Approaching Christmas
Sermon
We watched an episode of the comedy programme "Becker" recently. In this episode Becker, a doctor, revealed to one of his patients that the results of lab tests showed that the man had only two weeks to live. Naturally the man went away devastated.
A day or two later, Becker discovered that the lab had mixed up the tests, and that his patient had absolutely nothing wrong with him. Becker called the patient, apologised profusely and told him the good news. The man was even more devastated! Believing he had only two weeks to live, he'd gone on a wild spree, spending every penny he had and many that he didn't have, and doing every crazy thing he'd always wanted to do. He'd got rid of his wife, entertained as many good-time girls as he could find, got drunk, and so on.
Now he was left with no wife or family, no money, no home or reputation, loan sharks after him and a long, lonely and poverty stricken life stretching ahead of him. Needless to say, he was furious with Becker. In the short time he thought he had left to live, he'd done so many bad things that in a classic line he said, "Doctor, if I'm not going to die, I'm dead!"
I've often wondered what I might do with my life if I knew I had only two weeks to live. I'd probably be so paralysed by the very thought, that I wouldn't do anything. Some people do know they have only a limited time left to live, but in most cases they're very sick people and therefore physically incapable of doing much at all.
Even though they may not be aware of it consciously, others seem to know at some deep level that their life is drawing to a close, and they get very busy putting their affairs in order. Some of them start to give everything away, as though they're aware somewhere deep down inside, that they won't be needing material things much longer. But it's much easier to notice this sort of thing after the event.
Looking back after an unexpected death, it's occasionally possible to spot signs which indicate that perhaps the deceased person did have some subconscious awareness that he or she was going to die. But what if you're fit and well and free to do whatever you like, and you learn without a shadow of doubt that you have say, six months to live? What would you do then? Would you, like Dr Becker's patient, frantically try to cram in everything you'd ever wanted to do? Or would you slump straight into depression? Or would you turn your back and refuse to believe it? Or would you try to put all your affairs in order?
The trouble with this sort of exercise, of imagining what you might do if such a situation arose, is that it's almost impossible to imagine. So people can keep telling me to live each day as if it were my last, but because I don't really believe that in my heart of hearts, I don't actually take much notice. And my lifestyle certainly doesn't change.
These days, if somebody told me the world was going to end on some specific day, I'd just laugh and dismiss them as a crank. I certainly wouldn't change anything about my life, because I simply wouldn't believe what I was hearing. It's therefore even more difficult to consider changing my lifestyle just because at this point in Advent each year I hear about the Second Coming of Jesus.
The second letter of Peter is thought to be the latest work of the New Testament and was probably not written until the first or even the second quarter of the second century, so well over a hundred years after Jesus died. In which case, it clearly wasn't written by Simon Peter himself, but by a later author who attributed it to Peter. This was common practice at the time. But by this time, more than a hundred years after the time of Jesus, people were already scoffing and laughing at claims that Jesus would come again, and the author is at pains to deny these claims.
He points out that God isn't limited by our ideas of time. A thousand years, says the author, are like a mere day in God's time. But he goes on to make the point that a delay in the Second Coming of Jesus is to our advantage. After all, the Second Coming is going to mark the end of all time on this planet, and God doesn't want that to happen until all have repented and turned to him. Therefore what appears to be the slowness of God, is actually an example of his great love and patience.
Nonetheless, says the author, that day will come suddenly and stealthily and will creep up on you like a thief in the night, so make sure you're ready for it. Live holy and godly lives and make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
When Jesus began teaching and preaching on this earth around 2000 years ago, John the Baptist prepared the way for him. John softened up the audience, ready for the star attraction. His job was to make people aware of their spiritual poverty and their spiritual needs; needs which Jesus could and did meet.
But what about now, the post-Jesus era? The canon of the Bible, that is all the books which the bishops of the time decided ought to be included in the New testament, wasn't finally closed until after the fifth century. This little book of the second letter of Peter only just made it into the New Testament, for as late as the fifth century many people still refused to accept it as part of the New Testament. But since that time, nothing has been added to or removed from the New Testament. In a way, for Christians the revelation of God ceased with Jesus, just as for Jews the revelation of God ceased when the canon of the Old Testament was closed.
So it would seem that we're unlikely to have another John the Baptist, preparing the way for a Second Coming of Jesus. This is not because God has ceased to speak to us human beings today. There are millions of books written about God and spirituality and Jesus, and millions of people know through their own experience that God is alive and communicates with them. But there's a feeling within the New Testament that we've been told and shown all we need to know, through Jesus. Indeed, one of his own parables points to this. In the story of the rich man and Lazarus the beggar who both die on the same day, the rich man goes to Hell while Lazarus goes to Heaven. The rich man eventually pleads that Lazarus the beggar should be sent to the wealthy household to tell the rich man's family what's happened and to warn them to mend their ways before the same fate befalls them. The answer is that they had Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them. The rich man persists. " 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' " (Luke 16:20-31).
The message seems to be quite clear; that we have all we need to know. We don't need another John the Baptist to prepare us. So the author of the second letter of Peter reiterates what many have said before him; that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
It may not be possible for us to live each day as though it was our last. But it is possible for us to open our lives more and more to God, so that God can gradually fill us in every way with his Holy Spirit. It still doesn't mean that the Day of the Lord will come when we're full to the brim with the Holy Spirit, the God within, but it does mean that we'll live amazing and fantastic and completely fulfilled lives. And that's a very good way to approach Christmas.
A day or two later, Becker discovered that the lab had mixed up the tests, and that his patient had absolutely nothing wrong with him. Becker called the patient, apologised profusely and told him the good news. The man was even more devastated! Believing he had only two weeks to live, he'd gone on a wild spree, spending every penny he had and many that he didn't have, and doing every crazy thing he'd always wanted to do. He'd got rid of his wife, entertained as many good-time girls as he could find, got drunk, and so on.
Now he was left with no wife or family, no money, no home or reputation, loan sharks after him and a long, lonely and poverty stricken life stretching ahead of him. Needless to say, he was furious with Becker. In the short time he thought he had left to live, he'd done so many bad things that in a classic line he said, "Doctor, if I'm not going to die, I'm dead!"
I've often wondered what I might do with my life if I knew I had only two weeks to live. I'd probably be so paralysed by the very thought, that I wouldn't do anything. Some people do know they have only a limited time left to live, but in most cases they're very sick people and therefore physically incapable of doing much at all.
Even though they may not be aware of it consciously, others seem to know at some deep level that their life is drawing to a close, and they get very busy putting their affairs in order. Some of them start to give everything away, as though they're aware somewhere deep down inside, that they won't be needing material things much longer. But it's much easier to notice this sort of thing after the event.
Looking back after an unexpected death, it's occasionally possible to spot signs which indicate that perhaps the deceased person did have some subconscious awareness that he or she was going to die. But what if you're fit and well and free to do whatever you like, and you learn without a shadow of doubt that you have say, six months to live? What would you do then? Would you, like Dr Becker's patient, frantically try to cram in everything you'd ever wanted to do? Or would you slump straight into depression? Or would you turn your back and refuse to believe it? Or would you try to put all your affairs in order?
The trouble with this sort of exercise, of imagining what you might do if such a situation arose, is that it's almost impossible to imagine. So people can keep telling me to live each day as if it were my last, but because I don't really believe that in my heart of hearts, I don't actually take much notice. And my lifestyle certainly doesn't change.
These days, if somebody told me the world was going to end on some specific day, I'd just laugh and dismiss them as a crank. I certainly wouldn't change anything about my life, because I simply wouldn't believe what I was hearing. It's therefore even more difficult to consider changing my lifestyle just because at this point in Advent each year I hear about the Second Coming of Jesus.
The second letter of Peter is thought to be the latest work of the New Testament and was probably not written until the first or even the second quarter of the second century, so well over a hundred years after Jesus died. In which case, it clearly wasn't written by Simon Peter himself, but by a later author who attributed it to Peter. This was common practice at the time. But by this time, more than a hundred years after the time of Jesus, people were already scoffing and laughing at claims that Jesus would come again, and the author is at pains to deny these claims.
He points out that God isn't limited by our ideas of time. A thousand years, says the author, are like a mere day in God's time. But he goes on to make the point that a delay in the Second Coming of Jesus is to our advantage. After all, the Second Coming is going to mark the end of all time on this planet, and God doesn't want that to happen until all have repented and turned to him. Therefore what appears to be the slowness of God, is actually an example of his great love and patience.
Nonetheless, says the author, that day will come suddenly and stealthily and will creep up on you like a thief in the night, so make sure you're ready for it. Live holy and godly lives and make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
When Jesus began teaching and preaching on this earth around 2000 years ago, John the Baptist prepared the way for him. John softened up the audience, ready for the star attraction. His job was to make people aware of their spiritual poverty and their spiritual needs; needs which Jesus could and did meet.
But what about now, the post-Jesus era? The canon of the Bible, that is all the books which the bishops of the time decided ought to be included in the New testament, wasn't finally closed until after the fifth century. This little book of the second letter of Peter only just made it into the New Testament, for as late as the fifth century many people still refused to accept it as part of the New Testament. But since that time, nothing has been added to or removed from the New Testament. In a way, for Christians the revelation of God ceased with Jesus, just as for Jews the revelation of God ceased when the canon of the Old Testament was closed.
So it would seem that we're unlikely to have another John the Baptist, preparing the way for a Second Coming of Jesus. This is not because God has ceased to speak to us human beings today. There are millions of books written about God and spirituality and Jesus, and millions of people know through their own experience that God is alive and communicates with them. But there's a feeling within the New Testament that we've been told and shown all we need to know, through Jesus. Indeed, one of his own parables points to this. In the story of the rich man and Lazarus the beggar who both die on the same day, the rich man goes to Hell while Lazarus goes to Heaven. The rich man eventually pleads that Lazarus the beggar should be sent to the wealthy household to tell the rich man's family what's happened and to warn them to mend their ways before the same fate befalls them. The answer is that they had Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them. The rich man persists. " 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' " (Luke 16:20-31).
The message seems to be quite clear; that we have all we need to know. We don't need another John the Baptist to prepare us. So the author of the second letter of Peter reiterates what many have said before him; that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
It may not be possible for us to live each day as though it was our last. But it is possible for us to open our lives more and more to God, so that God can gradually fill us in every way with his Holy Spirit. It still doesn't mean that the Day of the Lord will come when we're full to the brim with the Holy Spirit, the God within, but it does mean that we'll live amazing and fantastic and completely fulfilled lives. And that's a very good way to approach Christmas.
