This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent, the start of the Church year. For Christians, particularly in 2020 this is GOOD NEWS in more ways than one. For one, we get to put this terrible, no good, very difficult year behind us a month early.
It also means that we can spend the next month in preparation for the incarnation. For the rebirth of life. In a manger in Bethlehem, In the hearts and minds and souls of those called to follow Christ, and in our common lives as we can finally see a light at the end of the COVID tunnel.
As you may know, the Episcopal Church works on a three year lectionary, with each of the three years following one of the ‘synoptic gospels’ — that is the three Gospels - Matthew, Mark, and Luke - that tell of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus in largely the same form and pattern. This year we are working on the Gospel of Mark which is... how does one say this politely? To The Point. This pithy internet Meme mostly makes the point — Mark gets right to business telling the Jesus story. My Seminary professor described mark as “Jesus on the move”.
The gospel of Mark has 16 chapters, as opposed to 28, 24 and 21 for the others. It also has only 11,000 words — a third less than John and close to half of Matthew or Luke. You could sit down and read it comfortably in under an hour. Maybe you want to do that this weekend?
So we are left then in THIS advent with two messages. HURRY UP and WAIT.
Perhaps this is appropriate because that is what so many of us are doing in our common lives — Hurry up and Waiting on: A Vaccine, A Transition of Power, A Return to common worship, A loosening of restrictions, A return to school, to work, to many things.
Perhaps Mark IS the perfect Gospel for us right now? Another aspect of Mark’s Gospel is the ‘messianic secret’. Over and over again Jesus reveals to those closest to him that he is the Messiah but that they can’t tell anybody. The Gospel itself ends with an empty tomb! With the women running away in fear! With no clear depiction or description of the resurrection.
Of course — WE know the secret. We are in on the story. We know those women got over their fears and told the story because we are here. as Christians! Nearly 2000 years later.
As we HURRY UP AND WAIT this Advent season — let us remember that we know how the story ends. We know the Good News. We Trust that God will make Good out of this because we have seen it happen over and over again in our common history.
Which mean this is a good time - a great time - to share that good news, to tell that story - with the doubters and worriers and cynics in your life (even if that is... you!)
Friends as we wait for the incarnation let us also hurry up in our desire to tell the story, to do the work of the Lord, to not only call for justice but to work towards it, and to be an instrument of Christ’s never failing love and compassion this season.
After all that is the greatest gift we can give anyone.
