Luke 21:25 „There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the
\nstars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring
\nof the sea and the waves. 26 People will faint from fear and foreboding
\nof what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will
\nbe shaken. 27 Then they will see ‚the Son of Man coming in a cloud‘
\nwith power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take
\nplace, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing
\nnear.“ 29 Then he told them a parable: „Look at the fig tree
\nand all the trees; 30 as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for
\nyourselves and know that summer is already near. 31 So also, when you
\nsee these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is
\nnear. 32 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until
\nall things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but
\nmy words will not pass away. 34 „Be on guard so that your hearts
\nare not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries
\nof this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, 35 like a trap.
\nFor it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.
\n36 Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to
\nescape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the
\nSon of Man.“ (New Revised Standard Version)<\/p>\n
The End of the World as we Know It<\/strong><\/p>\n Are you trying to scare us, Jesus? If so, you are doing a pretty good Of course, to Jesus\u2019 disciples, the end of the world was not The only question on their minds would be, \u201chow soon?\u201d When And can you blame the people of Israel? After all, the cryptic words So the eager disciples strained forward to listen, to hear the words Paul approached me when I was a green young intern, just halfway through I agree with Paul\u2019s conclusion, though I disagreed most strongly And this text, taken by itself, might lead us to look for a cataclysmic That is why we must see this text in light of God\u2019s habit of And it is quite possible that this text is talking about time and The God Who Comes Deliberately<\/strong><\/p>\n It is easy, during the Advent season to rush to Christmas, and mostly In the same way, God comes each day to us, through the working of Given this past and present course of action, it might be wise to Jesus warning becomes clear. Don\u2019t spend time worrying about Get Busy Living!<\/strong><\/p>\n When I was growing up, it was quite common for me to be excited about The lessons of the season of Advent, and particularly our lessons God\u2019s Wondrous Movable Feast<\/strong><\/p>\n But more than that, we also recognize that God brings with him a movable And oh, what a feast it shall be! Our Lord Jesus at the head of the So let us lift our heads high, and wait, not with fear, but with joy.
\njob. Surely there is more than enough for us to worry about, what with
\nthe daily struggles just to live. Do you have to go on and on about
\nthe \u201cend of the world?\u201d<\/p>\n
\nas scary a prospect as it might be to you and to me. The expectation
\nthat the world would soon change was seen as welcome news, perhaps
\neven exciting news. It would mean an end to Israel\u2019s hardship.
\nIt would mean the ushering in of the new messianic age! The followers
\nof Jesus, finally in Jerusalem, would have hoped for nothing less than
\nthis climax to Jesus\u2019 ministry: God intervenes in history once
\nagain and installs Jesus, his anointed, to the throne of David. Years
\nof longing would reach fulfilment.<\/p>\n
\nwill these things happen? We want to be ready. We expect great things
\nto come! We expect God to give us our due!<\/p>\n
\nof the prophets had been interpreted and reinterpreted over the many
\nyears. One claim after another to the throne of David had come and
\ngone, and still, the people were left in what they thought was darkness.
\nThe expectations of an entire people lay squarely on the shoulders
\nof any person who pretended to the throne. The field was more crowded
\nthan a presidential candidate slate in the U.S.A. None could claim
\nthe success of pulling the messianic sword from the stone.<\/p>\n
\nthat would help them to time the event. So ever since, disciples and
\nfollowers of the Christ have tried to make sense of these words. Take,
\nfor example, a man I once knew named Paul.<\/p>\n
\nmy seminary education. He said he had been studying Revelation, Daniel,
\nand certain chapters of Luke and Mark. The phrase \u201cred flag\u201d immediately
\ncrossed my mind, but I kept my mind open and agreed to meet with him.
\nFor protection I invited the congregation\u2019s retired visitation
\npastor to join the conversation. Paul explained that he had spent a
\nlot of time determining the time line of the events leading up to the
\nend of the world and wanted to teach a Sunday School class on the subject.
\nHe felt that if people were properly prepared, they would greet the
\nend of things with more joy and be ready for their savior to come.<\/p>\n
\nwith both his methods and interpretation. We should be prepared to
\nmeet Jesus\u2019 coming with joy! But when we try to time the end
\nof the world, we likely miss the point altogether and may indeed be
\ncaught unaware and unprepared. Since the season of Advent is one of
\npreparation for the coming of Christ (preparation for Christmas is
\nonly a small part of that), we too turn our focus here, longing to
\nknow what might be coming.<\/p>\n
\nset of events, disasters and hardships and wars. Interestingly, depending
\non what part of the world you live in, these events have always been
\nwithin a generation or two of human experience, and yet, the kind of
\nend that my friend Paul was expecting, that the disciples of Jesus
\nwere expecting, eludes our grasp if not our experience.<\/p>\n
\ncoming in unexpected ways. It is a matter of time, after all. And I
\ndon\u2019t mean that in the sense that we simply have to wait for
\nit. Jesus is speaking in this text, not of things that God had not
\nyet done (which we will see in the future) but rather about things
\nthat God is doing. The book of Revelation captures this sense of \u201cGod\u2019s
\ntiming\u201d in its first chapter, reminding us that this God is \u201cthe
\none who is and who was and who is to come.\u201d It is quite possible
\nthat God does not experience time in the same way that we do.<\/p>\n
\nplace in terms that we might not always understand. Perhaps what seems
\nimmediate and rushed to God comes instead slowly, almost unnoticed
\nby us. Perhaps what seems impossibly far away or invisible to us, is
\nimminent and immediate to God.<\/p>\n
\nI avoid the temptation to do so, but in this case, I think it wise
\nthat we take a moment to reflect on the incarnation as a model for
\nunderstanding how God comes. God\u2019s intervention within our history
\ncame not in the form of some instant and cataclysmic happening, from
\nour point of view. Instead God chose to come as we come, to be born
\nas a child, to grow and learn as we do. This is not instant, but rather
\npainfully slow, by our impatient standards. God insinuates his coming
\ninto our world, working slowly, carefully, and gradually. (Though,
\nfor all we know, instantly, from God\u2019s perspective.) God chooses
\nno easy answers or quick fixes, but rather a total commitment to humanity
\nfrom its very core.<\/p>\n
\nthe Spirit, in Word and Sacrament, making the ordinary extraordinary.
\nThis insinuation is imperceptible to all but the ones who are paying
\nclose attention. God\u2019s love and grace continue to come and spread,
\nsometimes in spite of appearances, sometimes through the very imperfect
\nChurch that bears Christ\u2019s name and cross. Indeed God\u2019s
\nreign is near.<\/p>\n
\nread this text from Luke\u2019s Gospel the same way. God is near,
\nnearer than we imagine, working through the very ordinary and common
\nstuff of the creation, to insinuate his presence into our very lives
\nand hearts, and in so doing is bringing about the fullness of his reign
\nfor all of the peoples of the earth.<\/p>\n
\neither the timing of God\u2019s arrival or about the distractions
\nof world that might consume our lives in the meantime. For God\u2019s
\nreign has already broken into our reality through the death and resurrection
\nof Christ. It is near and it is coming, even as it is already arrived
\nbut not fully realized. Instead we are to remain watchful, and aware,
\nnot only to see but to participate now in the reign of God that is
\ncoming. We are to be prepared for the final coming, which is likely
\nto arrive any time that God\u2019s love is shared with uncommon grace
\nin a world so desperately in need of that love.<\/p>\n
\nvisitors coming to our house, especially visitors with children about
\nmy age. When I found out company was expected I often drifted outside
\nof our house, sometimes hours in advance, and began to watch for cars.
\nAfter what seemed like hours (though in reality probably only minutes)
\nmy father or mother might have pity on me and invite me back into the
\nhouse. Sometimes there were chores to be done: the setting of the table,
\ndecking out the patio furniture with cushions, dusting. Other times,
\nI would be sent to find my brothers to play a game. Then, before I
\nknew any time had passed, the company arrived, the house was ready,
\nand the celebrations began. My parents may not have intended to do
\nanything but keep me busy and out of trouble, but the message was clear:
\nwaiting went quicker when I was otherwise occupied.<\/p>\n
\ntoday remind us that we should be about the same business in response
\nto the news that God is coming. We should be busy preparing for company.
\nThis includes not only preparing our hearts but going about the business
\nof life! And this, not just to pass the time, but to live as if the
\ncoming kingdom was already here as it surely is, though only in part.
\nThus we are busy living the future in the present. We love as God loves
\nus. We are present for each other as God is present for us and with
\nus. This is the true business of faith and life. Each requires that
\nwe be alert to and recognize the signs that God is indeed coming, always
\ncoming.<\/p>\n
\nfeast, a celebration that both anticipates and participates in what
\nis to come. We, the ones who prepare for company, suddenly find that
\nit is God\u2019s banquet table set before us. We, who imagine that
\nwe are hosts, suddenly find that we are guests. We, who pretend this
\nworld is ours, suddenly find that it is God\u2019s, to give to us
\nextravagantly. We, who cower in fear at what is coming among us, suddenly
\nfind that in the midst of death and decay, there is God, creating,
\nas always, new life.<\/p>\n
\ntable, and all of God\u2019s children, the great and the small, spread
\nround to eat, welcomed at the Lord\u2019s invitation. There we will
\nfind love and forgiveness complete! There we will find plenty to eat!
\nThere we will find, to our surprise, what has been hidden among us
\nall the time. The one who came, who comes, and who is to come.<\/p>\n
\nFor the Lord is ever coming to us in love. Surely, he is coming soon!
\nAmen, Lord Jesus, quickly come!<\/p>\n