First Sunday of Advent 2023

Mark 13,34-37

Rev. Neli Miranda 

Advent season is here and with its arrival we begin a New Christian Year, so Happy New Christian Year!

Advent season opens us up to the great opportunity to renew our Christian spirituality lived in the drama of the Christian Year. This season has been observed from the first centuries of Christianity, and primordially it meant a period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas, his first coming. Later, the meaning of Advent unfolded to also include the joyful hope of Jesus’ glorious return, his second coming.  

The key words of Advent season are “coming”, “waiting”, and “preparation”. These meaningful words infuse us with the joy of Jesus’ coming on Christmas Day and with hope for the great future world to come.

Advent leads us to the encounter with God, who visits us in a newborn, baby Jesus.  And it is through a fragile newborn that we are reminded of the permanent divine presence in our midst because God is born in every newborn in the world.  Preparing for the coming of a newborn involves a great deal of arrangements because we want to make sure that the coming baby has the best birth conditions, that the baby grows and flourishes in our midst. This preparation involves welcoming into our lives and communities all those who are bearing life and looking for a safe space in which to give birth, to make of our hearts a soft, warm, comfortable manger to cradle new life, and to offer the ideal conditions for new life to flourish among us. 

Who are you waiting for on Christmas Day?  How are you going to prepare for that day?

Being vigilant for the birth and flourishing of life, despite the violence and death that threatens life in our world, makes us dream of and envision a coming world full of life. This is the great future Jesus announced to his first disciples amid the great violence inflicted by the Roman Empire in the first century. In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus announcing that after that suffering, that is, the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, the dispersion of the Jewish people, and the persecution of Jesus’ disciples, and after the appearance of great signs in heaven, the Son of Man, Jesus himself, will come in clouds with great power and glory. 

At this moment, Jesus’ disciples could only envision the glorious future, and this gave them strength and courage amid suffering. They died with the hope that a better world was coming. Their lives sacrificed by the violent system fertilized the hope of the Christians who today remain faithful awaiting Jesus’ glorious return. 

When will this be? Jesus did not point out the day or hour of his return but encouraged his disciples to actively wait by saying, “Keep alert, keep awake!” Jesus’ words have moved Christians’ faith for centuries and encouraged them to remain faithfully active in the midst of the violence perpetrated by the empires that rule the world. 

Today, we read that Jesus compared his arrival to a man who, going on a journey, leaves his servants in charge of his house and commands them to be on the watch for his return. They are not told about the day and the hour of his master’s return; therefore, they need to be alert at evening, midnight, at cockcrow, or at dawn. Jesus concludes saying, “Keep awake!” and this command implies being prepared to respond appropriately for his return. Keeping awake is a challenge in this world which continually is lulling us into a false sense of security.

Dear sisters and brothers, we keep awake when we animate the fragile life that is born in our midst every day, when we continue struggling for and dreaming of a better world, when we continue believing in, working for, and proclaiming Jesus’ coming in clouds to establish the eternal Kingdom of God. Our commitment of waiting and staying awake in today’s dark and gloomy world makes us prophets of the glorious future.

On the other hand, staying awake during Advent season, as we prepare for Christmas, keeps us from falling into the commercialization of Christmas that reduces this Holy Day into consumerist activities. Staying awake also keeps us from falling into apathy that is not allowing us to be imbued with the joy of the good news of Christmas.

So, you better watch out, you better not sleep, better not pout, I am telling you why. Life is coming to you!!

 Prepare yourself and wait for the encounter with God! Amen.

Image: https://www.scross.co.za/2022/11/first-sunday-of-advent-reflection-stay-awake/