Today marks the beginning of the season of Advent, a time of preparation, a time of the Messiah’s coming, going and coming, a time of great expectation and great anticipation. But exactly what is advent and what are we anticipating? What are we getting ready for? What do we expect to happen? Are we preparing our hearts and spirits to receive the Christ child into the world? Or are we preparing for yet another month-long shopping spree that some have called "economic first-degree murder" for willfully and with malice aforethought murdering our bank accounts? Or maybe we’re getting ready for the seven to ten pounds the average American will gain during the season (Lord, please let me be an underachiever this year!)? Or are we preparing for the holy nightmare of
traffic jams at the Mall and Walmart?
Are we getting ready for the depression, the anxiety, and even the rage that for some accompanies the secular holiday season? For those who get caught up in the consumerism of Christmas, Advent is the inevitable prelude to disappointment. Christmas somehow hardly ever measures up to their fantasies. Even for those who manage to have some of their Christmas wishes fulfilled, the Advent season is over so quickly that the need to make New Year’s resolutions to lose those added pounds, bears down on them even before the decorations come down.
But the Advent we celebrate in the church - the one that has nothing at all to do with the number of shopping days left until Christmas - is altogether different. The hanging of the greens, the placement of the poinsettias, the lighting of the first Advent candle - all these invite us to dream dreams of a better world, to allow expectant visions that have nothing to do with sugar-plum fairies that dance in our heads. Advent invites us to fill the cup
of today with a full measure of tomorrow. (from eSermon Brett Blair)
The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival." The focus of the season is on the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in the first Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his second Advent. In this double focus on past and future, Advent symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a church congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in power and majesty. The time of Advent is one of expectation and anticipation for God’s actions to restore all things and vindicate the righteous. This is why during Advent we as Christians also anticipate the Second Coming as a twin theme with the celebration of the birth of Christ.
The Lectionary Text for today is Matthew 24:36-44 and it comes in the middle of a somewhat apoplectic teaching of Jesus. Jesus had just finished teaching the disciples about the coming kingdom and given seven woes as warnings and then he points to the temple and tells of its coming destruction. He tells them "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. The disciples are bothered by Jesus’ words and ask him when will this happen and what will be the signs of its coming?
There will be signs Jesus tells them, signs of false teachings and signs of false prophets, there will be an increase in natural disasters, wars, and evil will seem to be rampant in the world. The signs are everywhere today, no one seems to question that. In fact, according to a survey in U.S. News and World Report, 61% of all Americans believe in the Second Coming. That’s great! I mean if we can celebrate Christmas and believe in Jesus coming as a baby in a manger then surely we must believe in the second coming for if God can do it one time he can certainly do it again. There are over 2000 references in the Bible predicting Jesus’ second coming. For every prophecy on the first coming of Christ there are eight on Christ’s second coming. (Dr. George Sweeting in Today in the Word, Dec 1989)
A Newsweek poll reports that 45% of Americans believe that Christ will return in their lifetime. (Sermon Central) There is a huge industry out there focused on the end of times. Look at the Left Behind series. Look in a bookstore at all the prophetic books detailing and predicting the final days and time. And yet, Jesus himself said he did not know the time that no one on earth knows when that time will come. That it will be like when the floods of Noah came, vs. 39, for “they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away.”
Noah had worked on the ark for years. His neighbors could see him working on this massive streamliner in his front yard. They must have questioned him, asked him what in the world he was doing. Surely he told them, warned them and called them to repentance so that they too could be saved. They must have thought Noah was some kind of religious fruitcake, a fool.. that is until the rain started. The day the flood waters started rising was a surprise for these people. At first, they must have been mildly concerned. Then they must have grown mildly anxious as the water crept toward their homes. Then they began to become afraid as the water continued to rise. They began to panic as things started washing away. They tried to find a boat but there were no boats to be found. There was no time to build a boat. Nobody had a boat for sale, besides even the boats where sinking. It was too late. By the time they were sufficiently aroused to do something it was just too late. It was over.
Jesus says that is what it will be like when he comes again. It will come when no one even expects it. There will be two people working in a field together. One will be taken and the other left behind. There will be two women working side by side. One will be taken and the other left behind. There will be no advance warning. There will be no long lines in front of church as people line up for baptism, communion, confession and forgiveness before they go to meet Jesus. It will be the ultimate “come as you are” Party. It will come in the normalcy of life. The day will appear to be no different then yesterday or today. (Dick Donovan) But, the day of Christ’s second coming will come.
Today, two thousand years after Jesus lived among us, we have trouble getting excited about that message. Untold numbers of Christians have lived and died waiting for the Second coming. The probability of the Second Coming taking place in our generation seems honestly rather low, BUT, the probability that we will die is very high. We are all subject to death in the next instant, subject to the end of our time and our opportunity to prepare for Christ’s second coming. Our time is limited and then the wheat will be willowed. There will be judgment – one will be taken one will be left behind. The brutal language of the subsequent parables clearly speaks of the judgment of God against those are caught unprepared.
Our concern should not be when it will happen but will we be ready when it happens. Christ’s sudden and unexpected return, the unknown time and date of our own death, should motivate and challenge us to always be prepared. Advent isn’t a season where we hang out for while until December 25 happens. Advent is a season where we learn once again to be expectant people, people who anticipate, people who read the signs, people who look pain stakingly for the second coming of Christ. The purpose of Christ’s first advent was to prepare us for His Second Advent. When he walked on the earth the first time it was to get us ready for the second time when he will reign as king forever, when his kingdom will be realized in all its fullness. Advent is time to refocus and regroup. When was the last time you got up in the morning, or even the first time, you got in the morning and asked yourself, “Am I ready for Jesus to come today? What would I like to be doing when Jesus returns? How can I do that today? For many of us it has been a long time since we’ve thought about His second coming.
We must learn to live in the present with our eye on the future of eternity. We must be prepared. And the good news is that if we are living in faith, we will be ready. If we focus on our readiness, we can leave the rest of it to Christ. The person who lives in daily companionship with Jesus will not be threatened by Jesus’ sudden appearance. Instead, Jesus’ coming will be an occasion for joy, much like the joy we experience when we finally see a loved one after a long absence, or the joy of a child on Christmas morning.
How can we ready for Christ, how can we live better now so that we can face death with the confidence of Christ’s salvation? By believing in Christ, by loving as he loved, and by serving Him by caring for the hungry, homeless, naked, and imprisoned.
At the end of these two apocalyptic chapters Jesus says, ’Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
Everything will depend, Jesus says, on how people treated HIM!—whether they fed him —whether they gave him water, whether they clothed his nakedness—whether they visited him in his sick room or in prison. ’Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.
A few years ago Colin Ray, a country singer, had a hit titled “what if Jesus comes back like that” What if Jesus comes back like that an old freight train in a hobo hat, two months early hooked on crack, He came to town on a cold dark night a single star was his only light The baby born that silent night A manger for his bed What if Jesus comes back like that” How have you treated Him? Are you prepared for His Second Advent?
There is a story by Dr. Joseph Stowell, President of Moody Bible Institute, as he visited a home for mentally handicapped children. The director of the home told him how they taught the children about Jesus and how the children seemed to have a special understanding and relationship with God. While they were walking through the corridors, Dr. Stowell notice that the windows were covered with tiny little hand prints. He asked the director, what they were all about. The director replied, “The children love Jesus and they’re so eager for him to return that they constantly press their face and hands against the windows as they look up to the sky for him.”
I suspect there are a lot of finger prints on our windows as we look out on life. As we lookout and reflect on our lives. But, I wonder? I wonder, are the finger prints on the window are because we are looking around to see what others are doing, what else there is to get or buy or have in life or is it because we are looking eagerly to the sky for the second advent of Christ? People get ready, Jesus is coming!
Amen and Amen
!
But, he says, that’s not the right question for no one on earth, not even Christ on earth, knows when the time will come. The question, he syas,
Christ will come again
His comeing will be swift and surprising
He will divide the people into two groups
So we had better be ready –
By keeping a watchful vigil
By the way we treat Jesus
Every Day is a Special Occasion
Ann Wells related a story from her life to the well-known Rev. Leonard
Sweet. She said, my brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister’s
bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package.
’This," he said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie."
He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite: silk,
handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an
astronomical figure on it was still attached.
"Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least eight or nine
years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion.
Well, I guess this is the occasion."
He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we
were taking to the mortician. His hands lingered on the soft material for a
moment, then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me:
"Don’t ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you’re alive is
a special occasion."
Brett Blair, Error! Bookmark not defined.. Originally told by Leonard Sweet but the
source is unknown.
Prepared For Your Arrival
Perhaps you read the one about the Alberta man who left the snow-filled streets of Calgary for a vacation in Florida. His wife was on a business trip and was planning to meet him there the next day. When he reached his hotel, he decided to send his wife a quick E-mail message. Unable to find the scrap of paper on which he had written her E-mail address, he did his best to type it from memory. Unfortunately, he missed one letter in the E-mail address and his note was directed instead to an elderly preacher’s wife, whose husband had passed away only the day before. When the grieving widow checked her E-mail, she took one look at the computer monitor and let out a scream; and fell to the floor in a dead faint. At the sound, her family rushed into the room and saw this note on the screen: Dearest Wife, Just got checked in. Everything prepared for your arrival tomorrow. P.S. Sure is hot down here!
Traditional
What sort of images come to your mind when you think about Advent? Maybe you remember a classic work of art showing the journey to Bethlehem, the nativity, or the adoration of the Christ Child. Or maybe your traditional symbols of the season include the huge, brightly-lit tree on the White House lawn, or the one in Rockefeller Center in New York City.
The way we see Advent and Christmas will determine our approach to the celebration. Is the essential work of Advent hanging decorations or is it more about opening our lives to the coming Christ and learning to live in peace? Will Christmas come only if we do all the right things to get ready for it? Or, is Christmas a gift from God that arrives whether we’re ready for it or not?
In the Gospel reading for today from Matthew, the disciples are talking to Jesus about the Second Coming. They want to know when that’s going to happen, so they can be ready for it. Jesus recalls the familiar story of Noah. He reminds the disciples that in the days of Noah, people were living their lives with little concern for God. They were eating and drinking and marrying and celebrating. And suddenly, in those days, the rains came. Only Noah and his family were wise enough to listen to God’s warning and seek salvation. When Jesus comes again, he tells his disciples, it’s going to be like that. Life will be going on as usual, with people doing what they normally do, buying and selling, working and playing, just doing ordinary things. And suddenly, without warning, the Lord will return. When that happens, some will be ready, and some will not. Some will remember Jesus’ admonition to be ready for the coming of the kingdom, but some will not remember, and other things will have become more important to them. Those folks who have forgotten or disbelieved will be greatly disappointed on that day.
Do you see what Jesus is saying? The disciples asked about the timing of the Second Coming, but Jesus said that’s the wrong question. Their question should be what are they supposed to do in the meanwhile, while they are awaiting his coming. And so it is with us. The important thing for us, in this season of Advent, is not WHEN Jesus will be coming again, but what the quality of our waiting will be in the meanwhile.
And so this morning Advent is here, and now is the time to look at the quality of our waiting. Are we passively waiting, or are we "walking in the light of the Lord" while we actively await his coming? Jesus has told us that the kingdom of God is "breaking in" (an interesting choice of words). All of Jesus’ preaching and teaching has been aimed at helping us to understand what the kingdom of God is like. Those who take seriously the kingdom of God as Jesus teaches it must know clearly and well that our work is not over when we have preached "repent and be saved."
Keeping Watch in the Season of Christ’s Coming
By Wendy M. Wright
"Our entire lives are a vigil, a keeping watch, for the fulfillment of our hope. But it is especially in this season, the season of the coming, that we rise on tiptoes to dance. We open our throats to sing and to proclaim this vigil that we keep."
Watch a child’s eyes light up when seeing the lights that go up in the first days of December. There’s definitely something magical about the season, and it goes beyond the bright sparkling bulbs. It’s about expectancy and hope and mystery and wonder.
Live in the present with an eye toward the future.
-sermon A. celebrate Christmas as something that happen in past (Bethlehem, etc.)
B. celebrate Christmas as something that happens in the present (birth, gifts, etc.)
C. celebrate Christmas as something that happens in the future
Part of the discipline of our faith is to learn how to wait without falling asleep and to learn to live as if the fullness of time has already arrived, even though it will not come in our lifetime. De Jong
v. 36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
In the year 375 AD an early Christian writer proclaimed: "There is no doubt that the Antichrist has already been born. Firmly established in his early years and in a few years will achieve supreme power."
Hippolytus wrote that Christ would come back in the year 500.
The year surrounding the year 1000 were filled with predictions of the coming of Christ… It was recorded that people were so sure of the Lord’s coming that they didn’t even plant their crops.
In the 1500’s Martin Luther wrote, "We have reached the time of the white horse of the Apocalypse. This world won’t last any longer.
A little know fact was that Christopher Columbus was a student of biblical prophecy. He wrote a volume called "The Book of Prophecies," in, which he predicted that the world would end in 1556. He even wrote, "there is no doubt that the world must end in one hundred fifty five years.
The year 1666 saw an explosion in end times speculation. One pastor wrote in his journal, "every time a storm has hit this year the church was full of people waiting for Jesus."
In 1800 William Miller predicted the return of Christ in 1844 All over the Northeast, half a million Adventists awaited the end of the world on April 3, 1843. Journalists had a field day. Reportedly some disciples were on mountaintops, hoping for a head start to heaven. Others were in graveyards, planning to ascend in union with their departed loved ones. Some high society ladies clustered together outside Philadelphia to avoid entering God’s holy kingdom amid the common herd.
In 1992 Harold Camping predicted the end, again nothing happened and he changed his date to 1993 and then 1994. (Stephen Pace "Ready or Not Here I come" on sermoncentral.com)
All of these people had one thing in common. They must’ve missed the text we read today, that no man knows the day and the hour. Our Lord’s point is simply this: Be ready all the time. Yes, at other times Jesus says to watch for the signs--but not so that we can put off being ready, but so that we will be ever expectant of his return
But Jesus says, here are two outwardly identical people, one is selected the other is rejected. So then what is the selection based upon? Obviously it’s something internal. If we look at the remainder of Jesus’ teaching it becomes clear.
Note that he takes it further than just saying we don’t know when, he says that the time will be when we do NOT expect Him. Throughout our text Jesus has taken care to paint the day of the Lord as an ordinary day--not Jan 1, 2000, not a day when his followers are gathered because someone predicted his coming on that day. But a day like the one when Noah got into the ark, when weddings and funerals and family meals and plowing are going on just like usual.
If you knew this were the day, how would you spend it differently? Would you tell your neighbors about Jesus? Would you change your television viewing? Would you commit yourself fully to the Lord for the first time?
Well then what if it weren’t until tomorrow? Could those things wait then? What if it were next week? Or next year?
Well then let me ask you this then: Why can’t you do those things anyway? Are we really living as if we expect Jesus to be true to His word?
A rural housewife, Fay Inchfawn, who lived a generation ago, wrote these lines which really capture the spirit of Jesus teaching about that coming day:
Sometimes, when everything goes wrong;
When days are short and nights are long,
When wash day brings so dull a sky,
That not a single thing will dry.
And when the kitchen chimney smokes,
And when there’s none so "old" as folks;
When friends deplore my faded youth,
And when the baby cuts a tooth
While John, the baby last but one,
Clings round my skirts till day is done;
And fat, good-natured Jane is glum
And butcher’s man forgets to come.
Sometimes I say, on days like these
I get a sudden gleam of bliss.
Not on some sunny day of ease
He’ll come...but on a day like this.
(christianglobe.com/illustrations)
Surprise
One scholar has estimated that there are over 2,000 references to the second coming of Jesus in the Bible. For every prophecy concerning the first coming of Christ, there are eight that look forward to His second! (Today in the Word, April 1989, page 27).
According to a recent survey in U.S. News and World Report, 61% of Americans believe in the Second Coming of Christ. A Newsweek poll reports that 45% believe that Christ will return in their lifetime. Even though theologians differ over the details of His return, there is widespread agreement that He is coming back.
The Bible is clear that the return of Christ is certain. John 14:3: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." After His Resurrection, Jesus appeared to people for 40 days. After giving some final instructions, He was transported to Heaven before their very eyes. Two angels then appeared and said in Acts 1:11, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
It had been a wonderful day in the temple for the disciples. Their master had answered every question thrown at him and had lambasted the Pharisees for their hypocrisy in chapter 23. I picture them strutting as they walked away from their wonderful worship center when some of the disciples came up to Jesus and pointed out the beauty of the temple building in verse 1. I think they were pumped because they were convinced that Jesus was going to set up his kingdom and they would have some prime personal office space.
Jesus shocks them in verse 2 when he drops a bombshell on their plans: "Do you see these beautiful buildings? They will be obliterated." Then, without any further explanation, Jesus walks about another ½ mile and sits down on the Mount of Olives, where they can overlook the temple mount.
By the way, it is highly significant that Jesus chose to teach on the end times while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives. When I cross-referenced this passage, I discovered an amazing prophecy in the book of Zechariah that gave me goose bumps when I read it. Referring to the second coming of Christ, Zechariah 14:4 says, "On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south."
After hearing the prediction of the temple’s demolition, they turn to Jesus and ask Him some questions in verse 3: "…when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
In the first part of his answer in verses 4-14, Jesus gives us three significant signs to let us know that His return is right around the corner. Let’s look at these briefly.
3 Signs
1. The first sign has to do with False Things. We see this in verses 4-5: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many."
There have been many examples of false messiahs in recent memory. Jim Jones in Jonestown. David Koresh in Waco. As we near the return of the real Jesus, there will be an increasing number of leaders who will claim that they are the Christ. A lot of these so-called saviors have been surfacing in the land where Jesus actually lived. According to a recent TIME magazine article, a Psychiatric Hospital in Jerusalem treats over 50 false messiahs a year.
There will also be an increased amount of false teaching and a false sense of security as the end nears. The Bible clearly pictures the coming of Christ at a time when the world does not expect it. 1 Thessalonians 5:3: "While people are saying, ‘Peace and Safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."
2. That leads to the second significant sign in verses 6-13. Our world will increasingly experience Bad Things that will range from cataclysmic natural disasters to an outpouring of evil like we’ve never seen before.
For years and years life continued without a change. With each passing day Noah looked like more of a fool than the day before. But finally the heavens opened and the rains came down. When Noah entered the ark, I’m sure his friends pounded on the door and said, "Noah, we’re sorry. You were right and we were wrong. Open up. Let us in." But it was too late.
And just as the flood brought sudden judgment to the world, the return of Christ will do the same. When Jesus returns to the earth, unbelievers will once again be "taken" in death and judgment and only believers will be preserved by God. And just as the ark saved Noah, even so Jesus Christ is the "ark of safety" for those who believe in Him.
Fact # 3: We are called to be ready because Jesus may return at any moment. Look at verses 42-44: "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."
Note the two main commands: "Keep watch" and "Be ready." How does a thief come to your house? Sudden and unannounced. After all, if you knew a robber was coming, you’d be ready for him, but thieves rarely call and make appointments in advance.
Jesus is coming like a thief in the night. When we least expect Him, He will return to the earth. Therefore, keep your eyes on the skies and be ready at any moment to meet the Lord face to face.
That leads me to ask a simple question: When was the last time you got up and said to yourself, "Jesus may come today?" For many of us, it’s been a long time since we’ve thought about His return
Encourage one another. This topic is not meant to make us apprehensive or terrified. After a lengthy discussion of the Rapture in 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul points out the comfort that comes from knowing that Jesus is returning. In verse 18 he challenges us to do something: "Therefore encourage each other with these words."
The message of the coming of Christ ought to fill us with tremendous excitement. These are great days to be alive. Let’s encourage each other to "go for it" spiritually. Let’s be completely committed, fully engaged, passionately involved in kingdom living. This is no time to play it safe.
The first Christians used to greet each other with the phrase, "Maranatha," which literally means, "Come, Lord Jesus!" We see it used in the second-to-the-last verse in the Bible in Revelation 22:20: "He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." Believers also used it when they wanted to emphasize something. I wonder if we could start using this phrase in our conversations?
Live pure lives. Here’s a good question to ask yourself when you’re involved with something that may be questionable: "Would I want to be doing this when Jesus returns?" Wouldn’t it be terrible to be ashamed when Jesus comes back? 1 John 2:28: "And now, dear children, continue in Him, so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming." We don’t have time to study verses 45-51, but here’s the Biblical balance as we await the return of the Lord: Live as though He might come today.
As a preacher, I can imagine Noah’s frustration. It’s frustrating to preach over and over, week after week, Sunday after Sunday, about the wages of sin:
... About loving one another as God loves them...
... About being committed and dedicated to kingdom building...
... About the need to lay aside hatred and jealousy and disobedience. Yet see the same behavior continue in some people. It’s almost like what the preacher says goes in one ear and comes out the other.
Sinners laughed at Noah and his family because of what he preached, because of the godly way his family lived, and because of the ark they built. But someone has said, "He who laughs last, laughs best!" For we know from the bible record that God flooded all the earth and drowned every person except this preacher and his family.
People today have time to travel and go on vacations. But they have no time for God!
Let me tell you about a couple by the name of Jeff and Janell Youngbluth’s and their first date.
Jenell was expecting Jeff to show up. She was dressed and ready for the date. She waited patiently for an hour for him to show up and finally gave up. She figured that he stood her up… So she went to the bathroom took off her makeup, and slipped into her pajama’s. Grabed a pint of ice cream and Sat down in front of the TV. After 2 hours had passed guess who showed up at he front door.
Right Jeff… He took one look at her and said "I’m two hours late and your still not ready!
That is how we are at Christians. We get excited and expectant, then we settle back into our easy chair. When Christ doesn’t come when we expect him, we stop looking in the sky, even though we know that he said He will come like a their in the night.
Jesus says don’t let me sneak up on you… Be ready at all times
Today is the first Sunday in Advent, the start of the church year. The day when we begin the preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ. We begin to light the candles, we sing the Advent hymns – and we wait – we prepare. Advent seeks to take us back to simpler times, without the frantic pace that is the signature of so many lives today.
We celebrate how Jesus comes to us in three ways. We celebrate the first coming at his birth some 2000 years ago, and we re-enact the birth in the pageant and the carols.
We celebrate his coming amongst us now – most notably in Word and Sacrament. We celebrate how Jesus comes among us in one another, in the least of our brothers and sisters, as we will read in the chapter that follows today’s text.
We celebrate Jesus’ Second coming, when he will come again to judge creation bringing in a time of peace and joy that is spoken of so eloquently in the reading from Isaiah today.
The end is coming, of that we can be certain. But when?
Our congregation has been touched by three deaths this past week. This only serves to reinforce that we do not know when our end is coming. One died in his 30’s, another in her 50’s and another in his 70’s. When each of these people were born and growing up, living their lives in the activities that concerned them, they had no idea that this week would be their last. We do not know, and more than that we are not going to know.
When we stop trying to figure out when, we have energy to listen to what God is calling us to do today. Advent preparation is about removing the noise from our lives so that we can hear and see the coming of Jesus Christ among us today. Matthew spells it our very clearly in the 25th Chapter which follows. In the Judgment Scene those condemned say to Jesus, "If we had only known that it was you in the poor and the hungry, of course we would have fed you!" Jesus comes to us today in the least of our sisters and brothers. Advent is a time to watch lest we miss his coming. If we ignore and trample our neighbours today in our eagerness to be religiously prepared to welcome Jesus tomorrow when he returns from heaven, we will not be prepared at all.
We are to live in constant readiness, attentive to Jesus who gives us hope for today and for tomorrow. If this were your last day on earth, how would you spend it? If you aren’t, why not?
Advent is a time to refocus and regroup. Christ came as a baby and we celebrate. Christ will come again, of that we are assured. Christ comes into our midst today and that is where the living is today. And so we begin Advent – "preparing for the revelation – that is, the full disclosure – of Jesus in the joy and sorrow, the laughter and the tears, the comedy and the tragedies of our daily lives here and now" (Edward Peterman)
The purpose of Christ’s First Advent was to prepare us for His Second Advent. When He walked on the earth the first time, it was to get us ready for the time when He would reign as King forever. At His Second Coming, the kingdom of God will be realized in all of its fullness.
The May 1984 National Geographic showed color photos and drawings
of the swift and terrible destruction that wiped out the Roman
cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in A.D. 79.
The explosion of Mount Vesuvius was so sudden, the residents were
killed while in their routines: men and women were at the
market, the rich in their luxurious baths, slaves at toil.
They died amid volcanic ash and super heated gases.
Even family pets suffered the same quick and final fate.
It takes little imagination to picture the panic of that terrible
day.
The saddest part is that these people did not have to die.
Scientists confirm what ancient Roman writers record - weeks of
rumblings and shakings preceded the actual explosion.
Even an ominous plume of smoke was clearly visible from the
mountain days before the eruption.
If only they had been able to read and respond to Vesuvius’s
warning!
There are similar "rumblings" in our world: warfare, earthquakes,
nuclear threat, economic woes, breakdown of the family and
moral standards.
While not exactly new, these things do point to a coming Day of
Judgment.
People who are caught unprepared have no excuse.
God warns and provides an escape to those who will heed the
rumblings.
#1983
The four Sundays before Christmas is the season known as "Advent". Advent is
Latin meaning "an arrival". Advent gives us four weeks to ponder where we are in
God’s creation of things. But we get so focused on the coming "event", and all the
preparations that go with it, we often lose sight of the things going on around us
during these 4 weeks. What we’re going to do these next 4 Sundays is look at some
From a sermon by Bill Adams Trinity Episcopal Church, Sutter Creek, CA. USA
"We so often speak of the Second Coming of Christ.... Frankly I don’t know where we got such terminology.....
The phrase Second Coming does not appear anywhere in the Bible.... The Bible proclaims loudly and clearly that the Christ... The very Word of God... was with God and is God and became flesh in the world.... not once... not twice.... but eternally.....
The inherent problem with a phrase like Second Coming is that it carries the implication of not here yet.
----- But Jesus Christ is not stuck in traffic.... The Redeemer of the world wasn’t sent to us with the wrong zip code... delayed until the Postal Department gets their act together...... the Word of God is present in everything and everyone.... everywhere.... right now!
Advent isn’t a season where we hang out for a while until Christmas happens.... Advent is a season where we learn once again to be an expectant people..... a people who anticipate.... a people who read the signs....a people who look painstakingly for the invasion of Christmas everywhere! "
God acted at Christmas and continues to act through Easter and will continue to act in our lives through the last days.
JUST 22 MORE SHOPPING DAYS CHRISTMAS I SEE THE PANIC IN YOUR EYES ALL THE THINGS
YOU NEED TO BUY ALL THE THINGS tHAT NEED DOING ALL THE PLANS WAITING TO BE DONE BUT DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS LIKE AS A CHILD DURING THIS TIME OF YEAR? HIDING PRESENTS FOR THOSE YOU LOVE FINDING PRESENTS HIDDEN BY THOSE WHO LOVE YOU BEGGING YOUR PARENTS TO OPEN ONE PRESENT EARLY DVENT IS A TIME OF WAITING A TIME USED BY MOST OF US FOR SETTING UP FOR CHRISTMAS WHILE YOU WAIT FOR CHRISTMAS WE ALL EXPERIENCE ANTICIPATION, WAITING, LONGING, HOPING, ITCHING WITH DESIRE WE ALL WONDER IS IT EVER GOING TO GET HERE? TO PREPARE US FOR WHAT IS COMING
WHAT A STRANGE PASSAGE FOR THIS SCRIPTURE SPEAKS OF CHRIST’S SECOND COMING
BUT DURING ADVENT DON’T WE LOOK TO CHRIST’S FIRST COMING AS A BABY BORN IN A MANGER FAR FROM HOME WITH ONLY SHEPHERDS TO WITNESS HIS BIRTH BUT THIS IS FITTING FOR ADVENT MEANS WAITING WATCHING ANTICIPATION FOR ADVENT SEEKS TO REMIND US THAT JUST AS THEY WERE UNPREPARED FOR CHRIST COMING THE FIRST TIME,
SO WILL MANKIND BE UNPREPARED WHEN HE COMES THE SECOND TIME AS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH AROUND THE WORLD PEOPLE PREPARE FOR THE COMING OF CHRISTMAS BUT FEW PREPARE FOR THE COMING OF CHRIST FOR WHOM THE CHRIST-MAS IS ALL ABOUT
ADVENT IS HERE TO REMIND US THE REAL REASON FOR THE SEASON
Today we began our worship by lighting the Advent candle of hope. It is a living and symbolical reminder to us that GOD IS IN CONTROL OF THE FUTURE-YOURS, MINE, AND THE WHOLE WORLD’S. That’s awesome, isn’t it? In a world of meaninglessness, confusion, powerlessness, despair, injustice and a host of other evils and ills-WE AS CHRISTIANS STILL DARE TO HAVE HOPE! In hope, we expect wonderful things from our God. In hope, we see how God works wonders even in the everyday, ordinary "stuff" of life; like, for example, a seed growing into a tree which produces lots of fruit. The following story, from James Hewett’s book, "Illustrations Unlimited," underscores how powerful our hope is in shaping our lives each day, as well as into the future.
At the university there was a piano teacher that was simply and affectionately known as "Herman." One night at a university concert, a distinguished piano player suddenly became ill while performing an extremely difficult piece. No sooner had the artist retired from the stage when Herman rose from his seat in the audience, walked on stage, sat down at the piano and with great mastery completed the performance. Later that evening, at a party, one of the students asked Herman how he was able to perform such a demanding piece so beautifully without notice and with no rehearsal. He replied, "In 1939, when I was a budding young concert pianist, I was arrested and placed in a Nazi concentration camp. Putting it mildly, the future looked bleak. But I knew that in order to keep the flicker of hope alive that I might someday play again, I needed to practice every day. I began by fingering a piece from my repertoire on my bare board bed late one night. The next night I added a second piece and soon I was running through my entire repertoire. I did this every night for five years. It so happens that the piece I played tonight at the concert hall was part of that repertoire. That constant practice is what kept my hope alive. Everyday I renewed my hope that I would one day be able to play my music again on a real piano, and in freedom."
At times I am tempted to change the name of Christmas to Thingmas. I challenge you these next two weeks to put aside the madness of the Christmas Rush and do the best thing. Get to know Christ.
Adapted from Hal Brady, "Higher Ground," January 5, 1997, Dallas, Texas.
It is good that we don’t know exactly when Christ will return. If we knew the precise date, we might be tempted to be lazy in our work for Christ. Worse yet, we might plan to keep sinning and then turn to God right at the end. Heaven is not our only goal: we have work to do here. And we must keep on doing it until death or until we see the unmistakable return of our Savior.
Choice we have already made will determine our eternal destiny
Jesus ask us to spend the time of waiting taking care of his people and doing his work here on earth, both within the church and outside it. This is the best way to prepare for Christ’s return
Knowing Christ’s return will be sudden and unexpected should motivate us always to be prepared. We are not to live irresponsibly - sitting and waiting, doing nothing
while there are signs they are not meant to make us fear or expect his return but to motivate and challenge us to be prepared. Jesus teaching was that not calculations but preparation is what is needed.
At the hour when zealous Christian teachers predict Jesus to return you can be pretty sure it won’t happen. Jesus’ schedule is simply not available. No one knows. Yet the uncertainty of the time is no excuse for God’s good news must get everywhere, the church should be everywhere helping people worship and build up their faith, God’s people should work everywhere, striving to advance God’s interests in public justice, housing, health, environmental maintenance, recreation, etc. This is Jesus’ agenda When he comes we ought to be caught doing it.
the brutal language of this verse speaks clearly of the judgment of God against phonies and hypocrites. Everywhere in the Bible Jesus is presented as the lovin Lord of all who come to him in reprentanc4e and faith. But on a few pages the Bible also points to the holiness side, the side of God completely intolerant of sin, utterly unwilling to compromise with evil. Heed the wwarn9ing and appeal to Jesus for salvation. He is your only hope.
The good news is that if we are living in faith we have no need to know the day and time. We will be ready!
So the promise of Jesus as recorded in Matthew is: "The Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour." It is a restatement of Malachi’s prophecy: "The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. Behold he is coming, says the Lord of hosts."
And so we say in our eucharistic prayer, "Amen, come, Lord Jesus." And in our Advent prayers: "Stir up, O Lord, your power and come."
The last words of the New Testament, "Maranatha. Amen, come, Lord Jesus," echo and answer the last words of the prophet Isaiah: "Oh, that thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down."
Come down, come quickly, come pronto. Suddenly come into this house of doom, this chamber of corruption and despair. Break down its walls and set us free. Come. And come quickly.
This Advent, I invite you to think instead in terms of spiritual readiness: Live in such a way that the cry, "Pronto viene, Jesus Christo," is a natural expression of your heart’s true desire for the Lord’s sudden and promised return.
Until that day, we give thanks to our Lord and bless his name for allowing us to glimpse his coming: in the miracle of human reconciliation; in the too-rare efforts of nations to talk out rather than shoot out their differences; in the opportunity to serve our Lord by serving his poor and needy ones all around us; in the bread and wine of the eucharist, in which God comes to us, and by which he makes of us a community, a forgiven family of his children.
In all these things and countless others, he comes to us. Not yet fully, but enough to make our hearts long for and yearn for and ache for that day when he does; and in the meanwhile, to be about the peacemaking, reconciling, life-affirming work God has entrusted to us
With an economic landscape that ranges from New York City advertising firms to strip malls anchored by Wal-Mart stores, businesses are making sure we are prepared. It is clear we are still in danger of spending more time at the mall than at the manger, but even these places help us get ready. Before the plastic pumpkins and black capes of Halloween are put away, hints of Christmas are seen in displays here and there. By mid-November shoppers have to step over artificial poinsettias on their way to their favorite department. Called the biggest shopping day of the year, the Friday after Thanksgiving is not for the faint of heart. Christmas trees start standing up in living rooms and sanctuaries alike. Advent wreaths are aglow with promise and light. We attend special services. Greeting cards from loved ones, complete with quotes from scripture, are taped to the mantle with care. We don’t want to be too hard on Matthew, especially since the gospel writer did not have two thousand years worth of tradition to draw upon, but we have lots of preparation for Christmas.
As for Matthew’s insistence that we be prepared, most of us are more than ready for Christmas to be over with by the time it gets here. You see, the cat is out of the bag. For us, Christmas comes on December 25. That has not always been the date for the celebration of Jesus’ birth, but it has been for the last fifteen hundred years. We know Matthew says that not even the angels in heaven know the hour, but it appears that they are the only ones! The rest of us know. It is December 25. It’s that date every year, and there is nothing that is even remotely unexpected about it. How could there be?
For whatever reason, we may find that we are not as prepared as we once thought. Matthew may have been on to something after all. Perhaps it is time to reconsider what it means to be prepared. There is this possibility that being prepared for Christmas means more than finishing our shopping. Advent and Christmas are compromised badly when we focus too much on what is under the tree and too little on who is in the stable. The coming of Christmas is not the same thing as the coming of the Lord.1 It may have been once upon a time, but it’s not anymore. "Are you ready for Christmas" asks a different question from "Are you ready for the Lord?" Of course, we are ready for Christmas. With this much notice, everybody ought to be ready for Christmas. "Are you ready for Jesus?" Now, that’s a different question.
It will be easier to celebrate Christmas than to celebrate the coming of the Lord. We know that the coming of the Lord into our lives, churches, and communities will mean change. We have made Jesus into an object of personal devotion, but the mission of the messiah was much broader. The messiah was to be a political figure who would establish God’s ways as the rule for humankind.2 The messiah did not come to bless our prejudices and to look the other way from our indiscretions. No, the messiah came to lift up the humble and bring down the proud, to call people away from division and into community, to calm fears and instill courage, and to evoke our compassion for the hurting and left-out of the world. And we know changes like that are going to be painful because most of us have something invested in keeping things as they are.
Christmas has a comfortable ring to it, but the coming of the Lord stretches and pulls and gnaws at us. Christmas will allow for family gatherings by the fireplace, but the coming of the Lord will call us to see every person on the planet as part of the family. Christmas will save us from the messiness of a troubled world; the coming of the Lord will save us from ourselves and push us to transform the messiness so that we can have real peace with ourselves and each other.
Better to think of it this way: so often in my life i am putting things off - procrastinating - not so much about day to day things, like sermon-wriing :), etc., but about big things: I will start giving more ... when i’m out of debt. I will take risks for God .... after I get my PhD. I will speak out about what I really believe .... after I’m ordained elder. But the Son of Man comes unexpectedly. I should stop acting like I have something to wait for before I get to work the way God wants me to. Again, is in the passage from Romans, the time is NOW.
