—or the purchase of a home. Do we place the same importance of preparing for Jesus’ return? Just because we don’t know when and where something is going to happen, we shouldn’t postpone our preparations.

How should we live as we wait for Jesus to return? (1) Don’t be misled by confusing claims of what will happen; (2) Don’t be afraid to tell others about Jesus, despite what they might say of do to us; (3) Stand firm by faith and not be surprised by persecution (opposition); (4) Be morally alert and obedient to the commands for living found in God’s Word; and (5) WAIT!

Abraham waited for the promised son—Moses waited forty years in the wilderness—Jesus waited for thirty years before beginning His ministry—and the disciples waited in Jerusalem for the promise of the Holy Spirit.

But is it Jesus that we wait and look for at this time of the year or are we looking for a world of wonders which science and industry will provide? Have we exchanged our faith in God’s coming action for a faith in the kind of plastic heaven that comes out of a factory? What a trade! Heaven for earth—God for gadgets—the coming of Christ in the life of the world for the coming of a salesman’s paradise!

Advent isn’t about lights and carols and buying presents. True, it is about preparing ourselves to celebrate once again the birth of our Savior more than two thousand years ago, but it is also about preparing ourselves and our world for the Savior’s return at the end of days when things in this world will be set right. No one knows when that day will be, but I do know this, the cries of God’s children won’t go unanswered forever. Our Savior has come to us in the form of a baby in a manger in Bethlehem—and He is coming again to answer the cries of His children for peace and justice and the end of all suffering and pain.

I read a story about a preacher whose little girl asked him one day, “Daddy, can we play?” He answered, “I’m awfully sorry, sweetheart, but I’m in the middle of preparing this sermon. In about an hour I can play.”

She said, “Okay, when you’re finished, Daddy, I’m going to give you a big hug.” He said, “Thank you very much.” She went to the door but then did a U-turn and came back and gave him an enormous, bone-breaking hug.

He said to her, “Darling, you said you were going to give me a hug after I had finished.” Her big eyes looked into his and she answered, “Daddy, I just wanted you to know what you have to look forward to.”

Advent is a reminder of what we have to look forward to. Whether it be the birth of the Messiah with the shepherds and the Wise Men or when He returns to take us to be with Him. What Jesus said to His disciples He says unto us: “Watch—Wait—Be Ready!”

Dear God—let it be!