Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Vespers - Advent 1

 Vespers on the Wednesday of Ad Te Levavi – December 4, 2024
Psalm 24; James 5:7-10
St. Matthew 3:1-6

In the Name of the Father, and of the T Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

When placed side-by-side, the preaching of St. John the Baptist and St. James might seem in conflict. St. John preaches with urgency, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”[1] The voice crying in the wilderness is desperately calling for the repentance of man. Now is the time to repent. Do not tarry, do not wait. Now is the time for repentance, not later.

But St. James calls for patience. “Be patient until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.”[2] This seeming conflict can be resolved in three ways: historically, theologically, and practically.

Historically, St. John and St. James are addressing two different audiences at two very different times. St. John is calling Jerusalem, all Judea, and the region around the Jordan to repentance.[3] He is preparing the way of the Lord in a very present and historic sense. He has been called by God as the final prophet of the Old Testament to prepare the hearts of the faithful to receive the Christ. Our Lord is walking among these people, and it is urgent that they be prepared to receive them.

Those who hear the preaching of St. John the Baptist are in a dangerous position. They have the testimony of the Scriptures, the Old Testament. They also have the preaching of the Pharisees, who have turned the Messiah of God’s Word into a warrior of the state. They are looking for someone to arise and lead them to a new political state, one they can call their own. The hope of salvation is the hope for an independent country, without foreign influence. The faithful who hear the preaching of John, hear of the Messiah who will save them from their sins. They hear that the promise of the holy city is the promise of eternal life with God. The overthrow of their invaders is the overthrowing of their sin and all those who would persecute them for their faith.

They are in a precarious position because not only do they have these opposing preachers calling out to them, but they are soon to see One who claims to be the promised Messiah. They will have to determine if He is in fact the One who is to come or if they should look for another.[4] They must witness not only the teachings of the Christ, but His suffering, death, and burial. And, of course, His resurrection. But for the moment, they have the words of John and the words of the Pharisees and they must discern which aligns with the Word of God.

For those who have ears to hear, who recognize the voice of John as the voice crying in the wilderness, they must be prepared. They must be prepared through repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Their hearts are jagged with sin and must be planed smooth to receive the Christ.

St. James is preaching to those who have seen and heard the teachings of Christ, His sufferings, death, burial, and resurrection. They have the sure and certain Word of God that has transformed their hearts from jagged stones to hearts of flesh. These faithful are now anxious for the final coming of the Lord. They look for the Last Day and anticipate its coming at any moment. For many of them, this causes distress. ‘The Lord is coming very soon and yet there is so much to do!” Especially at this time of year, when many of us are entertaining friends and family, we understand this anxiety. There is always one more thing that needs cleaned, one more dish to prepare, one more load of laundry to put away.

For those of St. James’s day, this anxiety could even lead to abandoning the faith. ‘Christ said He would return but He hasn’t yet. Maybe He isn’t the Christ.” It comes a bit later in history, but there were even Christians who sought martyrdom. They would purposely turn themselves into the Roman or Jewish persecutors, believing that by sacrificing themselves they would become more holy. While it is true that those who are martyred for the name of Christ are especially blessed, nowhere does Christ call us to foolishly throw ourselves onto the fire. That is, in fact, against the commandments of God, especially those commandments concerning vocation. It is against both the errors of pride and despair that St. James is calling for patience among the faithful of Christ.

Historically, we see that St. John and St. James are preaching in two different situations on either side of the death and resurrection of Christ. Theologically, their preaching is also harmonious. Repentance is a matter of urgency. Now is the time to repent of your sins. Now is the time to throw yourself onto the mercy of God that He would forgive your sins for the sake of His Son. The Lord admonished Cain, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”[5] Sin is always waiting at the door, seeking to devour your soul. The more it is ignored, the larger and more ravenous it becomes. And, the more you ignore your sin, the more oblivious you become to it. Repentance is a matter of urgency.

The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand and the Lord may reveal Himself at any moment. Watch yourselves, that when He returns, you are not caught in the midst of sin. “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light… But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”[6]

At the same time, “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?... Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”[7]

Anxiety is contrary to faith. Whether about the needs of daily life or the final coming of Christ, do not worry. Do not be anxious. The Lord will give you meat in due season and when the harvest is ripe, He will return to gather His faithful wheat into the heavenly barns.[8] That doesn’t mean we sit idly by and await the coming of the Lord. St. James compares our waiting to the farmer awaiting the harvest. If the farmer doesn’t tend the field, the seeds will be devoured by birds and the young plants will be choked out by thorns and thistles.[9] Although we are to be patient regarding the coming of the Lord, we are to tend the field of our faith through repentance and prayer.

And this is where the texts are united practically. If you think of your soul as the field, then we are to urgently tend the field. It is what lies before us. Tend to the field by repentance and faith. Tear out sin by the root and work tirelessly to increase the quality of the soil. This work is attending to the Word of God and prayer but also attending to your vocations. Serve your neighbor as a faithful wife, father, son, or daughter. Children, be diligent in your studies so that you can grow into serving your neighbor in other ways. Parents, be diligent in teaching your children, both the faith and the virtues necessary for life in this world. Care for the things you’ve been given and those beloved souls placed into your care.

Do these things with patience. Your reward is guaranteed. The Lord has given you the Kingdom in Holy Baptism and He will not take it away from those who wait on Him. Do we urgently and fervently pray for the final coming of Christ? Absolutely. Every time we pray, “Thy Kingdom come,” we pray that Christ would return to gather us home. But we need not pray with anxiety. We may pray urgently and with patience, resting in the promises that have already been fulfilled, even if our fleshly eyes and ears can’t see or hear it.

In + Jesus’ name. Amen.



[1] St. Matthew 3:2.

[2] James 5:7-8.

[3] St. Matthew 3:5.

[4] St. Matthew 11:3.

[5] Genesis 4:7.

[6] Romans 13:12, 14.

[7] St. Matthew 6:25, 31-34.

[8] Psalm 145:15-16; St. Matthew 24:27, 36-37.

[9] St. Matthew 13:3-9.

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