Next Spring I am getting a Springer Spaniel puppy. I had a Brittany I called Annie. She pointed birds, some of the time, for a few nano-seconds, often in immediate succession to one another! And occasionally when I was close enough to actually see her do it! She wouldn’t retrieve her own name if she dropped it. She found rabbits—and flushed way far away! She would come when called—eventually, sit when she smelled a treat in your hand, and otherwise get into mischief. In preparation for the coming of this next canine I am reading up on training an all-around dog. How am I going to transform an unformed puppy into a well-disciplined field assistant? What I’ve learned is that I’ve got to do my part, but the natural smarts of the dog have to come through or it won’t work.

Today I introduce a series of sermons on the Eucharist. It is timely to do this during Advent, for in spite of all the pre-set prayers and words and actions, there is a magic in the Eucharist an innate something over which we have no control which has to appear on its own or we’re all wasting our time. Coming to Church is best done with a sense of expectation, then, of watching for something to happen, and Advent is a time of expectation. Advent is the time when we live expectantly for the coming of the Christ Child; the Eucharist calls us to come to church expectantly, waiting for God’s grace.

In today’s Gospel lesson Jesus talks to His disciples about His return. The coming of the Son of Man will catch people unawares just like the flood in Noah’s day. Two will be in the field, one will be taken and one left, two will be grinding meal together, one will be taken and one left. We don’t want to be the one taken, swept away by the flood of judgment, so Jesus counsels His disciples to watch. The coming of the Son of Man can be devastating like a thief in the night. If you have ever been broken into you know the sense of violation, anger and powerlessness. The coming of Christ has the potential of being even more completely devastating. Or it can be liberating like a boat in a flood. If you’ve ever been rescued, lifted above the flood, you know the sense of gratitude. Noah’s ark symbolizes the Church that carries the elect over the floodwaters of this world into eternity. The difference between the thief and the boat is in our sense of expectation.

While Jesus is talking about His “parousia,” His second coming, it’s the same any time God shows up. Whether it is in watching a sunset, feeling the embrace of a loved one, getting a traffic ticket or maxing your credit card, or singing a Christmas carol, one moment the moment is simply earthly and ordinary, the next there is a numinous depth to it. It is suddenly profoundly meaningful—we have become aware of the presence of God. He comes when He chooses to come. We neither earn it nor deserve it. We are powerless before His appearing. The experience of His coming can be devastating or redeeming. The difference lies in our attitude of heart. Therefore, WATCH—develop a sense of expectation.

How does that play out in the Eucharist? It starts at home. There seems to be three basic experiences of coming to church: There is the ideal: Everyone gets up, gets dressed, leave early, arrive early, and worship in peace. Then there is the reality: The kids get you up and say, “Mommy, Daddy, let’s go to church!” You drag yourself out of bed and get dressed and hustle to church, chastised by the greater desire for God’s house in your child than in yourself. Or you get the family up and say, “We’re going to church,” and the kids say, “We don’t wanna go to church!” and the spouse says, “This is my only morning to sleep in!” and there’s a big fight, and you arrive hassled and disgruntled—! Frankly, none of that matters. Whether God shows up or not is not a function of your immediate history. The question is, can you watch in the midst of the turmoil? YES, you can. No matter when you arrive kneel to pray. Quiet your heart, push aside the distractions, and anticipate what is to come. See the prayers on pp. 833, 834 of the BCP.

What is to come? Two things: 1) A great drama in two acts: The first act is the Ministry of the Word. We hear God speak to our situation and respond in faith and commitment. 2) The Ministry of the Table. In it we are fed the spiritually empowering Body and Blood of Christ. We do these things in faith. Faith is not necessarily a warm feeling of being close to Christ, neither it is a correct understanding of our doctrines. Faith is the assurance of things not seen (Hebrews 12:1,) the confidence that the reality of Christ is present and dependable. Faith is our relationship with God, and like all relationships, it is chosen before it is experienced. We do them with expectation. When you take your sweetie out to eat you don’t expect to order only one meal, and talk only to the waiter. You talk with her, about what’s going on in her life and how she’s feeling. In the same way, we do these things with an open heart, expecting Another to be in the picture, too.

The second is what we do not do: God shows up. He shows up as we read and preach the Word, because by faith we know that He speaks. He shows up as we pray, because by faith we believe that He hears us. He shows up as we confess our sins, for by faith we know that He forgives us. He shows up when we sing because by faith we know that Christ is with us when we unite our hearts in His name. He shows up when we gather at the sacred table because by faith we partake of His being. When God shows up we are transformed. Sometimes we are aware of it: There is a sense of being joined to Christ, of being transported to somewhere beyond ourselves, and of sharing in something incredibly huge. But sometimes the feelings are not there. When my puppy learns not to wet the rug she will not be aware of the change, she will just do as she should. And when she is working in the field it will not “feel” any different to her, though she is different. Feeling or not, we ARE transformed—by faith we declare it to be!

We will experience it in good time. I am watching and waiting for my puppy to arrive at our house in February. I’m living out that watching by preparing. In the same way, God is coming. He will turn up when it is time. We don’t know the time, but there is ought we can do: Come to church, believe that the transformation takes place, and expect it to happen. Actively WATCH!

Fr. Paul Moore+