Sermon for Advent 1, Year B
Reverend Gregg D. Wood
This week I watched a program called Nova on Channel 13. The narrator was Brian Green, a professor of physics at Columbia University, and a well-known interpreter and popularizer of science. The title of the program was "Universe or Multi-verse", and the thesis was that there could be many universes in addition to our own universe, and that in fact, some of these multiple universes could be duplicates or reproductions of our own universe. To emphasize the point, the picture on the TV screen showed two or three Brian Greens, all doing different things, suggesting that in some alternate universe there was another Brian Green, or maybe even several Brian Greens.
I couldn't help thinking that, in the Christian religion, we ask people to believe some things that are difficult to believe, such as the resurrection of Jesus and the second coming. And yet here are serious people, highly educated scientists, committed to the scientific method which requires evidences and proosf, preferably supported by mathematics – and these people are suggesting the possibility of multiple universes. It seems that whether you turn to science or to religion, we are asked to believe some pretty incredible things. Speaking for myself, I find the idea of multiple universes a good deal more fantastic than resurrection, but maybe that is just because I have not gotten used to the idea yet.
And so it is that today, on the first Sunday in the season of Advent, we hear about another incredible event, the second coming of our Lord. The collect reminds us that, while Jesus first came among us in great humility, in this second manifestation, he will come with great power and glory. The Gospel says it will be a cosmic event, with the stars falling from heaven, and the powers of the heavens being shaken. In fact, in the Nicene Creed we say, "He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end."
Of course, the first question that comes to mind on hearing about the second coming is, when? When is this going to take place, so that I may be ready?
It seems pretty clear that the earliest Christians believed that Jesus was coming again soon, probably in the lifetime of many then living. For example, in today's gospel passage we read, "Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place."
However immediately after that passage, we read this: "But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.” This almost seems to contradict the previous passage. It says no one knows whether it will be sooner or later.
The gospel according to Mark is the earliest Gospel, written about 65 AD. By that time there was probably divided opinion in the church, with some people holding to the idea of an imminent second coming, and others becoming more used to the idea that there would be a delay. So both sayings of Jesus were included in the Gospel, one saying that it would happen soon, and the other one saying that no one knows.
Throughout Christian history there have been some who held on to the idea that Jesus would come again soon. Two denominations, the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Seventh Day Adventists, were founded on the belief that the Lord was coming again soon. And very recently, in fact this year, a radio evangelist, Harold Camping, the head of Family Radio, predicted that Jesus would come again on a certain date. The date he set was May 21. When the date came and nothing happened, he set another date, October 21. In the meantime he suffered a stroke and retired from Family Radio. Needless to say, October 21 passed with no supernatural event such as he predicted.
In order to find out how the early Church resolved this question, we turn to the Book of Acts, which was written maybe 20 years later than Mark’s Gospel. That book begins with an account of Jesus’ last words to his disciples and his ascension to heaven.
So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
So what Jesus is saying here is, “it is not for you to know, but if there is a delay in my coming again, it is because you have a job to do. You are to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. And you will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to enable you to do this job. So get busy.”
That job is summarized in the Baptismal Covenant which we recite at every baptism. We are to proclaim, by word and example, the good news of God in Christ; we are to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves; and we are to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.
The most important thing we need to know about the second coming is that it hasn’t happened yet. And there is a reason it hasn’t happened. The reason it hasn’t happened is that God has given us, the Church, a job to do. So let’s do it.
No comments:
Post a Comment