One of my favorite cartoons depicts two little creatures watching the ark pull away from the shore. One remarks to the other, “Oh, shoot. Was that today?” Apparently they are the only ones who miss the departure.
The Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Advent tells a similar tale:
For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away … (Matthew 24:38-39).
Jesus offers a warning about ignoring the working of God in his time, and the text surely pertains to our own time, as well.
Matthew’s purpose is not to calculate the calendar for the return of “The Human One”; rather, it is to urge people to be attentive to the work of the Reign of God while there is time. The Reign of God will come in its fullness, and the faithful work of the present participates in that realization.
We sift the news and try to remain engaged for the common good, while the world seems more turbulent than ever. Our nation is deeply divided, and our friends and enemies around the world are wary. The United States has sent many conflicting signals, and no one is quite sure what to expect.
More than ever, the church has clear mission. It is to be the presence of Christ, through the power of the Spirit, to the glory of God. We might describe it as a new apostolic movement, for we cannot expect persons to flock to us. Compounding the cultural marginalization of the church is the frustration with even identifying the true church.
As ancient as Augustine of Hippo, the quest for the visible expression of God’s redemptive mission in the world is ongoing. In the recent election the word “evangelical” has been virtually dismantled as persons sought to parse their political proclivities in pseudo-messianic language. Deemed by some as Cyrus of Persia, God’s appointed deliverer, the president-elect is a Rorschach for either nationalistic ambitions or global engagement. Persons tend to project their own fondest aspirations or worst fears on this one figure.
It is not time to hunker down with insular piety, but to express our faith by actions of solidarity with those who have been demeaned in this election process — and well before, as many claim. It is time to awaken to the power of kindness, civility and nonviolent protest.
Baptists historically have been known for our dissent, and the political landscape beckons vigorous prophetic speech and action. With clear-eyed vigilance, we must be attentive to the implications of new appointees and policies and offer words of warning, even if from an exilic position. As a wise observer puts it: “Things are not getting worse. Things are getting unveiled.”
As the Christian year begins again, we are summoned to frame our lives according to the redemptive trajectory God marks out in our world. The coming of Christ in human flesh unveils God’s trinitarian history with humanity. The Triune God draws humanity into the divine life, which is surely the story of Jesus. It is our story, too, as the Spirit invites us to find our true home in God.
The Gospel urges us to “keep awake” for we do not know when the consummation of the age will be. Rather than spending time trying to decode the apocalyptic texts of Scripture — even Jesus pleads ignorance — we are to give ourselves to what can be done now to ease suffering, enact forgiveness, and testify to inclusive grace.
Too many of us are slumbering through the time we have been given. We always think we have more time, but life teaches otherwise. We have today, hopefully.
My great-grandfather, W. S. Wiley, was a pioneering Baptist preacher in Indian Territory. Traveling by horseback on his faithful friend, Morgan, he helped plant churches over what is now northeastern Oklahoma. I recently found one of his prayers, and it speaks to keeping awake in the present. In prayer for early morning he writes:
Relying upon Divine help, I hereby promise and affirm, that I will be kind to everyone, considerate of the feelings and rights of others, will think pure thoughts, be honest and truthful in everything, and seek to live this day in keeping with God’s will. To do this, I invoke of blessings of God upon myself.
My own prayer for this Advent season is a renewed sense of where God is urging the people of God to join in the holy work of salvation, which requires justice and mercy. It could not be more urgent that we bear witness to God’s movement in our world in a time when despair threatens to eclipse hope for many.