Advent is the beginning of the end. Growing up in Utah, I was raised in an atmosphere where the people are very conscious that these are the end times.   The official name of the Mormons is the Church of Jesus Christ, yet before they where the church of Jesus Christ, they were the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter day saints. Their name gives them away. They feel these are the end times and the end of the world will come tomorrow, maybe. I remember as a child when playing with neighborhood friends that each mormon household would always have a large pantry. They would have jars of peaches, cans of vegetables, sacks of flour. In each pantry, the family would maintain at least a year long supply of food. Not only does each family have their private supply, the Church maintains warehouses full of wheat, canned foods, and various item that could be distributed in a time of need. For many of you here in the Bay area, you all probably or should have a stash of food and water to be prepared for earthquakes, yet I would doubt that you have a one year supply.   Although Utah has its fair share of faults and the home to some of the largest waste dumps in the US, the mormons are thinking of something else.   They are preparing for the end times. According to their prophets, they will need this supply of food to keep them going, before the sheep are separated from the goats. Being faithful to God and responsible to their families, they are ready for the end times.

 

       In the Gospel, John the Baptist, is announcing to world to get ready.   The end times are here.   One greater than him is coming and with his coming he will profoundly change the world. This is not bad news but good news.   To quote George Bush Sr. a new world order is being established.   This saviour will make the deaf hear, the mute speak, the lame walk, and set the captives free. He will baptize with the Holy Spirit. The people who hear John are to repent. They are to change their lives to prepare for coming of the Saviour and the end of the world as they know it.

 

       Each year we celebrate advent. For most of us, it is a time of preparation and anxiety.   We are anxious about our inlaws coming to see us, or maybe going to see some family members who we have fought with last CHristmas. We are thinking of the right gifts to give to those who really don’t need anything more or maybe who we don’t even like. Even if we are looking for the gift for someone we are fond of, we have anxiety over whether the person will like it or if we have enough balance on our credit cards to get us through the holidays. Many of us might be praying for Jesus to come immediately so that we can be spared of the hastle we undergo to prepare for the holidays.

 

       Let us reflect this Sunday, that this is the beginning of the end. As Christians, we daily prepare to make space for Jesus to come into our lives. He is there, he is present. As we prepare, we receive him in the elements of wine and bread. We encounter him in our community, our family members and our neighbors. He has redeemed the world and yet we await the time, like the mormons, when his Kingdom will be fully present in the world. 

 

       As we proceed towards Christmas, let us become more aware of Jesus coming into our lives. We can acknowledge his presence even when we are busy and distracted by the many things that occupy our thoughts and time during the advent season. As it was proclaimed in 2nd Peter, we await a new heaven and a new earth.   We await the time when justice will be brought to the earth, and the Kingdom will be all that is present.   We are mindful like the Mormons, that there will be an end to time. We need not worry. We don’t necessary have to stock up on food. Yet we must make ourselves ready. As we prepare ourselves each moment of each day, we surrender ourselves to God’s reign in our hearts and in our world.   We see our death and our life as the pathway to God’s kingdom that is present here and now.