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It’s Thanksgiving Weekend and the First Sunday of Advent. As you can see, the sanctuary is ready for our celebration of Advent and Christmas. The beautiful new blue cloth on the table says it well: “O Come Emmanuel.” With this invitation to Emmanuel, we can ready ourselves to welcome the one who brings God’s presence into our midst.
We opened worship singing “Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free.” This prayer has two meanings. First of all, it speaks to the messianic hopes and dreams that helped define Jesus’ earthly ministry. But it also speaks to our future hopes and dreams, as we pray that God would free us from our fears and sins so we might find our rest, as Augustine suggested in God’s presence.
The word we hear from the Gospel of Luke this morning has an apocalyptic ring to it. It’s as if Robot, from Lost in Space, is saying to us: “Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!” Yes, keep your eyes and ears on the alert for signs that the day of the Lord is at hand.
In the reading from the Gospel, Luke takes us back to Jesus' final days. We find Jesus in the Temple warning the people to be on the alert for signs in the heavens, on the earth, and sea, which will signal that the day of judgment is at hand. So, when they see the Son of Man riding on the clouds with power and glory instead of fainting in fear they will stand and raise their heads knowing that their redemption is drawing near. It’s all a matter of perspective. If you’re ready to welcome the Day of the Lord there’s nothing to fear. So are you ready?
Advent is a season of preparation. With a new church year beginning, Advent gives us an opportunity to look back and take stock of where we’ve been. It also gives us the opportunity to consider what lies ahead of us. Where is God leading us and are we ready to follow the Spirit into the future?
We begin this new season by lighting the Candle of Hope. Although the future remains unwritten, we can live in hope because we have faith that God is faithful to the promises made in the past, including the promise made to Abraham that through his descendants the nations will be blessed.
The world is in the midst of a difficult season. All is not well in the world. The COVID epidemic continues to stalk us, refusing to go away. Political polarization and racial divides continue to pit us one against another. The world seems intent on pursuing the individual good at the cost of the common good. So the chaos that is symbolized in apocalyptic language here in the Gospel of Luke seems to have taken hold in our world. So, how do we respond? Is there any room for hope in our world?
It’s important to remember the hope signaled by this candle is not wishful thinking. That’s because the hope we speak of here is rooted in God’s faithfulness. As the Psalmist declares:
Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his decrees. (Ps. 25:8-10)
While things may seem hopeless, hope is found in God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. The question is, are we prepared to embrace God’s love and faithfulness and walk in the ways of God?
Theologian Jürgen Moltmann offers this word of wisdom about what to expect from God when it comes to the future. “So God comes to meet men and women out of his future, and in their history reveals to them new, open horizons, which entice them to set forth into the unknown and invite them to the beginning of the new.” [In the End—The Beginning, p. 87]
According to Moltmann, God has scouted out the future and invites us to prepare ourselves to experience that unknown future that opens us up to new horizons. But, we need to be ready. We need to be on the alert to the fig leaves so we’ll know when God is leading us in a new direction. Yes, be on the alert so you can discern the signs that God’s realm is coming into our midst.
As we take this journey into the future, recognizing that we live in times of crisis and change, we can live in hope. While the world responds to crises by pointing fingers and fixing blame on others, Jesus has given us the resources so we can be prepared for what comes our way. We may shake our heads, as I often do, but we needn’t live in fear. We can live with a resolve that comes through faith in God’s promises. In that regard, Claudia Highbaugh says it well:
The shape of our faith in times of crisis and change and confusion carries us from uncertainty to becoming persons of reliable faith. Watching for signs and being on guard and attentive to the natural world around us—the world of wonders and change—inform the ability to live through difficult circumstances. Jesus models this! . . . The only adequate, informed source of meeting the crises to come is to be prepared, prayerful, and attentive to the signs of the natural world, and warned that the kingdom of God is always near (vs. 31). [Feasting on the Gospels--Luke, Volume 2: 246].
When we don’t prepare ourselves properly, fear will take hold. When we aren’t aware of our surroundings and the resources God provides then we put ourselves in a position to be manipulated and used. And, when we shut our hearts and minds to the needs and concerns of others, we become insular and self-absorbed. When that happens, we lose sight of what God is up to in the world. But when we can look at the world through the eyes of God we can weather the storms and embrace our calling to proclaim good news to the world.
Let us, therefore, be on the alert. Let us be prepared for the coming of the day of the Lord. Since we don’t know the hour or the day when the kingdom will come in its fullness we must keep our eyes and ears open, knowing that God is with us. So don’t be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness, or the worries of this life. Instead, as they say, keep your eyes on the prize. That requires that we give our ultimate allegiance to the one whose kingdom is coming.
While the future has yet to be written, we can walk in faith, knowing that God is faithful to the promise made to Abraham and reaffirmed through Christ the Lord, that through Abraham’s descendants the nations would be blessed (Gen. 12). Therefore, our calling as followers of Jesus is to be a source of blessing to the nations.
So, let us stay alert, walk by faith, and live in the hope that comes from God, a hope that sustains us as we head out into an unknown future with the Spirit as our companion and guide. For as Paul prayed for the church in Rome: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13).
Preached by:
Dr. Robert D. Cornwall
Acting Supply Pastor
First Presbyterian Church
Troy, Michigan
Advent 1C
November 28, 2021
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