First Sunday in Advent ~ November 27, 2005

We begin again another Advent season and prepare for Christmas. Advent is a season of joyful anticipation not only of the celebration of Christmas, Christ coming as a babe in Bethlehem, but it is also the expectation of Christ coming again on the Last Day, a second Advent, to take us home to be with Him. Our text today from Mark chapter 13 begins us on this Advent journey as Jesus calls His disciples and us to “stay awake.”

Stay Awake

When I think of staying awake I think of two things. The first was when I was a child. Whenever something exciting was going to happen I would usually be awake the night before. Christmas would be a great example of that. As the day got closer I would spend night awake in anticipation of what Christmas would bring. Would I get what I put on my list? Would there be something new and exciting under the tree? In anticipation I would have a sleepless night on Christmas Eve. The same was true before a vacation. I would have a sleepless night in excitement for the new adventure. This staying awake was due to joyful anticipation.

The other thing I think about as staying awake is as a parent. I have spent many sleepless nights, as most parents do, with a newborn child who decides that 1 am is a good time to be awake. Or also as a parent, just when you think you can have a full nights sleep, a child gets sick. Why is it that at night is the time a child gets sick and needs your attention? Staying awake in these situations is not usually a joyful anticipation but an obligation to one who you love dearly.

In our text today Jesus calls us to stay awake as we anticipate His return. Too often we see this as an obligation rather than a joyful anticipation. We wait reluctantly for our God to come and wonder why He hasn’t come sooner. We wait in the darkness of night.

Night is filled with scary things. We live in the darkness of night before Christ will come again and there will be no more night. And while in that darkness we wait.

Jesus dispels the fears we have at night in the rest of this chapter as He prepares His disciples and you and me for what to do in the night. First we are not to be afraid of the darkness and know that it will come to an end. Night always gives way to morning. Second we are to comfort others, and ourselves, that in Jesus we can be safe. At night we are fearful of bad things happening. A child is afraid of the night but a parent comes and gives comfort. We too can provide comfort to others when we share the Gospel message. Jesus is the light that no darkness can overcome. In the night of this world, this sinful world, dark things will happen. But we can take comfort in knowing that we have a God who will shine light into our darkness. He calls us to stay awake and be prepared for the morning, for when Christ will come again. But how can we do this ourselves? We know we grow weary and fall asleep. We are not strong enough to stay awake. Our sin gets in the way. How can we stay awake?

Watch Together

In our text for today Jesus uses the example of a doorkeeper commanded to stay awake. He even uses the four watches of the night as observed by the Romans (evening, midnight, cock crows and morning). Using this example is good for us today as we think about staying awake during the night before Christ comes again. Doorkeepers and guards of a city had an important duty to keep a house or city safe at night. But it wasn’t a job done by only one person. In fact the four watches of the night were designed as times to change guards. One person couldn’t carry the task of watching all night, but many could.

We need not watch for Jesus return or stay awake on our own. It takes the whole church. On our own we cannot stay awake the whole time. When we have had a sleepless night we often are not at our best the next day. We know that sleep is important. So how can we stay awake or alert? By taking turns. We as the Body of Christ take turns staying wake. We man our posts at the times assigned for us. We sleep when others are watching for us. We work together as the Body of Christ, watching and praying for Christ’s return. To be alert and ready for Christ’s return means we need to work as a team and watch out for each other. As a team we can stay awake and not be caught off guard when Christ comes again.

God Never Sleeps

We have another force that will help us stay awake – God Himself. That is the Gospel message – God never slumbers or sleeps. In the Law we see that we are called to live a perfect life but we know that we can’t. We are called by Christ to stay awake in our text today and if we weren’t sinful we could do that. But we know we can’t. But God can! God stays awake for us and in His mercy He is the One who is alert and ready for us. His Holy Spirit enters into our lives and calls us to attention, prepares us for Christ’s return, and stays awake for us. That is the Gospel – Our God is there for us when we need Him the most.

In the darkness of night, when we are afraid and lost, our God comes to us. As Psalm 121 says, our God never slumbers or sleeps but is there to be our guide and protection. When we are afraid we can turn to God. When we are lost He will lead us home. When we are not alert and prepared He enlightens our hearts and minds. We have a God who is awake for us and with us in this night.

Stay Awake – by God’s grace and trough His people we live in joy expectation of Christ’s return to take us home. We wait for the morning when all darkness will be dispelled and we will be with out Lord and Savior face to face. Stay Awake! Amen