This sermon was offered by The Rev. Canon Beth Tjoflat at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Jacksonville, FL, on Dec. 3, 2023, the First Sunday of Advent (Year B).

Isaiah 64:1-9
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Mark 13:24-37
Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18

May I speak in the name of God.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today marks the first Sunday in Advent.

The first day of the new year
in our church Calendar.
We begin reading scripture from “Year B.”
In our 3-year cycle of Sunday readings.

As I prepared, I couldn’t help but think
of a story my friend Jimmy shared.
He was living in Atlanta and attending a
12-step meeting that happened to take place
on the psych ward of a major hospital.

Anyone who has attended more than a couple of
12-step meetings understands that the same series
of foundational readings are repeated at
the start of every meeting.

This repetition ensures that the newcomer gets
an overview of the program of recovery while also
reinforcing the essential basics for those
longtime attendees.

My friend Jimmy was tickled to report that at
one such meeting one of the inpatient attendees stood up
in the middle of the customary reading and blurted:
“Gosh Darn it! They read this last week!
and promptly shuffled out.
It was clear the Jimmy was amused,
because he identified so much with this
brutally honest reaction.

I share this with you because my hope for each of us is
that we intentionally enter into and experience this Advent season
as if it were for our very first time.
The first time we walk through the liturgy.
The first time ever for hearing the readings.
The first time for us, taking in the biblical story.
Our Gospel lesson from Mark might seem
out of order to us.

We don’t begin with the Annunciation —
with the nearly incomprehensible narrative
of Mary and Joseph – with the hardship
Mary’s “yes” placed on them as a family.
All that won’t come until the fourth week of Advent.
In the weeks before, we begin with the story of
John the Baptist.

Even so, where we are this week makes perfect sense.
It sets the context for the entirety of the story –
from Jesus birth and earthly ministry
to His death and resurrection

This Gospel lesson is apocalyptic.
It is about the end times—
not the scary end of world.
But the end of an age!
Jesus makes all things new.
And All means All, y’all!
He gives us new armor – not in the form of weighted
leather and high-tech metals –
but armor in the form of Light.
That’s pure energy!
Pure Love.

This is what we watch for.
This is what is being revealed through the person of Jesus –
the Word that transcends all,
the Word that was in the beginning,
is now and will be forever.
Today’s gospel tells us to keep awake!
This wakefulness isn’t so much about
          fighting off sleepiness,
as it is a call to look anew at our world.
To allow the Spirit to speak to us through
our day-to-day lives.
It is there that we will encounter the One True light.
It is a light that not only comforts us.
It is a light that challenges us.

At first glance, it may seem exactly like
what we experienced last week or last year.
But if we train our minds and hearts to look
with fresh eyes, with an open heart —
we will discover something new.
We will hear and perceive what was lost on us before.

In the coming weeks, we will have the opportunity
to reflect on readings from the book
“What were you arguing about along the way?” –
the very question Jesus asked the disciples
on the road to Emmaus.
Remember, that conversation, before they broke bread
and their eyes were opened?

This book is a series of seasonal readings
Based on the spirituality of conflict.
It will invite us to look anew at different forms of conflict –
at the dynamic of various issues held in tension.

This might seem a far cry from the seasonal preparation
of celebrating the birth of a tiny infant in a manger.
Of the one who brings tidings of great joy,
who promises Peace on Earth.

But remember: this infant – this baby Jesus –
was born in a time and place marked by conflict, war,
and the institutional and political dehumanizing of
entire groups of people.

This may sound like too much.
You may not feel ready.
Fear not, for we will travel this road together.

As we ponder the significance of Jesus’ incarnation,
I want to share with you a poem by Madeleine L’Engle
entitled First Coming.

He did not wait till the world was ready,
till men and nations were at peace
He came when the Heavens were unsteady
and prisoners cried out for release.

He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine. He did not wait

till hearts were pure. In joy he came
to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame
He came, and his Light would not go out. 

He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.

We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!

In this season of Advent, we do not sit back
passively and wait.
We look intently.
Mindfully.
Possibly for a bright star,
but always for a glimmer.
For the evidence of the Light of Christ.
The light that shines in the darkness.
The light the darkness cannot extinguish.
Amen.