Christ Episcopal Church
December 7, 2014
2 Advent B
When our son Slocomb was a little boy and we lived in Lexington, Kentucky, he and I spent many afternoons at the airport watching the planes take off and land. Slocomb was fascinated by this activity, and I was fascinated and delighted by his ability to sit still and focus on the sky. We were not sitting in the car in the parking lot watching the planes. We walked right inside the airport, down the hallway and to the gate at the end of the building where we could see pretty much any aircraft coming in and stay as long as we liked. Those were the good old days, before airport security became a new industry and we learned to wear slip on shoes to the airport, to put our liquids in 3 oz bottles, our belts, shoes, and jewelry in the plastic bin, and walk through the body scanner. From our playful measures at Christ Church to provide security through the ministry of Sheriff Woody to trying to get through security at the airport before the plane departs, our lives seem to focus more and more on security measures to keep ourselves and our homes safe from all who would harm us.
So, I am troubled by the image of the day of the Lord, or Jesus, coming as a thief. And our reading from 2 Peter this morning is not the first time we have heard scripture tell us to prepare for Jesus the way we would prepare for a thief. Today we hear "but the day of the Lord will come like a thief." Back in November, we heard the apostle Paul say in 1Thessalonians "For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." In Matthew's gospel, Jesus says "But know this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into." And in the book of Revelation, Jesus says "Look, I come like a thief!" We try to keep thieves out of our homes and our lives. In Advent, we are supposed to watch for Jesus, to prepare for Jesus, to welcome him, not keep him out. So why all the language about thieves?
Whether in the first century or the 21st century, the best way to protect from thieves is to be ready. Whether with alarm systems, a guard dog, or by staying awake, if we are prepared, then we are less likely to have our homes broken into. We put a lot of thought into how to keep our homes secure. We go to a good bit of trouble and expense to protect our property and ourselves. I wonder if what scripture calls us to is to be as intentional and intense about preparing for Jesus as we are about our physical security. Jesus is not a thief, and I am not sure Jesus actually comes without warning. But in order to recognize the signs, Scripture calls us to be prepared.
If alarm systems, locks, guard doges, and staying awake 24/7 are not the way to prepare for Jesus, then what is the way to prepare? John the Baptist came to prepare the people for the Messiah, and so he went into the wilderness where he dined on locusts and wild honey and proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. With his odd behavior, John did two things. First, he worked to prepare people by calling them to let go of all the things they trusted for false security. Secondly, he told them to watch for Jesus. "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals." Let go of false security, repent and turn from false gods, and you will be able to see the one who brings true security, says John.
We can trust John the Baptist for two reasons. First, his message is consistent with the message of the prophets. In Isaiah, we hear God promise someone who will prepare the way of the Lord and make straight a highway in the desert for God. John comes in fulfillment of God's promise to send someone to prepare the way. Secondly, the God of which Isaiah and John speak is the God who will feed his flocks like a shepherd, who will gather the lambs in his arms, who will carry them in his bosom and gently lead the mother sheep. This is a God we can trust, who sent a messenger to prepare the people, so that they would recognize Jesus. This is not a God trying to trick people by sending a thief in the night. This is a God who wants us to be prepared and ready.
In the book of Revelation, Jesus says "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you and you with me." Jesus does not say "Behold, I crawl in through an unsecured ground floor window in the middle of the night." Jesus calls us to prepare for his coming by being able to recognize him, to open the door so Jesus can come in and eat with us. Jesus calls us to prepare to let him in with all the intensity we would prepare to keep a thief out. We prepare by recognizing those places where we think we gain false security so that we recognize real security. We prepare so intentionally that the table is set and ready when Jesus knocks on the door, even though we do not know when to expect him. And, rather than see everyone as a potential thief, we practice seeing something of Jesus in everyone who comes to the door. Then, when the Christ Child comes or the Risen Christ returns, we will be ready to invite him to come inside and dine with us.
Amen.
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