Sermon from March 17, 2024 by the Rev. Brett Gudeman

“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert, for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake, for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening or at midnight or at cockcrow or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

MARK 13:32-37

Keep Awake. Look. Watch. Keep Awake. These are the words we are left with by Jesus Christ. They are the final words before what we call the passion narrative begins. The passion narrative is the story of Jesus’s betrayal, the last supper, the arrest, the crucifix, the death, and the resurrection: we are left with these words. Keep Awake. Watch. Look. In the Greek, agrupneo- to be sleepless, to always be awake, to not even be sleepy. What are we to be looking for, what are we on watch to look out for, why must we keep awake?

There are so many things in our lives that want to lull us to sleep, to blot out the world and not pay attention. For one thing, we are inundated with advertisements, there is some debate in the research but some studies estimate that we consume several thousand advertisements a day between TV, internet, radio, podcasts. With that many flashing words, trying to sell us things we do not need, we train ourselves to filter and to ignore what is in front of us. But Christ has called us to stay awake, to be watchful.

 We also have the screens that seem to rule our lives, the average American between work and pleasure spends 7 hours a day. That means, if we sleep 8 hours a day, we on average spend half our waking time on screens then we do seeing in the world. And often times, if your job requires screens that number may be much higher- I know my daily average is higher than seven hours. For some of you, maybe you're below average, but you still must admit they dominate our lives. Because it is so much more comfortable to looks here than it is to look out here and see the people right in front of us. But Christ has told us to stay awake, to watch.

We are so busy in life, we are running our kids from one practice to another, cooking meals, trying to keep the house clean, attending meetings, trying to keep our head above water, doing these important things that we sometimes wonder are we actually building relationships with our families and loved ones who we see every day? This past week Evie got an ear infection, she was out of daycare for spring break, Ally and I were both trying to work through this busy season of our jobs and when the week ended and we just looked at each other and said, have we talked other than just making logistical appointments? Jesus Christ says Watch. Keep Awake. Look.

We can even spend our time on things that appear to be theological or academic. but they end up being self-serving. I know many people who spend their time researching the end of days, when Jesus will come back. Or, people who spend their time listening to others espouse their theories of when Jesus will come again. There is always heightened interest whenever there is unrest in the middle east as there is right now. But, as our Scripture says, no one knows the hour— not even Jesus, so why would we think we would be able to figure it out? But we fill our time with these theological pursuits as a way to fall asleep and not see, watch, or look what we are called to see around us. We can get so focused on our own lives, our own pursuits that we fall asleep to what we are called to.

I can remember my very first youth church retreat ever. We have moved churches from an intimate community church to one of the larger ones in Tucson, and in the Summer of my 7th grade year, I did my first away summer trip. Terrified, being naturally shy and only knowing about two kids in the whole of the 70, I tried to excel in the team competitions. Well one evening, they did a counselor hide and seek, where all the youth leaders went and hid in the woods, and the middle schoolers were set free to go wander in the woods looking for the counselors. It was a different time then, because the thought of unleashing middle schoolers out into the dark, terrifying woods of a remote camp in the mountains literally sounds like the worst idea in the world to now responsible pastor Brett. As we’re waiting to begin, all crammed in the chapel, waiting to burst out the doors, people began telling me the myth of LT. LT was an older counselor, a former sheriff, and who’s real name I honestly could not tell you, such is the attention span of 12-year-old boys. And LT had not been found in the past eight years. Kids speculated he climbed so high in trees he couldn’t be seen, or he laid in the creek bed with a snorkel. He was the golden prize, the one everyone wanted to find. Eventually, we were released, and running into find the darkness, we went to find our counselors. Paired up with my one friend, we burst into the night, hurdling over rocks, and looking in ravines. Every time we saw other lights we went a different direction because we wanted to be the ones who found a counselor and hopefully, LT. When the bell rang, and somehow all middle schoolers returned from the dark woods, albeit with scrapped knees and disappointment, I had not found any counselors and as my friend and I returned, we saw about half the counselors were back at the chapel, found by different kids. No LT was present. Slowly, the counslors drifted into the chapel, some shared their hiding places, others refused— hoping to use them the next year. Finally, LT arrives, carrying two flashlights pointed from his hip. He had not hidden out in the woods, he had merely walked around, but all the kids, including myself, either fled from the lights of others, or didn’t take the time to see who truly right in front of them. Every child had chosen to remain in the darknes, as opposed to see the light before them.

So often in our world, the Kingdom of God is being beckoning to be built right in front of us. Who are the people right in front of us that need help, but we’re busy searching in the trees and in the creekbed. Think about it, who in your family is in need of an extra text, a special call, a moment of your time without screens or distractions? Which or your neighbors is struggling right now and needs someone to notice and to ask? Who in our local community needs food or shelter or access to mental health? The hurting world is both across the seas and in foreign countries, and the hurting world is right here in our city, it is right here in our families, it is right here in our church. There is so much to be done, so much to be watchful.

We may feel like we’re out in the woods all alone, shining our lights looking for community, looking for our goals, looking for meaning and identity. But instead of looking out into the fathomless darkness, trying to make sense of it all, what if we looked where the lights were already shinning? God is working in this world, through incredible people. Keep watch. Stay Awake. Look around you at the incredibly faithful people who are loving in this world, who have loved you. We have been given a responsibility, the greatest gift of Jesus, consciousness, watchfulness.

This is our final week of Lent before holy week. Lent is that church season of intentional reflection, a season where we truly prepare our hearts and minds for the joy and celebration of the Easter. Maybe this Lenten season has flown by for you, maybe you had spiritual disciplines you hoped to do, but haven’t done since the first week, maybe you grew up in a tradition that didn’t celebrate Lent and so you are still  honestly a little confused on the whole thing. Regardless of where you are, on this last week of Lent, these last seven days before we enter into Holy Week and celebrate Christ’s death and resurrection, I challenge you church to keep awake, watch, look for the ways Jesus Christ is at work in the world. Look for the ways Jesus is working in your own life and through your own relationships. Keep awake, look for all the ways God’s beauty is manifested in this world through the flowers springing forth into the world. Keep awake, look for the way grace has brought you to where you are today, a Beloved child of Good. Keep awake, look at all the ways people are seeking to bring God’s peace, love and compassion into the world. Keep awake, look! For God is doing marvelous things, but do we have eyes to see? Do we have hearts that are ready to participate. Keep awake church, because there is so much in our life that is worth seeing, worth living for, worth participating in. Keep awake church, you are known, you are loved, and you are called. Thanks be to God, amen.