Sunday, November 29th
Luke 21:25-36
25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” 29 He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life,and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
The idea of the second coming of Christ has always been a bit confusing to me. We’re supposed to watch for it, wait for it, but it seems also to fear it—at least a little bit. I think in other contexts, any of us would say we’d love to have a chance to meet Jesus face to face, to sit and talk with him, to ask questions, receive blessings, maybe understand so much more about life. But the second coming is scary. Bad things will happen. Who knows who will be OK and who will not? Only God. Sometimes it feels to me like a threat from a teacher leaving the room—“Behave while I’m gone or I’ll deal with you when I get back.” But the longer the teacher is gone, the more likely it is that students will do something they shouldn’t. Imagine sitting quietly at your desk reading for 20 minutes, then getting up to stretch your legs just as the teacher returns. Will you get in trouble? How long do we have to wait? How long do we have to behave? It’s been a really long time now. It gets harder and harder.
Advent is the time to sit back down and get your work done. We remember each year not just the birth of Jesus but the promise that Christ will come again. And we should take the opportunity to prepare ourselves. We need to search our hearts and our lives for the ways in which we have strayed. Get ourselves back on the right path. It’s not our job to take names or keep track of what others are doing, but just to prepare ourselves for Christ’s return.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you for this opportunity to prepare our hearts for you. We are sometimes like little children—it is hard to wait. May we use this Advent season to look inside and cleanse our hearts and our lives of those things that keep us from your love. And just as Mary and Joseph welcomed the baby Jesus into their lives, may we welcome your saving Christ into ours. Amen.