Advent

November 26, 2022

Scripture Reading: Matthew 24:36-44
‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

All these horrible shootings that are occurring across our country give credence to this scripture. We never know when our lives will end, but the useless waste of life at a grocery store, school, or movie theater is inexcusable.  Jesus’s warnings about the end of time, I think, are meant to alert us to the mission for which we have been chosen—to develop a world where love is the normal relationship between all people. I do not think Christ wants to come back and pitch his tent among people who seem to work hard at ignoring his way of being. He originally came to dwell among us to share the way of love. Visualize how much better all our lives would be if we choose to follow his example.

Jesus blessed us with his continuous presence when he gifted us with the Holy Spirit. We need to quit turning to the ways of the world to define our society and realign with the love God shares with all his creation remaining in constant contact with The Spirit of God. When love truly rules God is with us.

Let all mortal flesh keep silence
and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly-minded,
for with blessing in his hand
Christ, our God, to earth descending,
comes our homage to command*.

Prayer: Lord, as we sit in silent meditation enter our hearts and heal our brokenness as individuals and as a society enabling our work in answering your call to develop a world ruled by your love. Amen.

The first verse of the hymn Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence paraphrased Gerard Moultrie from Liturgy of Saint James believed to have been written around 400 B.C.E.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.