The Gospel
Matthew 24:36-44
Jesus said to the disciples, “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.”
The Sermon
This is a new year on our
religious calendar. Advent is the beginning of the church year. For
those with inquisitive minds it is now year A. The church has year
A, B, and C. In year A most of our gospel readings come from the
gospel of Matthew. Year B is Mark and year C is Luke.
So today we read Matthew
chapter 24. It is kind of ominous isn't it. Jesus is telling his
disciples that when the end times come there will be those left
behind and others will be taken up. He finishes this with a word of
caution by saying, “therefore you also must be ready, for the Son
of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” Jesus made it clear that
he didn't know when that time would be and that none but the Father
knows.
This whole prophesy of
the end of times did not get its start with Christianity. It is
Jewish in origin. The Jews believed that when the end of days came
the souls of those who had died would be reunited with the body and
they would live eternally. In this passage from Matthew, Jesus is
reminding them that it was going to happen and they had better be
ready. He did not know when it would be so they should live there
lives as if the end was immediate.
In this weeks bible study
one of us asked a good question. He asked that when we die and go to
heaven do we also have to go through a second judgment during the end
of times. The answer is at best a murky one and I think it is
because many Jews believed that when someone died their soul would go
to a place called Sheol which was sort of a grey kind of existence.
It was not a place of wonder and joy but more a place of 'hanging on'
until the final end of days.
Jesus tells us something
different. Jesus is telling us heaven is waiting for us at the time
of death. It is not necessary for us to exist in a spiritual no mans
land until the final end of days. He tells us it is paradise.
As I said earlier, this is
advent and it is a time of waiting. We are not only waiting and
preparing for the end of days, we are also waiting and anticipating
the celebration of our savior Jesus Christ. We seem to be torn
between being somber and joyous at the same time.
Our service reflects that
as well. We start the service with a confession of sin and we sing
the Kyrie Eleison which translated means Lord have mercy. It is a
pentative and reflective way to start a service. Yet, at the very
beginning of the service we light the advent candle which is directly
related to the joyous anticipation of the birth of Jesus.
I look forward to
Christmas day and the days leading up to it. I love the songs and
the lights and the sense of fellowship that goes with the season. I
do cherish the time I get to spend with all of you as we worship
together as a church family.
This is a time of waiting
and reflection and it is also a time for us to love and share the joy
of celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus.
Amen
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