Jeremiah 33:14-16, 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, Luke 21:25-36
Will we know when the end is near? “Jesus said, ‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken’” (Luke 21:25-26). Will we know when the end is near? Will we know when this really is it? Apparently, we have not been very good predictors in the past. With the recent release of the film 2012, based loosely on the notion that cataclysmic events will occur with the end-date of the Mayan Calendar, Benjamin Radford from LiveScience.com published a report reviewing ten doomsday scenarios which never came to pass (Benjamin Radford, “10 Failed Doomsday Predictions,” LiveScience.com, November 4, 2009). One example is the Millerites, followers of prognosticator William Miller. Radford explains: “A New England farmer named William Miller, after several years of very careful study of his Bible, concluded that God’s chosen time to destroy the world could be divined from a strict literal interpretation of scripture. As he explained to anyone who would listen, the world would end some time between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844. He preached and published enough to eventually lead thousands of followers (known as Millerites) who decided that the actual date was April 23, 1843. Many sold or gave away their possessions, assuming they would not be needed; though when April 23 arrived (and Jesus didn’t) the group eventually disbanded.” More recently, scientist Richard Noone predicted doomsday in his 1997 book 5/5/2000 Ice: The Ultimate Disaster. “According to Noone, the Antarctic ice mass would be three miles thick by May 5, 2000 – a date in which the planets would be aligned in the heavens, somehow resulting in a global icy death.” And, in 2006, minister Ronald Weinland in his book 2008: God’s Final Witness predicted massive death and destruction by the end of 2008. Radford notes, “Ronald Weinland places his reputation on the line as the end-time prophet of God.”
So, we have not been very effective at predicting the end. But, why should we be? Why does Jesus warn us: “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap….Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34-36)? Why does Jesus warn us? So we’re not afraid, so we’re prepared to stand boldly before our Creator? Perhaps. But, perhaps the focus is not on predicting the end. Rather, the focus is on how we live our life now. Perhaps, we are called to be alert, we are called to live our life in relationship with God, so that we are living life to the fullest. Then, the end is not loss and ruin, but culmination.
So, here we are…the first Sunday in Advent…a season of preparation, a season of waiting for the birth of our Savior, and for the coming again of our Savior. I love the season of Advent, and I do believe you can immerse yourself in the season of Advent at the same time as enjoying all the festivity of our secular holiday season. The season of Advent is all about taking some time out of our busy lives to be thankful for the magnificent gift of our Savior, and to reflect on what that gift means for our lives. I love the season of Advent because I love the peace that comes in contemplation, because I love the joy of being alert to the presence of God in our lives, because I love the wonder of sitting quietly and simply being present to God. Thomas Merton, Trappist monk and prolific writer on topics of spirituality and prayer, describes the practice of contemplation. He writes, “Contemplation is the highest expression of man’s intellectual and spiritual life. It is that life itself, fully awake, fully active, fully aware that it is alive. It is spiritual wonder. It is spontaneous awe at the sacredness of life, of being. It is gratitude for life, for awareness and for being. It is a vivid realization of the fact that life and being in us proceed from an invisible, transcendent and infinitely abundant source. Contemplation is, above all, awareness of the reality of that source. It knows the source, obscurely, inexplicably, but with a certitude that goes both beyond reason and beyond simple faith” (Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation, Burns and Oates, 1962, p. 1). Jesus calls us to be alert. Being alert in prayer, in quiet contemplation, heightens our awareness of our relationship with God.
So, are you wondering about prayer, about how to make it work? “Leo Tolstoy tells the story of three hermits who lived on an island. Their prayer of intimacy and love was simple like they were simple: ‘We are three; you are three; have mercy on us. Amen.’ Miracles sometimes happened when they prayed in this way. The bishop, however, hearing about the hermits, decided that they needed guidance in proper prayer, and so he went to their small island. After instructing the monks, the bishop set sail for the mainland, pleased to have enlightened the souls of such simple men. Suddenly, off the stern of the ship he saw a huge ball of light skimming across the ocean. It got closer and closer until he could see that it was the three hermits running on top of the water. Once on board the ship they said to the bishop, ‘We are sorry, but we have forgotten some of your teaching. Would you please instruct us again?’ The bishop shook his head and replied meekly, ‘Forget everything I have taught you and continue to pray in your old way’” (Richard J. Foster, Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992, p. 80).
There is no right or wrong way to pray. However, many books on the topic of prayer are available and there is something to learn from these books – for example, the many different methods and styles of prayer. Prayer can be giving thanks, or asking for forgiveness, or offering our needs or the needs of others. Prayer can happen while we are kneeling or sitting or standing. Prayer can happen in a quiet place with time set aside, or prayer can happen in a moment amid the busyness of our day. What is the common thread, perhaps what is most important, is simply the desire to be in relationship with God. Truly, this is the essence of contemplative prayer: the desire to know and love and be with God. In this season of Advent, take the time to sit quietly and desire God. Be alert in the quiet, and you’ll find peace in the awareness of God’s presence. And, when you find that peace, treasure it – it will then find you in the busy moments of your day. An advent is the coming or arrival of something important. Desiring God – we have the opportunity to make this our Advent. Amen.
