Loving God, during this darkest time of the year you call us into this season of hope and to look for the coming of Christ.  By the power of your Spirit, teach us to recognize Jesus both among us and in our world; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Here we are on the First Sunday of Advent – the first day of a new church year – looking ahead to the future.  It is a season of waiting – a season of expectation – that focuses on the coming of Jesus.  It is also a season of hope.  The sanctuary is all decked out in royal blue, which is the colour of hope – the colour of the sky just before the dawn.  So are you feeling hopeful today? (responses) And if I ask you to think about the future, are you feeling hopeful about that? (responses)

    I actually hear a lot of expressions of despair these days.  Prophets like Isaiah talk about all nations learning the ways of God and beating their swords into plowshares and no more war.  But when is that going to happen?  The book of Acts talks about the coming of the Holy Spirit and thousands becoming believers in one day and prayer being answered both powerfully and immediately.  So why don’t we see that happening here?  And then there’s the simple fact that things are not like they used to be, and that the world seems to be getting worse instead of better, and so where do we find our hope?

    My suspicion is that when most people think about the future, there’s a fair bit of fear involved.  The thing is that the future is always unpredictable.  There could be a killer storm tomorrow, or you might suddenly lose your job, or you might suddenly lose a loved one with no apparent warning.  A thief might show up in the middle of the night, or a flood might come and sweep you away, or Jesus might appear 10 minutes from now and tell us that this is the end.  In fact, we could quite easily drive ourselves crazy with all of the things that could happen at any time.

    And so, we do what we can to prepare ourselves.  We buy insurance for everything, hoping that this will protect us.  We put away a little bit for a rainy day.  We get stronger locks and a better door.  We put together our emergency kits and our first-aid kits and our supplies that are supposed to last us for 72 hours if needed.  But sometimes, no matter how well we think we are prepared, it simply isn’t enough.  The unexpected still happens – things that are beyond our control.  For many, this is a cause for anxiety and fear and worry.

    However, as we hear about all of the unpredictable things in today’s gospel, the predominant message is not one of fear, but of hope.  Jesus makes it clear that nobody knows when he is going to come.  Not even he knows – but only the Father.  And so, people will simply be going about their daily activities when Jesus appears.  We won’t know ahead of time.

    The thing is that this is only a scary idea when we are more attached to things here on this earth than we are to Jesus.  For those who know Jesus and who walk with him from day to day and who have “put him on” in baptism, this is simply the time when we get to see Jesus face to face.  It is a hopeful thing when Jesus appears at the end of all things, for then we get to experience the kingdom of God in all its fulness.  At the same time, though, we don’t have to wish for the end to come in order to find hope.

    Dr. Harry Wendt, who wrote the Crossways Bible study materials, speaks in terms of Christ’s final appearing rather than his second coming.  The reason for this is that Jesus comes to us even now.  It’s not as though Jesus is absent from the earth and will one day come back.  He comes to us in all kinds of different ways – like in the gifts of bread and wine, or in dreams and visions, or under the guise of those in need, or through a brother or sister in Christ who ministers to us.  Jesus says, “where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Mt. 18:20).  And so, Jesus is right here!

    The challenge for us is to live with an awareness of Jesus’ presence and to trust in his saving power.  Truthfully, there are things in this world that are pretty scary and dark, and those who believe in Jesus are not magically exempt from all pain and sorrow.  However, the promise of Jesus’ coming is that he is both with us and for us.  We do not face the darkness alone.  We do not face the future alone.  And no matter what trials or losses may come, Christ is with us in the midst of them.

    In fact, Christ is not only with us, but also in us and also in others.  What I mean is, sometimes Jesus comes to others through us, and sometimes we meet Jesus in others.  That’s one of the primary ways that Jesus continues to be present in this world.  And so, sometimes hope comes through these encounters with Jesus, whether it be a helping hand when we needed it most, or others who are praying for us, or somebody who welcomes us and shows us God’s love.

    When Jesus shows up, it is not always in big miracles or in thousands of people or even in mega-churches.  In fact, so many of the images that Jesus uses for the kingdom of God are of little things that make a big difference: The tiny mustard seed that grows up into a large bush; the little bit of yeast that leavens a whole batch of dough; or even the passage in Luke where Jesus tells the Pharisees, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.” (Or “within you” in some translations - Lk. 17:20-21).

    It was about 2 months ago now when loonies were handed out to everybody who was here that Sunday, and some of you told me how you used them in order to bring hope to the poor and vulnerable.  Some of you gave them away to people who needed a cup of coffee or a meal.  Some of you were going to put a few loonies together to buy wool that could be knitted into mittens and hats and scarves for people.  Some of you added some money in order to buy a mosquito net to help protect people overseas from malaria.  In each case, you used something small in order to bring hope to others.

    Now, as for us, and the feelings of despair that sometimes creep in, there is always hope when Jesus is leading the way.  And so, continue to pray.  Continue to study the Scriptures and to get to know Jesus better.  Continue to look for what God has been doing lately, and add it to our tree.  Continue to ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit and to open yourselves to the Spirit’s power.  Continue to live as kingdom people, using even small things in order to make a difference.

    God has not stopped working in our world, but sometimes we are too busy doing other things in order to pay attention.  And so stop, look and listen.  Learn to recognize Jesus wherever he is to be found, for he continues to come to us.  And in all things, give thanks, for our hope continues to be in Jesus Christ – the one “who is and who was and who is to come” (Rev. 1:4).  Amen.

Advent 1(A)                                Isaiah 2:1-5
December 1, 2013                            Romans 13:11-14
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church                    Matthew 24:36-44
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2013 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved