[Jesus said]: “Keep alert, for you do now know when the time will come.”

Mark 13:33

“Keep alert,” Jesus tells us, in today’s gospel reading (Mark 13:24-37). “For you do not know when the time will come.” The time when the Son of Man will be seen coming in clouds with great power and glory. And this simple message sums up this Season of Advent. It is a season when we are reminded, in many and various ways, to keep awake, spiritually speaking, for the day is coming when Jesus will return to us; and we do not know when that day will be.

We know when Christmas will come, of course. But we don’t know when Christ will come again. So we must keep alert and stay awake. We must prepare ourselves. We must be ready.

One More Thing?

But I have to admit to you that whenever I preach about this theme in the Advent Season, I feel a little bad about it. It feels like I am up here trying to add one more item to your already full to-do lists for Christmas. We are all so busy these days. In every season. But in this season, we are even busier than usual. 

And here we, getting away from all that hustle and bustle, to take time out of our busy lives to come to church (or to read this sermon), where we hear that on top of everything else, we are supposed to get ready for Jesus’ return. Don’t we already have enough to do this time of year just getting ready to celebrate Jesus’ birth? Do we really have to think about getting ready for Jesus’ second coming, too? Maybe it would be better to wait until after the holidays to think about all that.

But here we are. The first Sunday in Advent. When we are being reminded not to get ready simply for Christmas; but to get ready for Christ.

Rearranging Priorities

But, with that said, I want to offer to you a way to think about this that has helped me, and perhaps it will help you, too. Because what I have discovered is that when I focus this season on getting ready for Christ, rather than getting ready for Christmas, I actually feel less stressed and less overwhelmed. 

Getting ready for Christ is not one more item on our to-do list. It is a way of rearranging the whole list. It is a way of helping us to remember that a lot of the items on our to-do lists really don’t really matter that much, in the end. What matters in the end is our relationship with God, and with one another. Loving God and loving our neighbor. That’s all that really matters, this season and every season. So today is really less about adding something to our to-do lists, and more about rearranging and prioritizing those lists. 

An Illustration from Wedding Planning

It reminds me a little bit of what I have often tried to do with couples getting ready to get married. As we all know, couples getting ready to get married have pretty long to-do lists. They are getting ready for a very big day – even bigger than Christmas day, most of the time. And when I get together with these couples, I am sure that they are wondering why they have to add meeting with me to their very full to-do lists. And that is why, when I first meet with them, I assure them that I am not trying to add another item to their to-do list. My focus, instead, is on rearranging the whole list. My focus is on making sure that their to-do list is prioritized correctly.

As I often point out to these couples, their wedding is one day; but their marriage is a lifetime. And so, part of my job is to make sure that they are not so focused on getting ready for their wedding, that they forget to get ready for their marriage. And when they are able to do this, to focus on their marriage, some of the stress surrounding the wedding day gets reduced. And it is because they now have their priorities arranged in a healthier way.

Christmas Is One Day, Our Life With Christ Is Forever

Well, I really believe that the same thing is at work today, as we begin the Season of Advent together. Advent’s real purpose is not to add one more item to our to-do list. It is to make sure that our to-do list is prioritized correctly. Christmas, after all, is one day. But our life with Christ lasts forever.

And so, Advent reminds us that the most important thing about this Season is not getting the perfect gift, or finding the perfect tree, or planning the perfect trip, or getting all our decorations up and our goodies made. It’s not about any of these things. In fact, the most important thing is not even Christmas. The most important thing is Christ, and our relationship with him.

Christmas, after all, is one day; but our relationship with Christ is forever. And when we focus on that, we actually have less stress this season, not more.

Soul Care 

But how, you might wonder, might we do this, specifically? To focus on our relationship with Christ this season? Well, there is a specific practice that I have personally found helpful in my spiritual life over the years. Today, of course, being the First Sunday of Advent, is also the first Sunday of our new church year. When we start a new calendar year, many people will make a New Year’s Resolution. And so, several years back, the thought came to me that I could make a spiritual resolution as a new church year begins.

So, as we begin a new church year together, I want to invite you to consider making a spiritual resolution, something that will deepen your relationship with God. What spiritual resolution could you make that would help you keep your priorities the way that you want them to be? And the way that you believe God wants them to be? What spiritual resolution could you make that would help you get ready for the return of the Son of Man? Spend a little time thinking about that, and everything else starts looking a lot less important.

For example, I was talking to someone not long ago who told me that they make sure to start every day with a Bible reading and devotion, before they look at the news or think about their day. That would be a good resolution. But it doesn’t have to be that. It doesn’t even have to include the Bible. But it’s not just self-care either. I think of it as soul-care. Something that helps you care for your soul, your relationship with God. 

Save your self-care resolutions for January 1st, in other words. On this first day of the church year, think about your soul, and think and pray about a spiritual resolution that you can make that will deepen your relationship with God in this year to come. The possibilities are endless, just as they are with self-care, because we are all unique. What would help you care for your soul right now? 

We Are the Clay

But before you decide to take your soul to the gym for a vigorous workout, or put your soul on a strict diet, let me offer one more reminder: We cannot care for our souls without help. We need a community like this one to help us care for our souls. And the Creator of this Community to help us care for souls. It is God, after all, who created our souls. It is God who makes our souls restless until they rest in God. And it is God alone who knows what our souls truly need. There is a beautiful image of all this in today’s first reading, Isaiah 64: “O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

Think of our souls in that way: The work of God’s hand, the clay in the master potter’s hands. We can make sure the clay is soft and easy to work with, and then we let the Potter do his work. Soul-care is really about making sure our souls are ready for the Potter. That’s all. Reading the Bible, spending time in prayer, going for a quiet walk, being here in worship, joining our Midweek Bible Study or a Sunday School class – these are all just ways to get the clay ready, and then to trust the Potter to do his work. 

“Come to me,” Jesus famously said, “learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” These are the words of a master potter, who is ready to make something beautiful with the clay we give him. Our souls are the clay, the work of God’s hands. And Jesus is our potter. 

Closing 

This Season of Advent is really all about coming to Jesus, our master potter, learning from him, being molded by him, and finding rest for our souls. After all, how can we stay awake and be alert without rest? Our bodies need rest, and if we ignore that need too long, they demand it. And so, too, with our souls. If we ignore our soul’s need for rest for too long, it will demand it. Or it will wither and die. What good is it if we gain the whole world but lose our soul? What good is it if we have the perfect Christmas, but lose focus on Christ? 

So let us begin this new church year together by returning to Jesus, in whatever way we feel led. Let us care for our souls by offering Jesus the clay and letting him be the potter. And then, with rested and healthy souls, let us get to work in doing all that Jesus asks: Sharing our faith, and caring for the poor, striving for justice, and bringing peace to this earth. 

And let us do all these things while keeping alert, ready for the return of the Son of Man. So that when he does return in glory, he finds us all ready. To the glory of God. Amen.