December 15th, 2021
Matthew 24:45-51
Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their allowance of food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions.
But if that wicked slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves, and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know. He will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The Second Advent
Today it is nine days until Christmas Eve, and we anticipate hearing again the ancient story, singing Christmas hymns, and lighting candles. Yet in today’s reading, Jesus warns us of the uncertainties of the end times, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. It doesn’t seem right to hear this message nine days from the breathtaking incarnation. This text leaves us uneasy, concerned.
Advent is a time of anticipation. We center the season on the nativity of our Lord, and only peripherally do we recognize that Advent also anticipates the second coming of our Lord. As the Matthew text indicates, individual outcomes of the second coming are not a given. Advent is also the time for us to rediscover our blessings and the opportunities to recommit our lives and work to Christ.
For this last part, may we be inspired by the lives of Mary and Joseph as they brought forth and nurtured the Son of God. These two seemingly ordinary people were chosen to do the extraordinary work of parenting the long-expected Messiah. It was never a glorious mission, and their lives, with their holy son, were rarely without distress.
Their journey began as Gabriel announced the news to Mary. And she wondered, how? Why? Yet, she acquiesces, “I am the handmaid of the Lord.” Joseph, too, was troubled at the news. Again, the angel visited and informed Joseph that he had been chosen by God to be the father of Jesus. Despite his misgivings, Joseph agreed. He and Mary would raise the Christ child.
With this understanding, Mary and Joseph anticipate raising the baby in their village of Nazareth, surrounded by family. Even before they can begin that life, they are called to Jerusalem for the census. It is a rugged journey for Mary, and there is no place for them to rest. Consequently, the Jesus was born in a cave. And within two years, they fled to Egypt to protect their child from Herod’s edict.
We hear this story every year. As we sing “silent night, holy night” and “glory to the newborn king,” on Christmas Eve, we may overlook the rich complexity of the story. Parenting the Messiah was never easy for Mary and Joseph. Nor was there a happy ending for this faithful couple. Joseph did not live to see his son as an adult, and Mary watched him die on the cross.
There is no doubt Mary and Joseph will receive their reward at the second Advent. Their perseverance and faithfulness—their efforts to live and work in faith through the doubts, the troubles, the fears of their earthly lives—is what Jesus is expecting of us.
In today’s text, Jesus is not asking extraordinary acts of us. He is simply expecting us to live each day in faithfulness to God and with love for others. We are not called to heroic acts, but to common, consistent, acts of life, which may help others survive, if not thrive.
May each of us be blessed and renewed
in Christ this Advent season.
The Rev. Dawn Enderwood
St. Michael’s, Norman
Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma