Nigh

First Sunday in Advent
Matthew 24:36-44

"Nigh"

"It's due when?!?" What is it about a research paper assignment that causes parents to cry out in shock? Could it be the fact that the homework is due tomorrow, or the next day, or the day after that - and it's not done yet? And quite likely, the alleged "author" of said project hasn't yet begun to write it. Maybe you've been on the receiving end or your parents' perplexed state. You've probably had one of these assignments come your way during your academic career. It doesn't seem to matter what kind of form these things take. They could be book reports or term papers, two-pages double-spaced or fifteen pages single-spaced. But the story's the same: you find out about the assignment well in advance. You understand the general idea about what you're supposed to do and when the paper's due. You start to do the work, picking out the book or topic. You might actually get some research done. And maybe you even start to write the paper! But there are so many other things that you could be doing. You've got other classes with homework assignments - after all, this research paper's not due for weeks, right? There are sports teams and group activities to which you've made a commitment. ("All work and no play" is a bad thing, they say!) Above and beyond all these other claims on your project's time, you remember something that every research-paper-writing student has realized: your TV isn't going to watch itself! So the days go by. All's well, you think, because there's still time left, a window for getting it done - a whole week, even! But then, unexpectedly, your window shatters. At the end of class, your teacher announces, "Remember that research papers are due tomorrow!" The terrible truth dawns on you: you wrote down the wrong due date! The big paper is due. The time is nigh. But there you are, unready and underprepared, facing what feels more and more like certain doom.

The time is nigh. Today marks the beginning of the new church year and the start of the Advent season. Christmas will be upon us a little over three weeks from now. Are you ready? How can you prepare? There seem to be so many things that need to be done. You have to plan for travel or get the house cleaned before your guests arrive. You have to wrack your brain, trying to figure out what the perfect gifts would be for your family, friends, coworkers, the kids' teachers, and your favorite barista at Starbucks. You have to plan the menu for the big meals that lay ahead - just having come off of your massive Thanksgiving dinner preparations! - and then go out to brave the aisles of the supermarket to stock the pantry. You have to attend Christmas pageants and concerts and office parties. And what's Christmas without the Grinch, Charlie Brown, or Rudolph's friend Hermey, the Misfit Elf who wants to be a dentist? Lest we forget, that TV isn't going to watch itself! But all of a sudden, Christmas comes. Despite all this preparation - or, perhaps, because of it, we are unprepared for Jesus' arrival.

Advent reminds us that Jesus is coming. The time is nigh. In our Gospel text from Matthew, Jesus tells us to expect the unexpected, to get prepared. The Son of Man is coming, and people are not ready for him. Like the student with a research paper, we've been given an assignment; however, we don't know the due date. And like the student who's assumed that there's plenty of time left, we can get distracted. We're living our lives, and that means we've got stuff to do. Like the people in Noah's time, we might just do whatever we want to do, not even making an effort to prepare, ignoring that wacky guy up the street building a big boat. Maybe we're so busy getting prepared for something else that we miss the boat entirely. That's the danger that you and I face as Christians, especially this time of year: we are tempted to spend our time preparing for something other than the coming of the Son of Man.

Advent is a time of preparation for Christmas, when we remember that God Himself set aside His glory and came down to earth to be born as a man. But Advent is not Christmas. It's a time for getting ready, for watching and waiting. That's what this season of Advent is for. During Advent, we make ready to celebrate the arrival of God the Son in human flesh and bone. We remember what He has done to deliver us from the power of sin in our lives.

Jesus Christ has come near to us, to save us. He came to free us from those distractions which attempt to turn us away from our Father in heaven, nailing their ability to do so to His cross. He has forgiven us for when we have turned away. And He sends His Spirit to us in His Word and in His Sacraments to prepare us, so that when He comes again we will be prepared.

Within the past two weeks, three long-time members of our congregation have passed away. Jim Davidson and Carl Solomonson, our brothers in Christ, have been called to rest in His arms, and Wil Bender just joined them Saturday. Jesus spoke to them and to us when he said, "Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming." None of these men knew the date that their earthly life would end, any more than we do. We, like all the saints who have gone before us, have been called to make ready for the day when Christ comes again for us. But don't have to get ready alone. In this season of Advent, the Holy Sprit is at work, making us ready, and He joins us together. He is at work here at St. John's: Jim and Carl and Wil have been blessed by His gift, the gift which God offers to you and me. This is a gift that is more perfect than anything that you'd find wrapped under the Christmas tree. This gift is more fulfilling than the most moving Christmas concert, more satisfying than the best holiday meal you've ever enjoyed. God's free gift is new life in Jesus, with Him, life which does not end at death. We, as God's people who are already living in this new life, get ready together.

Advent is here. Christmas is coming. The time is nigh. Because God has come to be with us in Jesus Christ, we can now overcome the distractions around us that leave us unready and unprepared. During these weeks of Advent, prepare in prayer. Prayer, conversation with the God Who come down to be with us, helps to anchor us against the many storms that seem to occur in our lives these days. Bring your concerns to the Lord in prayer and ask for His guidance. This Advent at St. John's, recognizing that we are all prone to missing out on real preparation for Christmas, we will be offering "Prayer Around the Cross" as our midweek worship services. These services, which will follow the ADVENTures for families with young children and a light supper, offer the opportunity to take a brake from the hustle and bustle that the world throws at us in this season of preparation. If you've read the descriptions in the Messenger and the Weekly Word, you've probably noticed that the service focuses on prayer. Indeed, all our worship services are, basically, prayer, and these midweek Advent services will focus our preparation in prayer. The sanctuary will be lit by candles, no bulletins will be used, and songs will be led by the choir. You'll have the opportunity to literally lay your burdens at the foot of the cross in prayer, kneeling at the altar and placing a candle there. Take advantage of the time of stillness that these services will offer in making ready for Jesus' coming among us.

Advent is a time of preparation. But unlike the student who's not sure when he'll have to hand in that research paper, our preparation need not be done in fear that the due date's sooner than expected. We look forward in joy to Christmas, that great celebration of Jesus' birth. We can look forward in joy, too, to the day that He comes again as Lord and King of all, because God continues to prepare us, keeping us awake and alert, making us ready.

The time is nigh. Thanks be to God! Amen.