December 2 by Jamie Hoener

Mark 13: 33-37
Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.

This passage comes to us in the context of Jesus’ prophecy to his disciples (as detailed earlier in Chapter 13) of the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem – an eventuality that was inconceivable to the disciples at the time (“Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!”), but of course came to pass with the Romans’ destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. Jesus exhorts his disciples to not be distracted from their calling by these distressing events to come, and repeatedly urges them to “keep awake.” We hear these words again at the beginning of this Advent season as we seek to recollect the hope brought by the coming of the Christ child, and as we look forward to the promise of God’s ultimate restoration and renewal of all of creation. In recent years, as the deadlines and commitments of modern life have at times overwhelmed me, and I have relied primarily on Starbucks in order to “keep awake,” I have found myself eagerly anticipating the Advent season. As winter approaches and the days become shorter, I long to join in the natural rhythm of God’s creation – to slow down, to rest and to reflect. At first blush, my natural inclination to slow down would seem to conflict with Jesus’ charge to “keep awake.” But perhaps, at this time, with global financial markets crumbling all around us in a way that was inconceivable to most of us before this year, with the resulting anxiety and needs within us and our community, in the midst of wars and rumors of wars, and with conflict tearing at the fabric of our society, our denomination, and even our own congregation at times, in this moment, we are called to truly awaken to what is going on inside of us and all around us. Perhaps, we are called during this season of preparation to take time each day (if only for a few moments) to be still, to breathe in and breathe out, and to wake up to our deepest capacity for love, compassion and understanding. In so doing, I pray that during this Advent season we may not only anticipate the celebration of the God who was first, or look forward to the fulfillment of the God who is last, but that we may also awaken to the living one who is our source of love, healing and reconciliation, and that we may, in our response, manifest the compassionate presence of God in this broken and anxious world. Maranatha (“Come, Lord Jesus”)!
Jamie Hoener
Jamie Hoener is an Elder at Riverside. His wife, Sonya, has enjoyed cracking jokes about the irony of the "king of naps" being asked to reflect on the meaning of "keep awake". Their Calico cat, Bunny, is not amused