1^st Sunday of Advent – Year “A” – December 2, 2007 – Matthew 24:37-44

Theme - Peace and Sacrifice

 

The Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour?  Are we ready?  Have we learned what we need to learn and put it into practice?  At an unexpected hour?  We certainly can’t say that about Christmas.  You’d have to be a hermit not to know exactly how much time is left until Christmas when we’ve been seeing decorations and hearing ads and carols on every public speaker system in existence since after all saint’s day at the beginning of November!

 

Well, now it’s advent, now we can officially begin to get ready.  But get ready for what?  Advent is about getting ready for the coming of Jesus the second time and we celebrate his first coming at Christmas as a reminder!

 

We are meant to spend this time, this advent season, in quiet reflection of what it really means to be a follower of Christ – to understand that sacrifice is involved.

 

Our advent candles are a reminder of what sacrifice means…

 

A Christmas candle is a lovely thing;

It makes no noise at all,

But softly gives its light to us;

While quite unselfish, it grows small.

 

We give gifts as a way of learning how to sacrifice, but in reality – what we get back better be just as expensive as what we gave or somebody else is in trouble.

 

I heard one grumpy Christmas giver complaining that Christmas just like another day at the office?  I said, “What do you mean?” and he answered, “Because You do all the work and the fat guy with the suit gets all the credit! Ho,ho, ho!”

 

But imagine giving gifts that cannot be returned!  That is a true sacrifice and that is why our giving tree is so important at this time of year, not just for those who receive, of course it is important for them – but in many ways it is even more important for us – since we need to learn how to give away and let go of things without expecting a return if we are to grow in holiness.

 

There are many stories of holy people making great sacrifices at this time of year.  One of the most famous of them gave everything away – he didn’t even have any small change in his pocket – that’s why they called him Saint Nickel - less

 

Christmas is known as the season of peace, and Jesus as the prince of peace.  As the writer Helen Steiner Rice said,

 

Peace on earth will come to stay,

When we live Christmas every day.

 

And as we consider our gift lists, we might listen to the words of another poet who said,

 

Give to your enemy, forgiveness.

To your opponent, tolerance.

To your friend, your heart.

To every child, a good example.

And to yourself, respect.

 

Those are not easy Christmas presents to give and they require a lot of sacrifice.

 

As we consider how we are to sacrifice, we hear the Words of Isaiah today which are read every advent, “Out of Zion will go forth instruction, God will judge between nations, the kingdom of God means Nations will study war no more, and will turn their weapons into farming tools!”

 

These words were written almost three thousand years ago.  Today’s gospel was written nearly two thousand years and Jesus tells us again to be ready!

 

That’s a long time – do we still believe it?  Do you believe it?

 

How many of you remember the story of “The Boy who cried Wolf”

 

It was a story of a little boy who played a joke on the grownups by saying the wolf was coming, just to watch them run around like crazy.  But after he tried the trick a few times, it backfired on him when the wolf really did come and no one would believe him!

 

We’ve heard that Jesus is coming all our lives?  Are we like the villagers in the story – do we think the Church is like the little boy, trying the same old tale over and over and we just don’t believe it anymore?

 

What do we believe, right now – if each one of us looks in to our heart-of-hearts – do we believe that Jesus could come again any time?  Do we really care about being ready – right this minute – or is it something we’ll get around to later, if ever!

 

If we listen to the instructions out of Zion in our scripture, then we should be studying war no more and using the metal in our weapons to make tools for peace.  Are we?

 

Canada's military budget will double over the next several years to over 30 billion dollars, more than $1000 a year for every man, woman and child in the country.

 

At the same time we are spending only 4 billion on international aid.  I don’t think we’ve learned our lesson, I don’t think we are ready.

 

Suicide bombers and terrorists are coming from the poor and uneducated of the world and they will not go away while we are spending 8 dollars to kill them for every 1 dollar we spend to help them.

 

Last year St. Mary Star of the Sea parish responded generously to appeal to help children in distant lands through Christian Child Care International and sponsored more than 150 children.  Last week I received a special Christmas catalog from them, listing gifts we can make, practical gifts that help real people.  Cows and chickens, wells, books,

 

The $4000 in taxes from every two child family that currently buys guns could buy 20 cows, or 8 horses, or 7 wells that could keep hundreds of people in clean water and help them start life over, and that’s what normal 1 family could do

 

In the first blast of desert storm in 1991, one US ship launched 25 cruise missiles at Baghdad, they cost a $million each

 

With that $25,000,000 you could build over 1600 schools, imagine that - with the money spent for one part of one battle.  200 students in each school for 10 years means 300,000 young people, educated, with a chance they wouldn’t have had and 300,000 young people who are not growing up on hate!

 

Canada will spend $15 billion on heavy military vehicles for the next 5 years, that could provide housing and operating expenses for over 13 million orphans and elderly people in India, Africa, south America and other areas.

 

Are we overly concerned about safety for our bodies and our things and not for the safety of the only part of us that doesn’t wear out - our souls.

 

Do you really believe what this book says – or we like the villagers in the story.

 

I know that at this time of year everyone is asking for your money – and most of us are generous – and yet the beautiful part is that we could be even more wildly generous and it wouldn’t cost us a thing – we wouldn’t even notice since we’re already spending it, the only difference would be it would be going to a good cause.

 

How many of us will write dozens, even hundreds of Christmas letters, cards and e-mails.  Imagine the impact if every single one of us just wrote one email or letter to our MP and the Prime Minister to say – enough!  Enough fighting – enough spending!  This is what we believe!  Will you do it?

 

People in power are there because we put them there, if they see an entire community make a statement, it could make the newspapers, it could start others doing the same.  It could steamroll as successfully as the merchants of death have been able to steamroll us the other way for years.

 

Would it stop altogether right away – maybe not – would all the guns and fighter jets be turned into ploughs by next Christmas – unlikely - but if we expect people who are not Christian to understand what it means to be one - and if we want them to want to be part of our faith family - then we have to start behaving like we believe what we teach!  And we have to start right now.  There is no better time to demonstrate a commitment to peace than at Christmas!

 

Are we ready to risk some of our personal safety to help others simply stay alive?  If it seems like a big risk, then remember when you receive Jesus in the Eucharist today that he risked, and he sacrificed, but he won!  Let us all ask for strength to be like him.

 

Even a small shift in spending from weapons to aid could make a huge difference to others, and just as importantly – a huge difference to us – a difference in our ability to be ready to say to Jesus that we’ve learned.  To be ready to prove to Jesus that we believe.  To be ready for Jesus at that unexpected hour!

 

            -many Blessings

                Deacon Steve