304 S. Elam Ave.
Greensboro, NC

Phone: 336.272.2196
Fax: 336.275.7800

© 2007 First Moravian Church
Greensboro, NC

Webmaster

December 3, 2006: First Sunday of Advent

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
"Keep on Keepin' On"

Doris lived down the street from us in Charlotte . Like many of our neighbors she was up in years—chronologically advantaged Doris would quip. She and her husband Paul built their brick two story home right after World War II, before Ted and I were even born, and parented three children there. Now their children lived distances too far to drive, so Doris immersed herself in volunteering at her Episcopal church and the soup kitchen they ran. She was famous for the Brunswick Stew she made for the third Wednesday lunch meal at the soup kitchen. In many ways Doris was the epitome of my mother's ideal of a true southern lady. Always immaculately dressed in simple, but elegantly tasteful skirts or dresses, nary a silver hair out of place. Doris had a sparkle in her eye, a generous smile, a real people person, gracious to every one. Once she learned I was going to Divinity school and wanted to be a pastor, Doris totally surprised me one afternoon by confiding she believed we were living in The End Times. She pressed a worn copy of “The Late Great Planet Earth” in my hands and whispered, his timing is a little off, but, honey, we are in the end times. You must preach that so folks can be ready!

So it's impossible for me not to think about Doris' advice when reading today's scripture texts for this first Sunday in Advent pointing to Christ's return—not as we anticipate on Christmas day as a newborn infant, but rather as Jesus tells us in today's gospel, the Son of Man's coming on a cloud with power and great glory. Bringing justice at long last. There will be signs Jesus goes on to tells us, signs in the sun, the moon, the stars and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.

Just this week, I read an account of the hurricane that hit New England in 1635 not longafter the Puritans arrived. Wind, rain and storm surges unlike anything back in Merry Old England. The beginning of the end? A lunar ellipse following a few days later just confirmed what all those Pilgrim suspected—the end of the world had begun.

Or if we'd lived in Lisbon Portugal in 1755. A major earthquake shook the city, starting several fires. People ran to the coast to escape the fires, only to be washed out to sea by the giant tsunami wave triggered by the earthquake. A third of the city perished in less than an hour. The beginning of the end? If I'd been left behind (no pun intended) after these catastrophic events totally turning my world upside down, the beginning of the end of the world is the only plausible explanation at the time.

Jesus goes on to explain in today's gospel reading that “truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place.” So many of the very first Christians, including the apostle Paul and members of the church in Thessalonica believed, like my neighbor Doris, that Jesus' return to earth would happen any day. For the Thessalonians, Christ's imminent return in power and glory was a source of comfort and assuredness amid the persecution and hardship caused by their faith in the One True God. Because for them to hold fast to their beliefs and not worship Roman gods and goddesses, or the Emperor himself, was to be at considerable economic and physical risk. We know from other parts of Paul's letter that some of the Thessalonians were feeling discouraged—was what they were giving up worth it? Would Jesus really return with all the saints and execute justice and righteousness in the land? Perhaps you have felt this same sense of doubt and skepticism. After all, 2000 years is a long time to wait.

Ironically when Paul writes this letter to the Thessalonians, he too is waiting—waiting for God to make a way out of no way for him to return to and encourage these new Christians in their faith. While Paul confesses he wants to see his fellow Christians face to face and restore whatever is lacking in their faith, he realizes his return isn't really necessary. What is necessary is that the Thessalonian Christians, keep on keepin' on. Paul prays that God will increase and abound their love for one another and be a source of strength for them as they wait. Paul isn't preaching a passive kind of waiting on a hill top waiting to be raptured up to heaven. He isn't preaching the kind of escapist waiting of withdrawing from the trials and problems of this world but rather to keep on keepin' on in the church's day to day routine and sometimes mundane ministry of embodied love. Of feeding the hungry, like Doris in the soup kitchen, supporting widows and orphans, helping one another in our times of need, that these are signs not only of the love of God we share with one another, but signs of God's promise, signs of God's present and coming reign on earth. Or said another way Paul urges the Thessalonian Christians to continue to follow the great commandment of loving God and loving their neighbors as themselves. For in doing so they participate in what God's love's is already doing to bring about righteousness and God's rule on earth.

Paul's prayer and advice to the church in Thessalonica is just as valid for us today here at First Moravian as we wait for the coming of Christ. As we participate, as they did in the reign of Christ here on earth now, by living out the New Commandment Christ gave us to love one another. There are many faithful models of Christian love right here at First Moravian Greensboro. Faithful members who give of their time, talents and financial resources quietly. Without recognition, you lovingly live out the example of Christ, to love your neighbor as yourself. When one of you is ill you not only pray for them, but take them food, send cards and notes to let them know you care, you love them. When we heard on of us was being sent back to serve our country, a collective gasp went out, because our hearts and love will go with Steve when he goes to Afghanistan next spring. Many of you have shared stories about how various members were there for you when you were experiencing rough and difficult times. All are signs of God's love we share with one another, of God's reign in our lives.

We are still recovering from all the time and effort put into our 45 th annual Candle tea, our major outreach to the wider Greensboro community where we help our neighbors begin their waiting for the coming of the Christ child. And gladly take their money to help support this congregation's ministries here and around the world!

We still have much to do as we wait for Christ's coming. We are not called just to stand around waiting—secure in the knowledge of our own redemption, but rather to continue to grow deeper and richer in the ways we walk the talk about loving our neighbor as our selves, allowing God to increase and abound our love for one another. In Advent we are beckoned to move faithfully, hopefully, expectantly into the future growing more and more as loving disciples of Jesus Christ. In the same way the church in Thessalonica learned they could persevere through persecution and wait for Christ's return, so we too. Keep on keeping on. Remaining faithful to God's call to embody love in service to others as we wait in joyful expectation for Emmanuel, God with us.