Lectionary Year A, Advent 1,
December 1 and 2, 2001
Isaiah 2:1-5
Psalm 122
Romans 13:8-14
Matthew 24:37-44
Notice anything different today? This is a day of "firsts." This is the first weekend in December, and
the first day of the season of Advent.
It is also the first day of the new Church year. It is odd to begin a year at the beginning of
December, I admit. But the church
calendar is based on the fixed date of December 25, the Nativity of Jesus, and
the Season of Advent precedes Christmas day by four Sunday's. So we begin the new Church year about one
month before the beginning of the new calendar year, and we signify that
beginning by the lighting of the first candle on the Advent wreath.
Another first, is that beginning today, we will read
primarily from the Gospel of Matthew. The
lessons that we read from the Bible each Sunday are set by a three year lectionary
cycle; the three years are called "A," "B," and "C." Today, we begin Year A of the three year
cycle during which we read mainly from Matthew.
In Year B we read from Mark, and in Year C we read from Luke.
Another first is the change in the colors you see around
you. The seasons of the Church calendar
are marked by the use of different colors for ecclesiastical vestments and in
the sanctuary space. The color for Advent
is purple, although some churches use sarum
blue.
Advent is the time when we anticipate the coming of Jesus. But we do not just look forward to Jesus'
coming in the form of a babe on his nativity day. Rather, we also wait for his second
coming. This is the often neglected part
of Advent – the rehearsal of Jesus' judgment.
During the end of the last church year, we read apocalyptic
language from the Gospel of Luke.
Apocalyptic language was popular literature during the first century – especially
among certain Jewish sects. A favorite
theme of apocalyptic writing was that a great cosmic battle would take place between
the forces of good and evil at the end of time.
The forces of good would eventually triumph over evil, and the Son of
Man would come to judge the world.
Among the first century people who adopted apocalyptic
language were the Jewish followers of Jesus – including the writer of Matthew. Mainstream Jews had a disdain for
apocalypticism; they felt that such end-of-time talk was dangerous and
unhealthy. People like Matthew thought
mainstream Jews shortsighted and foolish because they felt Jesus' second coming
and the day of judgment were imminent.[1]
In today's Gospel, Matthew says the Son of Man is coming
to judge the world, and Matthew addresses judgment on two levels. The first is on the personal level: "two will be in the field; one will be taken
and one will be left. Two women will be
grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left."[2] This is the kind of judgment that we are
probably most familiar with. If I go 45
miles per hour in a school zone, I will be punished. If you fail to pay your taxes, you will be
found out and have to pay the taxes and
a fine. This kind of judgment is
the kind associated with law breaking, and would have been familiar to the Jews
of Matthew's day.
But Matthew also recalls for us the story of Noah when
Yahewh judged humankind. For in those
days before the flood, Matthew tells us, "The Lord saw that the wickedness of
humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of
their hearts was only evil continually.
And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it
grieved him to his heart. So the Lord
said, 'I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created — people
together with animals and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry
that I have made them.' But Noah found
favor in the sight of the Lord."[3] Noah, who was born many generations before
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was not a Jew, and he was judged by God and found
worthy. By talking about Noah instead of
a Jewish ancestor like Abraham or David, Matthew wants us to understand that
the blessing and judgment of God Almighty is for all peoples.
This insight gives us a new way
of looking at these texts and seeing their meaning for us today. The meaning lies in what we do and why we do
it. Yes, you've heard me say this
before, and you will probably hear me say it again, because this is a
fundamental truth that bears repeating.
Matthew states that God's judgment will apply to all, but on what will
that judgment rest? Does God give us
tests to determine whether we are righteous?
Are there rows and rows of student desks in front of the gates of heaven
where we will take that final exam to determine whether we can enter the
kingdom?
Of course not! God does not send specific tests into our
lives. God does not need to do that. The way the
created world works challenges the fiber of our being each and every day of our
lives. How we choose to respond to those
challenges is what matters. How we react
when a tree falls into our neighbor's house shows both the what and the why about
our actions. Do we do nothing because we
know she's well insured? Or do we bring
her some soup, and offer to care for her dogs?
I believe scripture tells us that what we do matters, and
that we must be accountable for our actions.
Judgment is really about "accountability." It means that I am accountable to you, my
neighbors, my family, myself, and God for my actions. Being accountable is something that transcends
religious, ethnic, gender, or age boundaries, and that's why it applies to all
people. We are accountable for what we
do and for what we fail to do for each other and for God.
In the epistle reading from Romans today, Paul writes
that we are to keep the commandments, especially to love our neighbor. He tells us, "Let [your] love be genuine;
hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection …
Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering,
persevere in prayer. Contribute to the
needs of [others]; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do
not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice,
weep with those who weep … Do not repay anyone evil for evil … live peaceably
with all."[4]
Almost 40 years ago, a great prophet arose in this nation
and said, "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out
the true meaning of its creed …
I have a dream that one day [children will] live in a
nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the
content of their character. I have a
dream that one day … the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh
shall see it together." When Martin
Luther King, Jr. spoke of injustice, as he did that day in 1963, he called upon
What we think of as judgment arises out of God's love and
care for us. If God did not love us and
care about how we mature as spiritual and physical beings, God would not demand
that we be accountable for our actions. We
know this to be true in our own experience of living and working with whom we
love. One time I was having some trouble
getting along with some of my classmates at school. As I told the story to my father, he could
see that I had insulted my friends out of pure self-interest. When he told me that that was the way he saw
the situation, my mouth fell open in dismay and I said, "You just don't understand! How could you side with them? You don't care about me!" I felt judged, and I did not like the fact
that my Dad didn't see the situation from my point of view. He explained to me that in fact the opposite
was true. It was because he loved me so
very much that he cared enough to show me that I was acting out of
selfishness.
In the end, it is by our actions that we reveal our faith
in Jesus Christ, our love of God, and our care toward God's creation –
including all peoples, animals, and the earth itself. Our actions do not merely imitate God, nor
are our deeds seen as simple fulfillments of moral or legal requirements. Rather they are actions that reveal our
relationship with the living Christ and the Holy Trinity.
What we do and why we do it are ways that allow God's
presence to enter the world. And so, my
friends, we begin our preparation toward the season of Christmas, let us
remember not only that Jesus came into our world as a human baby to live and
suffer with us out of His love for us, but let us also let His care, His love,
and His judgment hold us accountable. Let
us use this Advent to do what Paul has told us to do. "Let us … lay aside the works of darkness and
put on the armor of light; let us live honorably … [Let us] put on the Lord
Jesus Christ."[5]
Isaiah 2:1-5
The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning
In days to come
the mountain of the LORD's house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
Many peoples shall come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths."
For out of
and the word of the LORD from
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the LORD!
Psalm 122 Page 779, BCP
1
I
was glad when they said to me, *
"Let us go to the house of the LORD."
2
Now our feet are standing *
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3
that is at unity with itself;
4
To which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD, *
the assembly of
to praise the Name of the LORD.
5
For there are the thrones of
judgment, *
the thrones of the house of David.
6
Pray for the peace of
"May they prosper who love you.
7
Peace be within your walls *
and quietness within your towers.
8
For my brethren and companions'
sake, *
I pray for your prosperity.
9
Because of the house of the LORD
our God, *
I will seek to do you good."
Romans 13:8-14
Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Matthew 24:37-44
Jesus said to the disciples, "For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."
[1] Daniel
J. Harrington, S.J. "The Gospel of Metthew." Sacra Pagina
Series, Vol 1.
Ed., Daniel J. Harrington, S.J.
[2] Mt 24:40-41.
[3] Gen 6:5-8.
[4] Rom 12:9-18
[5] Rom 13:11-12
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