When reading Scripture, it is important to be attentive to lines and verses. Why? Because there are layers upon layers of meaning contained in the sacred texts. If we rush through it or take it at face value, there is a lot we will miss. Scripture, like good food, should be slowly chewed and digested so that we experience all the flavours as fully as we can.
In the Gospel for the First Sunday of Advent, which we are reflecting on this week, the opening lines of the selection are sobering and perhaps even terrifying. Jesus points to the end times and what will happen. He says there will be cosmic events that might catch us by surprise or “assault” us. Many people read this and feel somewhat unnerved. We are not used to Jesus talking like this.
I remember being on a school tour in the bushveld many years ago. I could not have been more than about ten years old. One evening there was a massive thunderstorm brewing, and dark clouds swirled. On the other side of the sky, the sun was setting, and the sky was almost crimson. Someone suggested that this marked the end of the world. Another ran to find a Bible and look at what it said. A great hype ensued after this text was
read. Some of my fellow students were crying. They thought it was the end of the world. We were far from loved ones and now about to be swallowed up in a great cosmic event. Forty years later, we are all still here, and there was no big cosmic event that night. Little knowledge and not attentively reading the text can be dangerous!
There is another layer which we must not miss (which we all did that bushveld night). Despite all the cosmic – and catastrophic or terrifying – events which will take place, notice the encouragement buried in the text to “stand erect and raise your heads”.
Jesus is trying to prepare us for his Second Coming by saying we should live attentive and watchful lives. Jesus will return as our redeemer. We will not be left alone, he will come, and if we are attentive, we will welcome him anew. There is a subtle shift from fear and anxiety to assured confidence, a movement from desolation to hope. This allows us to stand confidently, to “stand erect”. God’s action always ends in Good News.
We may not always see it – or feel it – but God is in charge, and good news is God’s name!
Today you might want to take the text we are reflecting on and spend a few minutes looking at it, allowing it to soak into your being. Read the words slowly and attentively. What do you become aware of? What do you notice? Do you feel encouraged by Jesus’ words, “…stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand”? Why or why not?
