Meditation on This Sunday's Gospel

The readings for Sunday, December 1, 2019:

First Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5

Psalm: Psalm 122

Second Reading: Romans 13:11-14

Gospel: Matthew 24:36-44

Some years, the apocalyptic tone of the Advent texts feel more appropriate than other years. This is one of those years when the images of the end of days resonate with me.

The images in the Gospel for the first Sunday of Advent have found their way into popular culture lately--the idea of one being taken up to Heaven while the other is left behind (see the Left Behind book series which was made into other forms of popular culture and the more recent show The Leftovers).  But most scholars agree that those ideas of a Judgment Day are fairly recent in Christian thought and interpretation, fostered in the heat of 19th century Revival meetings. If Christ isn’t talking about the Rapture, then what do those passages mean?

Again and again, our holy scriptures remind us that we need to stay alert and watchful. Again and again, our holy scriptures warn us that God is coming and that God won't always take on the shape we expect. Sometimes, our spiritual ancestors are lucky, as Abraham was, when he invited the strangers into his tent and found out he was having dinner with God. Sometimes our ancestors aren't as lucky. Think of all those contemporaries of Jesus, many of them good, observant Jews, who were on the lookout for a different kind of Messiah. They wanted someone to deliver them from oppressive Roman rule. What did they get? A baby in a manger.

We think that we wouldn't have been so stupid. We would have recognized the Divine, as Christ moved among us.

But think of our own lives. Many of us are so busy that we can't even adopt traditional practices that move us closer to God, practices like fixed-hour prayer or tithing.  We can't find 10 minutes in our busy lives to slow down at all.  If Jesus shows up, will we really notice?

We usually think of Lent as the season of discipline and denial, but Advent cries out for a similar rigor, especially in our culture that goes into hyper-consumer-overdrive this time of year. This year, practice seeing the Divine in difficult people. It's easy to look at a little baby and to see God looking back out of that face. But for a few weeks, practice treating difficult people as if they are the embodiment of God. Your evil boss? Your difficult teenager? The homeless guy at the corner who won't take no for an answer when he asks for money? Your sad mother-in-law? How might things change if we treat these difficult people as the embodiment of God, as Christ incarnate?

Think about the larger world that bombards us with messages that are designed to move us to anger, not compassion.  Let's pray for those national figures who usually move us to anger.  Let's remember that they, too, are chosen children of God whom God loves.

We could do something more radical.  We could try seeing God in them.

If we approach everyone as God moving in the world, our attitudes will likely change. Maybe people will wonder how we achieve our peace and equilibrium.  Maybe they will ask us for our secret.  Maybe they will simply try to emulate us.

In this way, we can sow the seeds of peace into our troubled time.  Maybe they will take root and grow into a sturdy orchard.