CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH

Rev. Fred Weimert November 30, 2008

"A Healthy Sense of Urgency"

One of the Adult Sunday School classes

has been looking at the gospels

especially as they relate to the early Church

and its history.

The author of the text book for that class

Dr. Paula Frederickson,

In speaking about Luke’s Gospel…

Spoke about how Luke and Matthew…

the gospels written after Mark…

maybe as late as 25 years after

the destruction of the temple

Luke and Matthew attempted to tone down

the apocalyptic expectation,

The end of time expectation,

first recorded in Mark’s gospel.

In order to help you see something of what Dr. Frederickson

was saying…

I have printed out for you today’s

rather apocalyptic reading

with Mark in the middle of the page,

and Matthew and Luke on the sides.

You might notice Luke toning down Mark’s expectation

right in that first paragraph…

where Luke talks about the signs in the heavens,

and the cloud riding Son of Man,

but then says…

Now, when these things begin to take place,

stand up and raise your heads,

because your redemption is drawing near."

For Luke,

even when the signs appear to be obvious…

it only means the time is near

but not necessarily here.

Then if you will note the break in the middle of the Mark text…

You can see that Matthew has added a story here

about those last days being “Like the days of Noah.”

which were rather normal days…

people were eating and drinking…

even going to weddings.

The floods in Noah’s day

weren’t preceded by earth shattering signs…

Noah had been warned by God

and then the rains just came.

Luke had used that same Noah’s days comparison

but he used it earlier in his gospel.

He used the story of Noah and in doing so

he compares the first coming of “the Son of Man”

with the second coming of the “Son of Man.”

Jesus here is reminding people

to remember what it was like when he first came…

and people were saying that

John the Baptist was the Messiah…

or Judas the Galilean…

or Theudas…

those were messianic characters.

Then he reminded his readers

what the crowds were saying:

“They will say to you,

'Look there!'

or 'Look here!'

He closed the statement with a warning:

Do not go, do not set off in pursuit.”

The later gospel writers

may well have tried to tone down

the early first century apocalyptic fervor…

especially when Jesus didn’t return

right after the Roman’s had destroyed the temple…

But for me the operative lesson

when one reads apocalyptic thoughts…

are found even in Mark

in the words I underlined in the text…

“About that day or hour no one knows…

for you do not know…

for you do not know…”

Anytime there are difficult days,

and people suffer…

you will hear people talking about the end of time.

And you will hear those things now,

during these uncertain economic times.

Just remember that you do not know the time…

and neither do they.

With that in mind hear this Advent reading:

Mark 13: 24-36

"But in those days, after that suffering,

the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light,

and the stars will be falling from heaven,

and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds'

with great power and glory.

Then he will send out the angels,

and gather his elect from the four winds,

from the ends of the earth

to the ends of heaven.

"From the fig tree learn its lesson:

as soon as its branch becomes tender

and puts forth its leaves,

you know that summer is near.

So also,

when you see these things taking place,

you know that he is near,

at the very gates.

Truly I tell you,

this generation will not pass away

until all these things have taken place.

Heaven and earth will pass away,

but my words will not pass away.

"But about that day or hour no one knows,

neither the angels in heaven,

nor the Son,

but only the Father.

Beware, keep alert;

for you do not know when the time will come.

It is like a man going on a journey,

when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge,

each with his work,

and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch.

Therefore, keep awake—

for you do not know when the master of the house

will come,

in the evening,

or at midnight,

or at cockcrow,

or at dawn,

or else he may find you asleep

when he comes suddenly.

And what I say to you I say to all:

Keep awake."

Here ends the reading.

We have in this congregation

a woman

who for years in calling the church office…

would ask for the pastor,

and the secretary would call down the hall

for me to pick up the phone…

And I would pick up the phone…

and I would hear a voice talking

as if they were talking to someone else…

and I would check the lights on the phone

to see if maybe I had picked up the wrong line…

but the other light wouldn’t be lit…

and I would know it was Clara.

And I would put the phone to my ear

and say “Hello Clara, this is Fred,”

and she would reply…

“Well of course it is.”

And she would pick up her conversation

which she had been carrying on

before she or I

had ever exchanged greetings.

Sometimes, I have to confess, those calls use to bother me…

because I would feel almost steam rollered

by this woman’s very driven style of speaking.

and many times when she was in person…

and not on the phone…

She would be every bit as directive in speech.

and others as well as I,

could be put off by her driving manner…

But now that her memory is fading,

and she no longer has access to a telephone…

I have to confess I miss the urgent calls…

Maybe it was because Clara raised 4 boys

one of them my age.

Maybe she just knew that if you didn’t tell boys

what they should be doing…

they might just do nothing…

or do the wrong thing…

Or Maybe it was because Clara

had attended

the Baptist Missionary Training School,

And she was on mission,

for God, always.

Maybe she knew that the time we have to accomplish

the will of God in this world is short…

and unless we do it…

it may not get done

At least not as well

by someone else.

Years ago Cat Stevens, now Yusuf Islam

wrote a song which began…

“Oh very young

what will you leave us this time

You’re only dancing on this earth for a short while.”

Maybe that song Cat Stevens sang to us 40 years ago…

when we were very young…

is still being sung to us,

because in relationship to this earth and God…

and the dance of life…

we are still very young…

even when we believe ourselves to be old,

and, maybe, we still need to think about

what we are going to leave

in this time…

for our time…

and future time.

Maybe I need to live with a greater sense of urgency…

like Clara has…

Because “about that day or hour no one knows.”

Maybe my time is short…

or maybe my contribution is important…

more important than I am acting.

Advent is a time of preparation…

a time to think

not so much about what we are going to

give others for Christmas.

No our thoughts are to be about

what we are going to give others

because Christ was sent…

into this world

into our hearts…

As a calling for us to follow

commandments to love…

As a challenge to us to become

salt and light for the world.

May Christ be found in us

and through us…

Emmanuel…

God with us. Amen.