Matthew
24:36-44
It
was a week ago early Friday morning. Our church’s lay delegate, Ellen Osborne,
and I were driving up 29 North on our way to our diocese’s annual convention in
Northern Virginia. We hadn't been on the road very long, 20 minutes or so, and
everything was going as expected until out of the relative darkness three deer
appeared in front of my car. A car which was going roughly 60 miles an hour. I
had about a second to respond. And in that second my foot hit the break and
mouth spoke a word that, I confess, isn’t appropriate for church. (I did ask
God and Ellen to forgive me.) In the following second my car slammed head on
into one of the deer and knocked it dead, which was unfortunate, but I know I
have so many things for which to be thankful. First and foremost, no one was
hurt and although my car is damaged I can still drive it until it gets
repaired.
Likely you have a story similar to mine
whether or not you too have hit a deer on the road because we’ve all
experienced times where the unexpected occurs. When we’ve been going about our
life as planned and then out of the blue something happens. It’s like “that day
and hour no one knows” that Jesus speaks of in our reading from the gospel of
Matthew. The day and the hour which we do not know can come to us in a thousand
different ways: an unexpected gift, an unwanted loss, an unimagined future, a
dream come true. We have no way of knowing when, how, or if they will come but
despite our best efforts to plan and prepare for the future, truth is, we live
in the midst of uncertainty and unknowing.
The day and hour of uncertainty and not
knowing is part of what Advent is about. For Advent isn't just a season of the
new church year that we begin today, Advent describes our life. You may have
noticed that every year the gospel reading for the first Sunday in Advent takes
on an ominous and threatening tone. These readings are often referred to as
apocalyptic or end of the world texts. But it's important to notice that that's
not what Jesus says here. He never says the world is ending. Although it can
certainly feel that way when the unexpected happens. Instead Jesus begins with
“the day and the hour” about which we do not know and ends with “an unexpected
hour.” Everything in between is about not knowing. The only thing we do know is
that it - whatever “it” is - happens in the midst of ordinary life like eating
and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, working in the field and
grinding meal. What Jesus is talking about here is not the end of all things,
but how we live in a world that is impermanent and always changing,
unpredictable and in many ways uncontrollable.
The challenge of Advent, of that day and
hour about which we do not know, is the challenge to live not in fear of the
unknown but in faith. To find an ease and peace with the unpredictability of
life. I believe that this is what Jesus is getting at when he says we are to
“keep awake” and “be ready.” He’s offering us a way forward by calling us to
pay attention. To pay special attention not to all the things that make us
anxious and keep us up at night. But to focus on and be on the lookout for the
presence of God in our lives - because God is very present and near. Yet for
many of us, and I include myself in this, that presence often goes unnoticed.
The Rev. Tish Harrison Warren reflects on
this in her book, Prayer in the Night, where she writes that when it comes to
attentiveness the superheroes in that category are…bird watchers. For they are
the masters of noticing. They take note not just of the birds they see but also
the ones they hear. They have attuned their senses to pay attention and delight
in a world that surrounds us, but is barely noticed by most. And this type of
paying attention isn’t limited to bird watchers alone. The other day I was talking
with someone who looks for fossils and is able to find them in the most common
of places. She has an eye for them - or more accurately, she has developed an
eye with time and practice. And that’s true for much of what we see. Artists
pick up on so much more than the casual observer. Sports fans spot plays that
are invisible to me. Almost anything that we are good at seeing in this world
is the result of some degree of practice and intention.
And so it is with seeing God. Our world
is infused with the holy. We bump into the divine all the time. But do we see
and recognize it as such? As we enter into the season of Advent and live our
lives in the midst of uncertainty and unknowing, Jesus calls us, for our own
good and peace of mind, to keep awake, to be ready, to pay attention.
How so? Well, it’s different for everyone
but let me offer a few ideas to get you thinking. Of course breathing is always
a good place to start. The next time you’re in traffic, which given the time of
year will be relatively soon, take a moment to breathe in deeply and
intentionally. That breath alone can be a prayer in and of itself or it can
provide you with the opportunity to turn your attention to the Holy Spirit that
dwells within you and in all the people around you. Let your breath remind you
that God is present.
Another way to stay awake to God’s life
is to pick a “go-to” mantra, a short
phrase that resonates with your soul like, “Come, Holy Spirit” or “Jesus, my
peace” or “God is near.” And then intentionally lace that mantra prayer into
your day. Or write a phrase or prayer on a sticky note and put it on your
bathroom mirror so that you can start and end your day with it. There’s also
the practice of gratitude journals, reading a daily devotion, and so on. Really
there are countless ways to hone our ability to see God in daily life. Without
it feeling like one more burdensome task to add to your growing t0-do list,
consider what simple, do-able practice might resonate with your spirit and help
you have eyes to see more of God in your life.
For just as sure as there have been days
and hours of uncertainty and unknowing in the past there will be more in the
future. That’s the nature, and maybe even one of the gifts, of life if we have
eyes to see. For in those unexpected days and hours God is present and offering
us the love, joy, peace, and abundant life that goes with that presence. So
stay awake to the divine. Be ready for the holy. For no matter what the day and
the hour ends up bringing, God is in the midst of it - and we certainly don’t
want to miss that!
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