In Advent we as Christians are called to stand apart, to have a posture that's a little different, as we live in the faith of the coming light of Christ and the kingdom of God.
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No one wants to be “left behind.” And I don't mean in the sense of the second coming of Jesus. I just mean in the simplest, human sense – no one wants to be left behind. Like in the movie Home Alone or in Little Miss Sunshine when Olive gets left behind at a gas station, from childhood we have this nagging fear about being left behind, forgotten, or left out. As an adult there are fears that friends will leave you behind, or that coworkers will pass you with promotions, leaving you behind at a lower rung. So when we hear these verses about one is taken and one is left behind, especially given these fears and a fearful theology about rapture swirling in our culture, we get a little anxious.
The world seems dark around us. Here in Lancaster our safety can seem fragile, and sometimes we have dark days when we are reminded how hurtful people or sickness can be. In the world we see nations rising up against nation, with more nuclear armament, and see gloomy skies on the horizon.
What do the skies look like on your horizon? Anxious? It is easy to get swept up in the anxiety of this season. There are checklists, gifts to buy, deadlines to keep, activities to attend, cookies to watch in the oven, all to attend to. Advent, Christmas, and the New Year can have some really joyful moments. But when we're honest, the whole season can also be hard – it can create anxiety, with all of the things to do, or feeling like you never quite measure up, whether it be in who has the best Christmas lights or picture-perfect family. Getting swept up in the season, or in culture in general, can be tempting, irresistible, and all-consuming.
And so on this first Sunday of the Advent season, we always have readings that center around waiting, keeping awake, being alert . . . Sometimes it can feel like just another thing to add to our list, especially when we give in to the anxiety – we don't want to be left behind – in the rush for Christmas gifts, and especially we don't want to be left behind by our God when Christ comes again.
Jesus describes this time in our reading from Matthew. Jesus says, ”But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” All of time is in God's hands. This is a freeing statement. In Advent we are waiting, and each year we hear texts about waiting, keeping alert, being ready. Not a single one is about making sure all the tinsel gets on the tree or the Christmas cards are written. Thanks be to God, because I know Christmas will come before I check everything off my list. But Advent is about waiting for another time – about living in the mystery that Jesus will come again, to claim and redeem the world, and that all of time is in God's hands. I don't know and there isn't just one clear picture of what this will look like.
Jesus goes on, ”For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as 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, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
Wait a minute. Noah is left behind. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to be left behind, like Noah. It is often overlooked that Jesus uses Noah's story as an example first, where those swept away are those swept away in sin, too caught up in themselves to be captured by the Spirit of God.
In explaining Noah's story, Jesus reminds us that maybe being left behind, out of all the frenzy, wouldn't be such a bad thing. Noah was left behind by society and its sin, but God did not leave Noah behind. Jesus calls to you now today from the very old story of Noah, not to be swept up in sin but left behind, as Noah was, set apart. Despite Noah's sins and everything going on around him, God forgave Noah, and used him to work to make God's kingdom. In fact, that Greek word used here for leave behind, also means “forgive.” God forgives you, of all your sins, in the name of Jesus Christ – it was proclaimed to you at the beginning of our service.
So consider today that perhaps being left behind wouldn't be such a bad thing. As Christians, we are made to be left behind – not swept up in the frenzy of life around us or the way sin and sadness can weigh us down, but somehow different. In your baptism Jesus claimed you forever, and rooted your feet firmly in God to withstand the sweeping tides of all the anxiety around us.
The days might seem dark in the world, but in our baptism we are set apart, forgiven, and called to work in Christ's name. Because for us, the night is far gone, the day is near. Through the words of Paul, Jesus calls to us - “let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day.” Our faith matters because it is a living faith, a way of being, because God made you, Jesus saved you, and forgiven and freed, the Holy Spirit moves us to work.
This Sunday we light the first candle, the hope candle. Jesus calls us to live with eyes on the horizon. Light is a powerful symbol in this season. Those who have changed our world, inspired our faith, and moved mountains in our society do not live timidly and focus on the dark clouds above, but live as in the day, walking, marching, in the light of the Lord! This might mean taking a couple hours to serve someone else dinner at a community meal, to hold someone's hand when they are scared and show them hope on the horizon, or to just keeping walking. Hope is another word for faith, and our faith means that we believe just as surely that tomorrow will come, that God is in control. Checklists, extra tasks, obligations with family and friends, and unreachable goals of the perfect Christmas might sweep you away and threaten to overwhelm. But your feet are rooted firmly in Jesus. God will never leave you behind. Amen.
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