On That New Day

November 27, 2022

Hope Lutheran Church

Rev. Mary Erickson

Matthew 24:36-44

On That New Day

Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.

There’s something about beginning a new year. On January first, we take down the old, dog-eared calendar and we hang the new one filled with crisp, yet unseen photos. All the date blocks are untouched and filled with unknown potential.

When a new school year begins, there’s the excitement of getting all the new notebooks and pens. A great deal of thought goes into what you’re going to wear on that first day back to school. A new photo is taken in front of the house to mark the new chapter. And so we begin!

With this first Sunday in Advent, we begin a new year of our church calendar. We’ve adorned our sanctuary with vibrant blue paraments. We’ve lit the first candle on the Advent wreath. All good, all exciting. But then, WHAM! We get this incredible text about the end of…of…everything!

Wait a minute, we’ve just begun here! And now we’re talking about the end of the world, the destruction of the universe? No! What kind of a new beginning is this?

As we begin this new Advent, we’re encouraged to be ready. That’s something we frequently hear this time of year. “Are you ready for Christmas?” someone asks. And by that, they mean:

• Have you brought up the Christmas boxes from the basement and decorated your house?

• Have you hung the Christmas lights outside?

• Have you bought presents for everyone on your list?

• Have you baked your traditional Christmas cookies?

• Have you written your Christmas cards and sent them out?

• Have you scheduled your office Christmas party?

There’s a lot of getting ready in this season! And, although we enjoy all of these activities and look forward to them, altogether it can be a little overwhelming.

So there’s a lot of getting ready. But this isn’t the kind of being ready that Jesus is referring to. He wants us to be alert to, to be cognizant of, our finality.

There’s a German proverb: All things have an end, except a sausage, which has two. That’s a light hearted saying, but it derives from a very true reality. All things have an end. That includes us, that includes even this old world. All things come to an end.

When we live our days knowing that this life and this world don’t last forever, it changes our understanding and approach to living. Three quick things:

• First, we grow in RESPECT. We recognize the vulnerability of ourselves and this world. We are all more fragile than we appear on the surface. We break, things around us break. It’s estimated that 150-200 species of plant, insect, bird, and mammal become extinct every 24 hours. That rate has accelerated against the normal background rate. Being aware of our vulnerable nature leads to RESPECT. We gain respect for the value of life.

• Secondly, by gaining a deeper appreciation for what is, we CHERISH them. We delight in all these good things that are here right in this moment. Knowing that all things end encourages us to recognize and appreciate the goodness of what is here. Like in these waning, late fall days, we appreciate the beautiful sunlight while we have it. We pause to drink in the beauty of the day’s ebbing light. We take special care to enjoy it while we have it. Being cognizant of our finality draws us to CHERISH.

• And thirdly, we look to a higher power. We realize that we don’t have all the answers! We’re not invincible, we’re not everlasting.

I’m reminded of the poem Ozymandias by Shelly. He describes a broken, colossal statue that now lies broken in pieces and sinking into the surrounding sands. The pedestal stated this boastful caption: “My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings, look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!” But now the great, boastful king is as decayed as his statue.

We don’t have all the answers and our days are limited. We will come to an end. And this moves us to look for something more lasting than ourselves. We search for meaning, and it leads us to FAITH, faith in the one source that is lasting and eternal.

Jesus speaks of the days of Noah. There were people then who had no consciousness of the utter ending that lay before them. Their whole world was going to end. But most of them went about their regular duties as if nothing would ever end. They lived without respect, they took others for granted, without a thought of a higher meaning. Don’t be like this, Jesus is saying. Be aware. Respect life, cherish one another, and look to God in faith.