Keep Watching for Jesus!

1st Sunday of Advent, 12/3/17
Mark 13:32-37


Keep Watching for Jesus!


According to one scientific study, in the last 15 years the average attention span has dropped an amazing 33%, from 12 seconds to 8 seconds. Those four seconds might not seem like a lot, but when you’re talking about attention spans, it’s an eternity.

Using the data from this study, Time magazine published an article entitled, “You Now Have a Shorter Attention Span than a Goldfish.” No one takes that as a compliment, but I suppose there are few of us who would dispute it. The article states, “Heavy multi-screeners find it difficult to filter out irrelevant stimuli—they’re more easily distracted by multiple streams of media.” No surprise there. I do it almost every waking hour. My laptop screen is shining in my face and my hand-held mobile device is right next to my computer mouse. And then my telephone rings—and by that I mean my landline (how “old-school” is that?) and now I’ve got three media devices vying for my attention. If the TV happens to be on, make that four. In that environment, 12 seconds of time is like an eternity. The messages on those combined devices have changed multiple times in those 12 seconds. No wonder I can’t pay attention for more than 8 seconds!

And then there’s this bit of attention span information: When asked, “When nothing is occupying my attention, the first thing I do is reach for my phone.” 77% of respondents age 18-24 said, “Yes.” Only 10% of those over age 65 said the same thing.

And as much as we might regret the way things are with the demands for our attention, I don’t think they’re going to decrease; it’s only going to get worse.

So, with so many stimuli screaming for your attention, do you occasionally look to the skies for Jesus? Do you ever close down your devices long enough to ponder, “Will Jesus return today?” It would make me feel good as your pastor to hear you say, “Of course! Every day!” But I’m going to guess that wouldn’t be accurate. And I’m not shaming you. I do the same thing.

It just shows how much we need our Lord’s encouragement this morning—the first day of this new season of Advent—to keep watching for him. That’s exactly his directive to us in these words from Mark 13. So let’s take his encouragement to heart. Keep watching for Jesus! I invite you to ward off all distractions and focus on his words with me for a few minutes.

Early this past Friday morning as I poured my first cup of coffee before dawn, I recalled that December had arrived. And with that, thoughts of celebrating Christmas filled my mind. Along with billions of people in our world, we’ll celebrate Christmas in four weeks. And the world loves celebrating Christmas. That’s because you don’t have to be Christian to celebrate Christmas. And don’t kid yourself. That’s nothing new. Deists and humanists have been celebrating Christmas for centuries. Who minds celebrating the birth of a baby? It’s harmless! It can be just like your celebration of any other holiday—completely up to you what that celebration means to you or doesn’t mean at all.

But Jesus’ words to us this morning state nothing about celebrating his birth. They speak only of his return. Just as God promised to send Jesus to this earth the first time, so Jesus has promised to return. Billions of people thrill to celebrate the one—his birth— and collectively they’ll spend a huge fortune to do so, but they refuse even to acknowledge the other—his return. Why? You can celebrate the birth of Jesus as you wish, but even the thought of his return to this earth has huge ramifications for your life, not only when that day arrives, but also right now.

So, the easiest thing to do is to deny that it will occur. To give it no thought. To live your life as if things will continue just as they are forever. And that’s not a new self-delusion. It’s as old as sinful history. It’s why Jesus spoke these words just a few days before he suffered and died. Within a few short days his suffering, death and resurrection would be historical facts. So he wanted people to start looking for the next most important day in all of history—his return. His encouragement was this, “Be on guard! Be alert! Keep watching!”

That might be a little easier to do if he had let us know when that day would come. But listen to what he says, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Did what he say bother you a little bit? Perhaps so. We rightly confess Jesus as the all-knowing Son of God. At times he showed during his life here on earth that he knows all things. And yet, he states here that he doesn’t know the day or hour of his return. How can that be? Jesus spoke these words during his state of humiliation—that period of his life from conception to his resurrection from the dead, a period of his life in which he didn’t make full use of his divine attributes. That was the case in this incident. He didn’t know it.

And even though he knows it now, he isn’t telling us. Why not? Well, let me ask you this: If Jesus had told us that he will come back on Dec. 1, 2027, would you be here today? Would you be able to ward off the temptation to let your spiritual life slide until the date of his return gets a little closer, say, June of 2027 at the earliest? Trust me, if Jesus had let us know when he will return, this world would be in far worse shape than it already is.

The bottom line is that Jesus wants us to live every day of our lives in constant readiness for his return. He wants us to wake up each day thinking that this could be the day. He wants us to close our eyes each night thinking that his angels may wake us up before the morning and point our eyes to the sky.

That reality might frighten us were it not for one great truth: we live each day ready for his return when we live with the faith that Jesus is our Savior from sin. Do you have that faith? Do you confess Jesus as your Savior and Lord? Then you’re ready for his return, as ready as any Christian can be. Your sins can’t condemn you. Jesus died for every one of them. You guilt can’t damn you. Jesus took your guilt upon himself and suffered hell for it. Death can’t claim you. The risen Jesus has redeemed your soul and your body and you will live with him forever.

So, keep watching for Jesus, not in paralyzing fear, but in inspiring joy! Your Savior will return to claim you. So watch for him! That doesn’t mean, however, that you spend your days doing nothing but watching the skies for his return. It doesn’t mean that you drop everything in your lives and train your eyes toward heaven. It doesn’t mean that you have the best excuse for doing nothing but one thing: watching for Jesus.

It means you will live each day knowing that your Savior will return for you. It means you will live each day in the confidence that your faith in Jesus instills in you. It means you will live each day with the power of the risen Lord Jesus filling you so that you can go about your daily tasks in whatever calling Jesus has given you, watching for his return and living your life as God’s own daughter or son. An important part of that life is doing what we can individually and together to share the saving message of Jesus with as many people as possible.

In a few minutes, we’re going to hear a message that encourages our support of God’s kingdom work here at Resurrection and throughout our world. What’s your part in it? How will you become involved? What abilities has God given you and what opportunities will he create in your life to serve Jesus by serving others in the coming year? How has Jesus blessed you and how will you be a blessing to others? Give those questions some thought as you keep watching for Jesus and as you encourage others to keep watching for Jesus with you. Amen.