The Eve of Christmas ----- 24 December 2014

(St. John's held two services on Christmas Eve 2014; the first based on the Service of Lessons and Carols and the second taken straight from the service book, Evangelical Lutheran Worship. My sermon was the same for both.) 

GOSPEL: Luke 2:1-20

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them,

and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

• Here we are again... at this great festival at the end of the year on the calendar and at the early part of the year in our church year.
• We hear again the old story of the birth of the Christ child in the manger at Bethlehem... and it fills us with warmth and good feelings. Doesn't it always? We love the lights and the singing, the candles and the gifts. We love the tree and the holly and the ivy and all the traditions, old and new.
• But what if you had never heard this story? What if you were hearing it for the first time? What if you were hearing the whole story of Jesus as you'd never heard it before?
• What if you were there... in Bethlehem... that night? What might you have done?
• There are those who would have walked right by, not noticing the family who had to stay in a garage since no one would take them in.
• There are those who might have noticed, only to be glad it wasn't them.
• Some might have been angry, either because a child had to be born in such an odd place or because this family had to become squatters in someone's barn. Who knows? Maybe one of those people might have done something... like bring a blanket or a thermos of coffee. On the other hand, maybe they'd call the police on these trespassers.
• We might say to ourselves “Well, I'd have brought them into my home, if I had seen Mary and Joseph and the baby there. I'd have cooked them a hot meal and wrapped them in a nice quilt. That's what I'd have done.”
• Y'know, I'm quite inadequate at preaching this festival; others do a much better job and have done much better. Here's a quote from a sermon by someone we've all heard of – one Dr. Martin Luther:
• “The inn was full. There are many of you who think: “If only I had been there! How quick I would have been to help the baby!” Childish and silly thoughts are these! Why don’t you do it now? You have Christ in your neighbor. You ought to serve him, for what you do to your neighbor in need you do to the Lord Christ himself"
• You see, we have the benefit of hind-sight. We've heard the story! We know who these people are! Sad to say, we don't always recognize Jesus Christ when he walks by us on the street.
• This blindness is one of the reasons Christ came among us. Our redemption and salvation are in his hands and have been given to us freely, without cost and without regard to our status in society. In fact, this Saviour-born-in-a-stable came to bring good news to the poor, the broken, and the suffering. For better words, I'm turning now to the Canadian singer, Bruce Cockburn who wrote these lines in his song “Cry of a Tiny Babe”:

There are others who know about this miracle birth
The humblest of people catch a glimpse of their worth
For it isn't to the palace that the Christ child comes
But to shepherds and street people, hookers and bums
And the message is clear if you've got ears to hear
That forgiveness is given for your guilt and your fear
It's a Christmas gift you don't have to buy
There's a future shining in a baby's eyes.

• Christmas again proclaims to us our God's presence and assures us of a future, one we can't see all of but we hope for; a future where we'll all know how much God loves us always.
• We heard the angel's announcement in the Gospel reading tonight and there's an important point that is often missed. I know I sometimes miss it when I read it. The angel says Do not be afraid; but angels say that all the time! The angel goes on: I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
• How many times does this angel say “you” or “to you”? Each time, the angel is saying it to each of us here.

to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.

The Fourth Sunday of Advent ---- 21 December 2014

Luke 1:26-38

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." 34 Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" 35 The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God." 38 Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

"Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."

• The story of Mary, the mother of Jesus is woven so tightly into the Advent-and-Christmas story that you can't seperate them. Actually she and Joseph are far more active than Jesus is in the stories of the season. Of course, the fact that Jesus is a baby has a lot to do with it.
• Since Jesus came to live among us, there had to be a means to get him into the world. I imagine he could have just appeared like lightening does, with the accompanying thunder and terror. I imagine he could have arrived as a conquering king with angelic armies, blast of trumpet, and the sounding of battle cries. However these and others possible ways were not chosen. When Christ came among us, he arrived as we all did. That “ususal” way requires a mother.
• No one disputes that Jesus' mother was Mary of Nazareth. All four of the Gospels attest to that. Matthew and Luke speak of Jesus' birth and naturally, place Mary there. Mark only mentions Mary twice. Although John does not tell of Jesus birth, he does emphasize Mary in a few places, in particular, at the foot of the cross. In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke has Mary with “the brothers” of Jesus at at least one gathering of the disciples after Jesus' Ascension. These writers appear to have a special place for her.
• Let's lay aside the ideas and the veneration and all the saintly things that have become a crust around this person. Let's try to look at what she was about.
• Luke introduces her his way: In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. There are a number of important points here. Mary is named and is identified at the young woman pledged to marry a man named Joseph. They live in the rural back-water of Nazareth in Galilee. Gabriel, the special messenger of the Most High, comes with a special message. She is to have a special role in the salvation of the world and the plan of God.
• Why Mary? Theologians have argued and theorized and contemplated that question for many, many years. The truth is we don't know; God chose and hasn't told us why. In the same way, we could ask why God chose each of us to be Jesus' disciples. We don't know that either; all we know is that it's true.
• She's told not to fear, that she is chosen, and that God will see to it that all the obstacles will be overcome, the first being the fact that she is a virgin.
• Now think of this for a moment – What if she had said “No.”
• There doesn't appear to be a back-up plan here. There is no understudy for the role, no relief pitcher warming up the bullpen. God seems to have bet it all on one roll of the dice. Some rather poetic writers have said that all heaven held it's breath until Mary spoke again.
• We all know what she said: "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Older translations say something more like “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done unto me according to your word.” With that, all that God planned moved on into being. Jesus took on our nature and our lot, became truely human as our Creed says, and salvation began to break into our world.
• Listen again to what Mary said to Gabriel when he gave her the mysterious news: "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." That is the response of a disciple. Despite confusion and incomplete understanding, she says “I will do what you ask.”
• If we lay aside all the theology and the poetry and the icons, we see a woman who was willing to be what God asked her to be, even though she could not concieve of nor fully comprehend all this would require. We might call her the “Mother of Jesus”, the true and less-than-controversial title the Lutheran documents and hymnal prefer, but even that phrase misses the mark for us.
• Mary was mother for Jesus. For us, she is the first Christian. For us, she is the embodyment of a disciple's faith in action. She does what God asks even if it means problems for her. Remember Joseph almost broke the engagement and had resolved to send her away. In many ways, he too is and example of a disciple's faith.
• This Sunday however, we talk about Mary, the young woman of whom God asked a huge thing and who lived her life from then on as a life of faith and fidelity. formed by belief and trust in Jesus whom she knew as her son and whom she knew all along and yet came to know as the Christ.
• Some Christians call Mary Theotokas, “God Bearer.” Her faith in God and God's grace made that a reality. The truth here for us is this: by grace and faith, we too are called to bear God into the world daily.

The Third Sunday of Advent ---- 14 December 2014

John 1:6-8, 19-28

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 
19 This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" 20 He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, "I am not the Messiah." 21 And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the prophet?" He answered, "No." 22 Then they said to him, "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" 23 He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,'" as the prophet Isaiah said. 24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 They asked him, "Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?" 26 John answered them, "I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, 27 the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal." 28 This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.

• I've seen some magazines on the racks in stores that have to do with people and their lives. I must be honest and say that I have read some of them from time to time. Some gush over celebrities; others look for problems in famous people's lives or seem to create problems where none can be found, like in the old baseball saying: “I calls 'em as I sees 'em, and if I don't sees them, I makes 'em up.”
• We've all heard of celebrities drawing a crowd and being considered experts on what-ever simply because they're celebrities. In the New Testament times, John the Baptizer must have been a celebrity of a sort. As we heard in last week's Gospel reading, people from all over were going to the River Jordan to see him, and many were baptized by him.
• This week we hear from John that the Temple authorities had sent officials to question John about what his activites at the river. They want to know who he is and what he is doing. Appearently, they believe that they will decide what is going on and he doesn't fit into their neat categories. Is the the Messiah? No. Is he Elijah? No. Is the the Prophet? No. You can almost hear the confusion and despiration in their voices as they ask "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
• John gives an answer and it is not a satisfactory answer to the Temple officials. They want to know by what authority does he do what he does, but John won't play their game. He says something that is confusing to the authorities, but the answer is actually for more threatening to them because it is not what is expected. It could be seen as a threat because if the Lord is really coming, things are going to change in a big way.
• Now in John's Gospel in particular, John the Baptizer stands as a witness to Jesus, first and foremost. There may have been “political” reasons for this but his role is that of witness none-the-less. This would take John down a peg and this could have been a result of what some scholars believe to be a competing John the Baptizer cult at the time. In John's Gospel, John the Baptizer is ready to step aside and let Jesus be the center.
• In our world, in our own day and time, many people want to turn Jesus' message of salvation into a message about themselves. As the Temple authorities asked John who he was and what he was about, so we are asked who WE are and what WE are about. This presents us this the everyday temptation to talk more about ourselves than about Jesus. As disciples, we would do well to follow John's example and point to Jesus rather than to ourselves. As we grow in grace, we might even say what John the Baptizer says later in John's Gospel: He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:30)
• What we might say about Jesus may or may not have any effect on the people around us. Often what we say (and don't say) says more about us than about we are talking about. Our under-standing might not be complete or it might be coloured by our experience. This is the point at which we realize that what Jesus has to say about us is far more powerful (and safer) than what we might say about him.
• Jesus' testimony about us says more than we might think or understand. He tells the truth about us when he does not deny that we are sinners. He says more than that when he assures us of the love and forgiveness of God.
• His incarnation, his taking on flesh testifies to the goodness of our bodies as a creation of God and to the blessedness of life here on earth.
• His willingness to live among the people to whom he came to proclaim the salvation of God testifies to God faithfulness to his ancient Covenant. In particular, we see this in one of the ancient names referring to Jesus – Emmanuel, “God with us.”
• His death for the life and salvation of others and his taking on this ultimate weakness of our human-ness testifies to how far God will go to make his love known and present to us.
• His resurrection from the dead testifies to the complete plan the Father has for us, since Jesus is the “firstborn of the dead” (Rev. 1:5 & Col. 1:18) and the sign of hope to us of where our lives are ultimately going.
• What am I talking about here? Actually I'm talking about and testifying to nothing less than the freely-given grace of God, that grace to which Jesus' entire life and teaching among us was a proclaimation. It isn't cheap grace or always easy, but it's always there for us and it makes a difference.
• And that's something to point to each and every day.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.

The Second Sunday of Advent --- 7 December 2014

Isaiah 40:1-11

1 Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. 5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." 6 A voice says, "Cry out!" And I said, "What shall I cry?" All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. 7 The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. 9 Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, do not fear; say to the cities of Judah, "Here is your God!" 10 See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. 11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.

2 Peter 3:8-15a

8 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed. 11 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? 13 But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home. 14 Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.

Mark 1:1-8

1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; 3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,' " 4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, "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. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

• It occured to me as I was preparing this sermon that John picked a special place to do his baptisms. ...people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Why the river Jordan?
• It's a special place. For the Jewish people, to cross the Jordan means to enter the promised land. The only way to cross the Jordan was to wade in the water and get wet. For John to baptize in that water symbolized a new entry into the promised land, the land God would give his people, their home.
• The people confessed their sins and John preached repentance. We are told that those who heard him repented and were baptized. Why? Did John's words convict them of their sins that much? Or was there more to his preaching?
• First of all, John preached and baptized as a way of preparing for the one who was to follow him, the one John calls “more powerful than I.”
• Second, John calls the people to repentance because the one who comes after him is already on the way. He will not wait until the people have all repented and everything is ready. He will not wait until everyone is properly prepared and everything is fully arranged. It's more of a case of the call to begin the children's game of Hide-and-Seek: “Ready or not, here I come.”
• As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,' " The Lord of Glory, promised by Isaiah and echoed by John was coming, whether or not the people were ready.
• Still John tells the people how to become ready. 'Begin with the baptism of repentance and go on to reform your lives' is what he says. The One who is to come will not wait until you are ready, but you can become ready for his coming.
• Is this a terrifying thing? Is the One who is coming on the way to punish? Isaiah tells us: No! Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. Then he says: See, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother sheep.
• To me, this sounds like good news... which brings us to the Gospel of Mark. Mark starts off by saying what he is writing: The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Mark is saying that what he is writing is all good news, good tidings of great joy. (Does that phrase sound familiar? If not, wait a little while.) Mark has invented a brand new type of literature in writing a good news, a Gospel. Although Mark does not use all of the words of Isaiah, what he wrote would remind his readers of the entire passage and its good news of God's tender care.
• For Mark, the message of John the Baptizer means more than the words of a historical personage. His words of preparation have special meaning and power because his community of Christians is again waiting, waiting for the return of the One who promised to come back in power and glory. As they waited, we wait as well. We don't know how long we'll wait or what the return will be like exactly, but we trust in the promise given to us. We might even see the times as the writer of the letter of Peter sees them: The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.
• While we wait, we work and concern ourselves with the Good News. The Lord is coming again. We'll say it once more today in out Creed. Then we'll find ways to live out our waiting faith, our waiting hope, and our waiting love. The waiting will change us since we'll enter the Land of the Promise through a baptism that is more than water, but as John proclaimed about Jesus: I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

the First Sunday of Advent ---- 30 November 2014

(Due to circumstances beyond my control or due to my lack of control, this blog entry was delayed.)

Mark 13:24-3724 "But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then they will see "the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory. 27 Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. 28 "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32 "But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34 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. 35 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, 36 or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."

But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

• We all share some things. We all have some things in common with the people around us. There is, however, one thing we all – everyone of us – share: We have all been born. Every last one of us has gone through the experience of birth, surely our own. I don't remember my birth and I'd be willing to bet that very, very few of you here remember your's. Those present who have given birth to a child surely can never forget it, but remembering our own birth? Doubtful.
• Look at things from the infant's perspective for a moment. Where you are is a pretty comfortable place. You are warm, well-fed, and, barring accidents, fairly well taken-care-of. Things get a bit close after a while, but you don't want to leave this safe, comfortable environment, especially since it is all you know! Can an infant imagine what is beyond the womb? (assuming that an infant can imagine, of course.)
• When the time come for birth, it surely would be seen as a horrible catastrophe! What's happening to me? This doesn't feel good! Everything is a mess. What am I getting myself into?
• Let's just say that everything that follows is a complete surprise to the baby. No wonder they cry!
• But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
• This sounds horrible and frightening. It appears to be a catastrophe of cosmic proportions. But so does childbirth from the view of the child. This is one way of viewing the meaning of Advent.
• As we enter Advent, we can take up the hints, clues, and suggestions that the Scriptures give us.
• The question of “the day and the hour” always comes up. In this passage from Mark's Gospel, we hear Jesus himself say But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Through the history of the church, we wonder about what we consider delay, especially in the face of troubles and disasters. Many assume that since Jesus delays his coming, he's not coming or if he is coming, it could be years and years and years. It is Mark who takes different tack; Jesus is coming and he could be at the door right now! So be ready! Keep awake! This then is the reminder of Advent.
• There are of course many reminders of what is to come. There are also signs that we wish were not signs of what might be. Health problems can be an example. They can happen without warning and they can also serve as a warning. They remind us that we are not in full charge of all that goes on and they may tell us that things need to change.
• They can tell us that changes can be just around the corner and the corner is simply not that far away. We just don't know and we must keep awake.
• As to what is around the corner, we are promised far more than we could imagine. The season of Advent invites us to wait impatiently for the consummation of hope, longing to know God as fully as we have been known; to see no longer through a dark pane, but face to face; to love as we have been loved; to experience Jesus Christ as he is, and in so doing, to become like him.
• Our own understanding of how we live in the present with hope for the future tells us that Jesus is present now in the Word and in the Sacrament and in the community of believers. These signs of Christ's presence now point to what is yet to come.
• Mark's point remains: Christ is not with us as he once was, and he is not with us as he will be!
• Even if our life this this world is pleasant and blessed, we'd best not be complacent. The promise of God remains: There is more and there is better!
• How can we hold to this promise in the face of both the good and the bad of life? How can we constantly wait for something hoped for that remains unknown?
• Mark's Gospel tells us. Since the timing is unknown, we wait always, eagerly wondering if somehow now is the time.
• Now who actually thinks this way? Who could go through each and every day, morning, noon, and night, waiting for and looking forward to someone's return?
• The answer is incredibly simply: People in love do and that might be the best way to think about what Mark wrote. We wait because we are loved and we wait because we love. We wait for the full presence of the one we love.