First Sunday of Advent

First Sunday of Advent
December 1 , 2002

What is the sleepiest time for you during the day?

It usually hits about 2:18 in the afternoon. It begins with a yawn. Then another. If I am at the computer, my eyes stop focussing briefly. If I am in the middle of a conversation, I suddenly find my attention wandering. Or I am simply gone. I am looking at the student, the staff member, nodding my head, doing all the correct body language, but I am not there. Inside, my brain or my stomach or will or something is telling me – It is time to sleep! I usually don’t need much of a rest – ten minutes does it – but the need to sleep becomes very strong in the middle of the afternoon.

But I have discovered, as I have reflected, that there are other times when I am ‘sleepy’ – when my heart loses focus, when my will falters, when I struggle to do the right, when it is easier to be asleep then awake. A parent brought in a concern about a staff member at the school – and I wanted to sleep – to not be aware or awake, because then I could just ignore my responsibility to the situation. A student whom I sometimes struggle with, comes in, and every aspect of her body language is screaming that it is a horrible day. So I ask how she is doing and she says ‘fine’ and I let it go – because it is easier to sleep then invest… The gentleman who volunteers to keep St. Ann’s cemetery comes in the rectory and expresses a desire to have a committee to look to the overseeing of the Cemetery – and I find myself wanting to sleep because that is more work on a full plate – and it would be so easy to sleep…

Be constantly on the watch! Stay awake! Be on Guard. These are not apocalyptic words of warning about the end time – but are here and now warnings about impending times of danger. The watches in the night – evening, midnight, cock crow and morning, reflect key moments in Mark’s passion.
Evening – is Judas’ betrayal.
At Midnight – the disciples sleep instead of pray.
When the cock crows – Simon Peter denies his master.
In the Morning – Pilate condemns Jesus to death.
Immediate warnings to people in the middle of their activities to an awareness of the moments they might miss otherwise.

When are you most sleepy – most unaware?

driving in holiday traffic jams… or the search for the parking space – watch out world… -Be on Guard! be awake!
crunch time of finals – does it absorb all you are so you miss the people who are around you? Be on Guard!
general business – I have tried to stop answering the question: How are you? With the response –BUSY. –implies no time, and not doing what I want to be about. Full – says to myself and hopefully to the people I am with that I am present to each moment and to each person. Be on Guard! against ‘busy’! Be awake to the moment…
self-absorbtion. Took a walk with my Goddaughter during thanksgiving. She was not walking in a straight line to where we were heading. Began to annoy me – “Gracie – you’re not walking in a straight line, are you? What are you doing?” “Uncle Father Bill, I’m stepping on rocks…” Like Duh!… All of a sudden, I was out of my world and into hers… Be on Guard! lest you miss the grace…

It is so easy to sleep, isn’t it? To not be awake to the moments of grace and trial and blessing and sin. Watch! Be Alert! Be Awake! God is all around you. His advent is here – in the watches of the night, in the moments of our day. Be on Guard! not to miss it… What a thing it will be. Be on Guard!…