Sermon on Mark 13:24-37

Pastor Jennifer Garcia

The first Gospel reading in Advent is always tough. I want my stars to top Christmas trees, not fall from the heavens. I want twinkle lights in candy colors, not a sun and moon darkened with apocalyptic foreshadowing.

And still, the annual apocalyptic reading that kicks off Advent is a strangely good reminder that Advent isn’t just about wrapping all the gifts on our list and decking the halls. It isn’t even only about waiting for baby Jesus in the manger.

It’s also about preparing for Jesus’ second coming.

The word “apocalypse” means “revealing” or “unveiling.” This reading begins a season of watching for what God is revealing to us.

But that still doesn’t make our reading today entirely palatable. Jesus warns of some pretty terrible things.

This reading startsright in the middle of a long speech by Jesus. It’s after Palm Sunday, and Jesus and the authorities have been butting heads over several different controversial questions. The authorities are about to start plotting Jesus’ death.

Right before the beginning of Jesus’ speech, his disciples are marveling over the beauty of the Temple. And then, Jesus bursts their bubble by telling them it will be destroyed.

The disciples ask him how they’ll be able to tell that’s about to happen, and he starts warning them about all kinds of distressing signs and difficulties to come. He warns them about people who will claim to be the Messiah, about wars and disasters, and about persecutions of Jesus followers.

Just like Advent, when we remember Jesus’ first coming and await his second—operating in two times simultaneously—we can interpret that this passage is about multiple times.

Jesus talks about the destruction of the Temple. In the Gospel of John, the narrator, so to speak, interprets for us that Jesus was talking about the “Temple of his body” being raised three days after being destroyed.[1] Jesus was warning his disciples about what was coming in the next few days.

The actual Temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed in 70 CE—it was an absolutely devastatingevent akin to 9/11 for us. There were certainly wars and persecutions during that time in the Roman Empire. Jesus was warning his disciples about what was coming in the next few decades.

And still, we await Jesus’ return at the end of time. Jesus was encouraging his disciples that he would come for them—and for us.

Jesus promises to come and collect his people, who have experienced all kinds of disasters and horrors.Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat, but at the end of it, he reminds us that God is more powerful than any human or natural forces.

The point of apocalyptic literature is not to threaten people into submissionor to give us nightmares. The point is for us to remember that no matter what terrible things we experience, God, who loves us, wins in the end. God will not abandon us, no matter how bad things seem.

And Jesus’ command to “keep awake”?It’s not so that we can crack the Bible like a code and find out secret timelines for the end of the world—after all, Jesus himself says “about that day or hour no one knows.” It’s also not so he can look disappointedly at us when we miss something.

It’s so that we don’t get complacent and forget what Jesus is about.

What is Jesus about?

Loving your neighbor, feeding hungry people, seeking justice, working for peace, declaring the worth of every person because they are made in the image of God, sharing God’s love with everyone around you.

That list sounds good, but honestly, it can sound a bit overwhelming, especially during the busiest season of the year.

Yes, there are extra opportunities for sharing with our neighbors by bringing in fuzzy socks, donating a toy, or participating in Giving Tuesday. Those are good, important, and lovely things.

But even those things can feel like an extra item on a mile-long to-do list.

What does it mean to “keep awake” when we’re already run off our feet catching up on end of the year work, doing all the things to make Christmas magical for our kids or grandkids, and struggling to pick out the perfect gift for that one relative who’s, well, particular.

What does it mean to “keep awake" when we’re inundated with stress, debt, alcohol, rich foods, advertisements, and expectations?

What does it mean to “keep awake” when we’re hardly sleeping anyway?

What if the hum of busyness in our lives this time of year is actually what’s lulling us to sleep?

What if we’re so busy rushing from one store to another to a party to another errand that we don’t have time to catch our breath and reflect on what God is actually calling us to?

What if sacrificing our wellbeing on the altar of society’s expectations is not what God wants for us?

How would we live differently if we believed that “keeping awake” meant saying “no” to things that are keeping us busy but unfulfilled?

I’d like to introduce a theme for 2024. Let’s make 2024 the year of Sabbath.

Sabbath, rest, and reflection are not things the dominant western culture appreciates or even necessarily approves of. We’re told to hustle and grind. If rest is tolerated, it is only so that we can be more productive when we return to work, which is of course as soon as possible.

It’s not just in the workplace either. We’re told to turn our hobbies into side hustles, monetize anything we create, and become more and more efficient at whatever we do.

Rest, we are told, is lazy.Rest is for losers.

And yet, in the very first story in the Bible, God rested.

“On the sixth day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.”[2]

Surely, God doesn’t need to rest. God doesn’t need to rest to be more productive. And yet, God rested anyway and instructed us to do the same.

Maybe being more productive isn’t the point. Maybe God rested and calls us to rest simply because it’s enjoyable.

Let’s spend 2024 exploring that idea and learning what rest looks like as a community dedicated to God.

And let’s dedicate this Advent, this season of waiting and preparation, to preparing to rest. Have you ever noticed that it can take a few days to really relax while on vacation? Or unwind after a big project or event is over? When we’re spending all our energy moving forward, it can take our bodies a while to catch up with us.

So let this Advent be a time of preparation for the rest that’s coming in 2024.

Let’s hear Jesus’ command to “keep awake” not as a call to work harder or faster but instead to pause, reflect, listen to the Holy Spirit’s direction.

That’s how we cut through the white noise of the busyness of the season that’s lulling us to sleep instead of paying attention to what Jesus is about. It’s hard to love our neighbors when we’re barely functioning ourselves.

So, pause. Breathe. Let go of what’s not making you shine with the love of God this season.

We’re about to sing “Wake, Awake for Night is Flying.” Instead of hearing it as a call to sleep less and worry more, let it be a cry of joy that we get to rest in the arms of our loving savior, who’s on his way. It’s an invitation to a banquet of joy that will never end.

When Jesus returns, no matter what terrible things have happened along the way, that is what he promises us: that eternal banquet where we sing of God’s grace and love. Let us sing with joy.

[1] John 2:21

[2] Genesis 2:2-3