|
“Getting the House Ready for a
Thief” |
|
In 1990, Suanne and I spent twenty days in
Italy. One day, while we were walking a street in Rome, our group observed some
gypsy women and children approaching a Japanese tourist far on the other side of
a busy traffic circle. We shouted to the man – trying to get his attention to
warn him of the dangerous situation. In addition to the fact that he probably
could not understand the language we were shouting, the noise and the distance
was too great. Quickly, the gypsies stripped him of his camera, wallet and
passport and then melted into the crowd. There wasn’t a thing that any of us
could do. We knew what was going to happen and we could not prevent it. I felt helpless as six lanes of traffic and language created barriers that made it possible for the thieves to operate so freely. Nothing was stolen from me personally, but the suddenness and unexpectedness and my helplessness at the time left me feeling vulnerable and violated just the same. About two years later, the house of a friend of mine – a minister – was burglarized while he and his wife were both at work. He told me later that he and his wife felt abused, angry, and scared – almost as if they had both been raped. The police never found out who did it – but soon after, Tony and Margaret had a home security system installed so that it would never happen again. I have been the pastor of a congregation when its office was burglarized. Things were broken, files scattered, drawers emptied. Little was stolen, but it took the church staff the rest of the week to clean up the mess, and it was months before the church secretary felt comfortable about entering the building again. Afterwards, a security system was installed in order to make the church a safe and secure place. Whether we like it or not, we live among thieves. It is prudent to behave in certain ways that are cautious ways – safe ways – ways that would minimize our risks. Advent is a time when the church thinks about something that is hidden becoming revealed. It is a time when Christians celebrate a season of God physically coming into our lives. Some might think about advent as a period of “Christmas preliminaries.” It isn’t. It is a church season with its own integrity and its own theme. Advent proclaims the coming of the Lord Jesus – but that isn’t the same as saying that “Christmas is coming.” The secular world already does enough of that “pre-Christmas” stuff for us. The secular world shouts at us (beginning even before Thanksgiving) “here comes Christmas!” Wrong! Instead, the proclamation of advent is: “our God is the one who comes to the world!” The question of Advent is not, “what shall I buy for cousin Willie?” The question is, “what shall the day of the Lord be like?” It is not, “who will be on my gift list?” It is, “will the day of the Lord be darkness or light? – joy or dread? – judgment or redemption?” The question of Advent is not, “what do you want for Christmas?” It is, “when will the day of the Lord come?” The scripture we heard from Matthew today is an “Advent” scripture. It is a discussion about the Lord’s advent: when will God come? – and – how shall the faithful ones act while we wait? According to the scriptures, no one knows – not even Jesus knows – when God will come. Only God has that knowledge. Only God knows when God will come. Since we cannot know the time, our concern should be with how we will act while we wait with both uncertainty and expectation. Jesus’ words in Matthew imply that God will come like an overwhelming flood – God will come like a kidnapper – and God will come like a thief. We need to be watchful. We know what it is like to be unprepared for a flood, don’t we? Noah was smart enough to build an ark so that his family would survive the flood. If the day of the Lord is going to come to us like a flood, what do we need to do to get ready for it? One day, people will be working together, side-by-side, but one will be snatched away suddenly. In the day of the Lord, there will be two fates: God will take some – others will be left where they stand. If the day of the Lord is going to come to us like a kidnapper, what do we need to do to be among those that God will take? Sometimes, a burglar enters a household and steals the family blind. Of course, anyone who knows a burglar is coming would put in a security system – or call the police to prevent it. If the day of the Lord is going to come to us like a thief in the night, how do we prepare our household for the unexpected silent and secretive visitation? Jesus said that the day of the Lord is coming like a flood. Jesus said that the day of the Lord is coming like a kidnapper. Jesus said that the day of the Lord is coming like a thief. How shall we prepare our home and ourselves for one who comes to us like that? This morning, we are doing what the church has done for eighteen or nineteen centuries. We haven’t built an ark. We haven’t hired bodyguards to protect us from one who would snatch us away. We haven’t installed a security system to flood this room with the piercing noise of alarms. Like what the Church has done for centuries, we’ve unlocked and opened the doors. We’ve decorated the house by setting out an Advent wreath and changed the colors in the sanctuary. We’ve turned on the lights and put a pot of coffee on and set out the snacks. We’ve prepared God’s house for a homecoming. We’ve let go of our fears of the flood – so let the waters flow! We’ve overcome our fears of being kidnapped – so let the hidden one take us! We’ve discarded the insecurities of one who worries about the thief – so now he may come at any time! Advent is a time of anticipation and watchfulness. I assure you that the one who is coming won’t be like what we expect. When the day of the Lord comes, our world and everything familiar will be turned upside down. All that we thought we knew will be shattered by the cry of a little child in a manger. Watch and see. Let us pray: We do not know when you will come, O God, but we’ve heard the prophecy. We do know how you will come, so we’ve gotten the house ready to welcome the coming of your day. Bless us with watchfulness. Give us confidence. And may you find our hearts to be a place of welcome. We pray it in the name of your Son, Jesus. Amen. |