Advent 4: Dissipation and Drunkenness

God's reign is breaking through, don't miss it

From Advent 3: I wanted to share this image from our family’s Advent 3 fellowship time. Maggie was in charge of inviting folks after her parents dropped the ball, and I am so proud of the ways Maggie is alert to the possibilities of God’s Reign

Scripture: Lk 21:25-36

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁵ “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. ²⁶ People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁹ Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; ³⁰ as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. ³¹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ³² Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Exhortation to Watch

³⁴ “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, ³⁵ like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Reflection

If you’re joining this devotional journey for the first time, welcome! I do, however, recommend that you read Advent 2 before you continue, because if you’ve read it you’ll understand better why I’m going to largely ignore verses 25-33 of this week’s lectionary passage. I’ve already written at length about the signs of the apocalypse. But I do think the exhortation to watch in verses 34-36, not duplicated anywhere else in any of the other gospels, is worth our attention as we learn together what it means to look for and work for God’s reign in this advent season and beyond.

Before we look at the text too closely, I need to tell you about my college freshman obsession with Beowulf. As part of my Honors College education at Ball State, I took a humanities sequence of courses that changed my life. Not only did I meet the love of my life in this class and many lifelong friends, I was introduced to new ways of thinking about the world, and my curiosity flourished under the skilled teaching of Dr. James Ruebel and Professor Elizabeth Dalton. One book stands out far more than all the others when I think about the long-term impact of this class.

When I first read Beowulf I was drawn in by the stakes of the story of a kingdom besieged by a monster and the man who put an end to the monster’s 12-year reign of terror. In a Kingdom called Scylding, ruled by King Hrothgar, a monster named Grendel came to the king’s meadhall and killed the king’s warriors. Every night, these “warriors” would prepare to fight Grendel, only to get drunk from the mead they drank to fortify themselves. These drunken fighters never stood a chance against Grendel and were routinely slaughtered, often “asleep with their feasting.” When news travels overseas to the land of the Geats of King Hrothgar’s misfortunes, the King of the Geats decides to send a contingent of warriors to face Grendel and defeat him once and for all, and the leader of these Geats was named Beowulf. He had “the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand” and had many feats of strength that he could boast of when spouting his credentials for defeating Grendel at last.

While there isn’t an exact parallel between the set up of this story and the apocalyptic nature of Luke’s exhortation to watch, I can’t help but notice similarities between Luke’s caution to be on guard so as not to be weighed down by drunkenness and King Hrothgar’s men being asleep with their feasting when the time was come to fight. So too are there similarities between Luke’s advice to his hearers and the ultimate salvation for King Hrothgar’s people: alertness.

On Beowulf’s first night in the mead hall, when Grendel arrives Beowulf is described as“alert.” This is the adjective that the narrator used, not strong, not mighty, not super-human. Beowulf is simply alert. He is fully present when it is time to do battle and he does not back down. He may have also had the strength of 30 in the grip of each hand, but I can’t help but think he was able to do in one night what hundreds of warriors could not do in 12 years at least in part because he wasn’t drunk off his ass.

In Francois Bovon’s Luke commentary, he makes the case that beyond a literal meaning of the drunkenness and dissipation in the text, we should be thinking more broadly. This text is pointing to people who have given themselves over to a life of excess and therefore only focused on their own material existence. People who do this will eventually stop being attentive to the things of God. That lack of attention and alertness means that we miss out on the fullness of life in Christ. We miss the opportunity to be there for each other, diminish suffering, and live in hope that what God wants is really possible. Verse 35, speaking apocalyptically, says that the end of the world comes for all people on the face of the earth, but I encourage us all to think as if the opportunity to decrease suffering and increase God’s kingdom comes to all of us many times in our lives, and if we’re not careful we are going to miss it.

It’s important to break out of the parallel between Beowulf and Luke to make a couple of key distinctions. I’ve talked to a few people since starting this advent devotional project about the frustration over the bigger picture of all of the problems we face – ever-expanding imperialism, greater police power, climate change, increasing poverty, and forced displacement seem overwhelming, and I don’t think there’s a silver bullet of “showing up” and all of our problems are solved forever. Beowulf gets a neat bow on his story, and we don’t. The temptation can be that since we can’t solve all of our problems in a few easy steps that we should not bother trying and give ourselves over to our own material comfort, which is what Luke warns against.

I wonder what would happen if we could be attentive to the ways God invites us to bring about a world where everyone has enough and no one has to be afraid where we are. What if we were alert to the big picture, but we acted to build power in small ways to decrease suffering, and as more people choose to engage in the suffering of the world instead of numbing themselves away from it, that power grows to change systems. This is the idea behind mutual aid. Mutual aid starts with alleviating suffering by addressing the material needs of those who do not have enough because our systems do not adequately care for the needs of all people. But at its best, mutual aid never stops with just the immediate need. Once we become alert to the fact that many suffer needlessly, we are then compelled to show up in community with those who suffer most to transform the systems that create the need in the first place. Providing food and housing can lead to tenant unions and more permanent, affordable, and stable housing. God’s world breaks through, we didn’t miss it!

I do not have the ability to guarantee that in showing up and being alert we will win every fight, but I do know that it is in the interests of capitalists and the politicians who enable them that we stay disengaged and focus only on ourselves. I invite all of us to stay alert this advent, pay attention to the suffering of this world, and find new ways to show up for each other. If this is something new for you, I’d start by looking up mutual aid groups in your area and see how you can get involved. This year I’m knitting hats for an Indianapolis group handing out meals and basic necessities to our unhoused neighbors.

Candle Lighting

God who is present, you invite us in

We see much suffering and work to be done, and we are overwhelmed

Help us to remain alert to the ways you are already working

Help us find the courage to join in your good work

As we light the fourth candle of advent, may it be a step toward alertness, so that we would be open to all the suffering and joy in your creation

Discussion

1. In times of great overwhelm, what do you do that moves you further from taking action? For example, my numbing go-tos are scrolling on social media, mindlessly eating, and watching tv (to be clear, I think it’s fine to do all of these things, I just know I use them all to excess as a form of escapism).

2. Is there something you’ve been wanting to do but don’t know how to start? Take some time today to get help getting started, either from someone you know or by looking for people already doing what you want to do. It can feel hard to reach out to these kinds of efforts, but believe me when I say that folks will be happy to get your inquiry.

Family Activity

This week there is no prescribed craft, but the activity is inspired by how the Kozaks spent part of a family gathering for Thanksgiving last weekend.

As I mentioned, I’ve been knitting hats. Chris has a needlepoint project that is so large he will be cross stitching well into his retirement. Maggie has gotten really into coloring in her Pokémon coloring book. We brought our projects to family Thanksgiving at my Aunt Joyce’s house, and the three of us spent time together, chatting and working on our projects.

This week, if you have something you like working on with your hands, bring it to advent dinner to work on after your meal while you talk together about a world where everyone has enough and no one has to be afraid, and how you might turn toward action that can bring that world closer.

Recipe: Curried Lentil and Potato Soup

This is a big cooking week for many, so if you just want to eat leftovers far be it from me to tell you what to eat for your advent meal. If you like having a recipe for this ritual, here’s a favorite of ours from when we were first married. We’d make a pot and have leftovers all week. Recipe comes from Mark Bittman’s cookbook, How to Cook Everything.

1 cup dried brown lentils, washed and picked over
3-1/2 cups mixture (one can of coconut milk + vegetable broth or water)
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 medium russet potatoes, chopped, skins on
salt and pepper, to taste
cilantro, for garnish, if you like

Combine the lentils, liquids, and curry powder in a stockpot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn the heat down to medium-low so that the mixture bubbles gently, cover partially, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils start to absorb the water a bit, about 15 minutes.

Add the potatoes and cover the pan completely. Cook, undisturbed for 10 minutes or so, then stir gently and check to make sure the lentils aren't too dry. If so, add a little more liquid. Add the salt and pepper as the lentils become tender.

Cover and continue to cook until the lentils are sot and beginning to turn to mush and the potatoes are tender at the center, another 5-10 minutes (mine had to go longer); add liquid if necessary. The mixture should be moist but not soupy. Add lots of black pepper, stir, then taste and adjust the seasoning and serve, garnished with yogurt, if you like, and/or cilantro.