Advent 1, December 2, 2007; Bethel Lutheran Church, Rochester.
Matthew 24:36-44.

Dear Friends in Christ, Grace to you and Peace, from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. AMEN.


A few years ago, the B.C. comic strip had a Christmas cartoon that read like this:
One small ant said to his father, “Dad, who is Jesus?”
The father ant replied, “He’s the reason for the season.”
In the next panel the small ant says, “But Dad, I thought Santa Claus was the reason.” And the father ant replies, “He is--if you prefer Nintendo to everlasting life.”

That might be a bit harsh. Most of us at Bethel affirm both Jesus in the manger and the giving and receiving of gifts, including Nintendos and Wiis and Xbox360s. We make time both for worship and for Christmas parties. We are generous to those who have little and to those who probably have too much. Nonetheless, it is a season in which we need to focus. While many important activities and people clamor for our attention, ultimately we need to let the main thing be the main thing.

Dr. Mickey Anders tells about twin girls in Massachusetts who had been born twelve weeks prematurely. They weighed in at about two pounds each, and had been placed in separate bassinets. One started to do just fine--the other began slowly to fade. Her heart-beat was rapid, she was visibly anxious, and nothing the nurses could do seemed to be able to stop what they saw as her inevitable death.
Then one nurse remembered something she had read about treatment of premature infants elsewhere in the world. As a last resort the nurses put little Brielle, the weaker twin, right into the bassinet with Kyrie, her “big sister.” (Kyrie was 3 ounces bigger!) In the words of one of the nurses on duty, the results were both immediate and dramatic. Little Brielle snuggled up to her sister, and her heart rate immediately slowed to normal. Her color came back. The baby visibly relaxed, almost it seemed with a sigh of relief. She accepted nourishment. The crisis was over. She would survive.

It is a story that reminds us of our gospel reading for today from Matthew. Jesus envisions the end of time. Two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left; two will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Twins are born prematurely. Will one be taken and one left? Shall we focus on the main thing—focus on life? Perhaps it is the case that both can be saved? Isn’t that the call of the Christian church—to go out with the good news that all are touched by this one named Jesus? We need to focus on the main thing—is it to tell the story of Christmas? How many don’t even know the story of Jesus?

Pastor Barry Dawson tells of an amazing woman named Helen. Helen was from a German family who had made their home in Russia. During Stalin’s reign, German citizens were the targets of persecution and attacks. Fortunately, Helen and a small group of girls escaped Russia. They traveled on foot over rough terrain, with no resources but the clothes on their back, until they reached Germany. Helen’s parents weren’t so lucky; they died in a labor camp in Siberia.
Once in Germany, Helen found work as a maid. Her employer was a cruel woman who threatened to kill Helen if she ever left. Eventually, Helen was able to leave Germany. She emigrated to Canada, where she had a cousin. He offered to let Helen work as a maid in his household. She was penniless and didn’t know a word of English, so it seemed like the perfect situation for her. Except that Helen’s cousin was an evil man who assaulted her repeatedly. He knew she had no resources and no way to escape.
When Helen became pregnant with her cousin’s child, her cousin and his church forced her to leave town. She moved to another town in Canada. Eventually, she married and raised a family.
Pastor Dawson met Helen in her later years, after her husband had died. She was a woman of modest means, but she was wealthy in faith and love.
Helen’s church was debating the need for hiring a youth pastor. Like most churches, they operated on a tight budget. Where were they going to find the money?
Then Helen spoke up. Ever since she was a child, Helen had dreamed of playing the piano. Of course, her troubled childhood in Russia, and her exile to Germany, put that dream on hold. After her marriage, Helen and her husband bought a piano. But the demands of working and raising a family left little time for Helen to pursue her own dreams. For the last few months, Helen had been saving up her money so that she could begin piano lessons. But what was more important than telling young people about the love of Jesus? Helen pledged that night to give up her piano lessons and donate that $60 each month to the youth fund. The church council members, moved by Helen’s generosity, voted unanimously to hire a youth pastor.

Focusing on the main thing—telling the story of Christ. Helen didn’t know the day or the hour—nor do we. But Helen used her resources to make other people ready for the coming!

A church in a small Swiss town was renowned for its beautiful pipe organ. The music from that organ was so moving, so resonant, so rich that those who heard it swore that they could see visions of God. Worshipers left that church each Sunday inspired to live lives that reflected the glory and reverence of God, because the awesome music of the pipe organ drew their hearts closer to their Creator.
But over time, the organ pipes began to lose their rich sound. The music became thin and mediocre. The church’s pastor brought in repairmen from all over Switzerland to examine the organ. None of them knew how to restore its wonderful sound.
One night, a shabby-looking stranger entered the town. He went to the church and asked the caretaker to be allowed to stay the night. The caretaker was suspicious of the stranger, but the caretaker’s young daughter was moved by the glow of the stranger’s eyes. She convinced her father to let him in.
Later, the caretaker awakened to hear the church sanctuary filled with music. The music was not thin and ordinary. It was the rich, resonant, soaring tones that once filled the hearts of the worshipers. He ran to the sanctuary, where he saw the townspeople assembling. They sat in reverent awe, praising God for the beauty they experienced. At the organ sat the shabby stranger.
When the music stopped, the caretaker asked the stranger, “Who are you?”
“My name is Gott,” the stranger replied.
“But who are you that you could restore the beautiful music of the organ?”
The stranger smiled and wiped some dust from the mantle of the organ. Underneath in gilt letters was the name “Gott.”
“Many years ago, I built this organ with my own hands,” he explained. “Now, I have come, to make it sing again.”

Some of you know the German language. You know that G-O-T-T, Gott, is the German word for God. Was it God who came to the church that night? Evidently the church didn’t know Gott was coming—they almost didn’t let him into the church.

God is coming into our midst yet again. We can predict the coming of Christmas, for we have put it on a calendar. What we can’t predict is when the Lord will come for the final time.

And that is why we focus on the main thing. Be ready. Be ready. Take note of the season of the year. Take note of your preparedness. God is ready to bring soaring music to our lives once again in Jesus. The trumpets will sound. The angels will sing. And Christ shall reign forever and ever. AMEN!