Isa 2:1-5 Ps 122 Rom 13:11-14 Mt 24:36-44
Wake up!
pastor, bishop emerita Jāna Jēruma-Grīnberga
Jesus said: “But about that day or hour no one knows – neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man; for, as in those days before the flood – they were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away – so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field – one will be taken, the other left; two will be grinding at the mill – one will be taken, the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Matthew 24:36-44)
Here in Latvia, winter has suddenly arrived. The first snows cover the ground; cold days and even colder nights drive us to reach for warm scarves, hats, and mittens, and perhaps a hot soup or warm blackcurrant juice. Darkness slowly envelops us; we wake while it is still night and come home from work in the dark as well. It is so tempting to be like the hedgehog, to burrow under the leaves and go into winter’s slumber – to wait out this cold, dark time dozing and waiting for the sun and gentler winds to return.
Strangely – it is precisely at this time, when in the northern hemisphere we slowly sink ever deeper into winter, that something seemingly incongruous begins: the new Church year begins with the season of Advent and with this cry from Christ: keep watch! For those who live in the other half of the globe, this symbolism sounds quite different; but I am writing while sitting by the window, where it is already dark in the afternoon, where I watch the birds searching for food in our snow-covered garden, and it is from this vantage point that these reflections take shape. There is no time to doze, no time to wrap up in blankets and wait for better days – this is the day the Lord has given us, and in it too we must keep watch, must be ready.
But ready for what, exactly? In this biblical text, Jesus answers the disciples’ question: “Tell us, when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the fulfillment of the age?” The disciples are trying to learn what people had already tried countless times before to predict – when will Jesus return? When will be the fulfillment of all things, the end of the world, marked by Jesus’ return in glory and the last judgment – what theologians tend to call the eschaton? Jesus’ answer – “about that day or hour no one knows,” and do not you try to divine it either, because it is pointless. The main thing is that the state of your souls be such that you are ready – no matter whether the eschaton happens today at half past four, next year, or after many more millennia. Keep watch, rather than being spiritually asleep. Be ready to receive Christ! Be ready also to receive Christ into your hearts, for he comes to us not in some unknowable future, but every day.
Wake up! Look around and see the signs of Christ’s presence in the love people show one another, in the innocent chatter of children, and in the unexpected and undeserved grace that each of us experiences in our lifetime. Saint Benedict said to the monks of his order in the Rule: “Let every guest who comes be received as if he were Christ”; and every time we ourselves enjoy such hospitality (the love of guests!), even undeserved, or offer it to another child of God, Christ is present with us, invisible to the eye, as we sing in the old Christmas hymn.
Wake up! Look upon the beauty of the world and see there the generosity and creative wonder of God the Creator. Every sunset at this time of year is like the most beautiful painting, to be enjoyed for one evening only. Every snowflake flawlessly formed, every snow-covered forest an unrepeatable landscape – everything bears witness that God’s process of creation is not merely something functional, but purposeful: let us also create beauty and joy for God’s child, which most directly testifies to the Creator’s existence and presence.
Wake up! Listen to the music that sounds at this time – perhaps not exactly “Jingle Bells,” but the beautiful Advent hymns, the grand sound of the organ, the ringing of church bells, the little songs sung at children’s Christmas-tree gatherings, and the singing of great choirs. Go to an art exhibition or a museum: everywhere you will sense inspiration whose source is the Spirit of God, flowing through people, through those whom God has wondrously created. If it is harder to leave home, pick up a beloved book to remind yourself that there is power and inspiration in the written word too. Listen to a beautiful sermon in which a pastor, inspired by the Spirit of God, proclaims this most beautiful message: Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem as a human among humans; Jesus Christ is present with us today as well, invisible to the eye but leading us by the hand; Jesus Christ will return at the end of time. God was with us when we were born, and God will await us when our seeker’s path here on earth comes to an end.
Let us listen to the words of the book of Isaiah, with which the Old Testament reading of the first Sunday of Advent concludes: “Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!” (Isa. 2:5b). Let us not give in to the allure of darkness and to fear, let us not fall into slumber, but let us keep watch, let us be ready. Let us walk boldly in the light of the Lord!
Outside, the evening, the winter field
shines forth, wondrously fair, with stars,
the heart knows them shining
for Him, the little Coming One.
Bells in the towers rejoice,
joy flows into the sorrowing soul.
We know the bells ring out
for Him, the little Coming One.
What will the earth give You, little child?
What will the holy one inherit here?
We raise trees for a cross,
we weave thorns for a crown.
You know, You see it all,
Gethsemane, Golgotha.
Yet You come to save and redeem,
praised be Your will and the Father’s!
Alberts Vītols (Hymnal no. 6)
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Illustration: Arta Skuja