25 Nov 2015
As we move closer and closer to Advent, the gospel message
becomes louder and clearer: “Remain faithful.
Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” As we approach Advent, we approach the
reminder that we—today—are still waiting for the Second Coming of Christ. And, in the face of that waiting, Christ
says: Remain faithful. Remain faithful.
Of course, we’re not waiting for Christ under a perfect
starry night sky, or surrounded by perfect harmony in the world. Instead, we’re asked to wait and be faithful
in the midst of a broken world. And that’s
harder; to remain faithful—to be a person of enduring hope—when the brokenness of
the world works against that call to hope.
But the gospel message this time of year comes from One who
knows full well what he’s asking of
us. Jesus asks his disciples to follow
the road he himself has walked. He remained
faithful when his friends had deserted him.
He remained faithful when he was mocked and laughed at. He remained faithful on the Cross, even
though his heart cried out: “My God, why have you abandoned me?” And we see the “crown of life” he won for
himself.
Of course, we have some other brilliant examples to
follow. The Prophet Daniel is particularly
stellar. Hauled off to Babylon, he
refused the gifts and favors of his captors, and remained faithful to God. And, for that, he actually won praise from
his enemies. And, even though they
praised his knowledge and wisdom and ability to interpret dreams, what they
were really praising was his fidelity
to God—the God who gave him knowledge, wisdom and discernment. Daniel never had to think about what to say
in response to his enemies; the living faith
in his heart spoke for him.
And that’s what the gospel asks of us: to live a life of faith, a life of hope. Not a life where we
try to have all the answers, or try to outsmart the people who try to run us down
. . . but a life of simple faith in God. In the end, that’s all that matters. When Christ comes to meet us, whether it’s in
death, or in times of conversion, or at the Second Coming, our enduring faith in him is what will matter.
The gospel message for us today (and always) is: “Remain
faithful. To the faithful belongs the crown of real and lasting life.”
No comments:
Post a Comment