Second Sunday in Advent
Luke 21:23-36 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
A faithful child that is left home by their parents for the weekend, doesn’t trash the house in the hope that he can get it back together just before His parents arrive. When should he start cleaning the house? A faithful son wouldn’t just start cleaning at the end of the weekend. A good son would keep the house in order and work to adorn it. He should bake fresh bread, and put fresh paint on the walls, knowing that he loves His parents and wants to honor the house they have entrusted to him. We have been entrusted with the earth. We have been made stewards of God’s creation, and of his Church on earth. We don’t want to be satisfied with the bare minimum. We don’t want to be staining the couch, and leaving our crumbs everywhere expecting there to be time to pick up when we see him pull in the driveway.
Rather, let us desire fullness of the kingdom now. Act as though Christ is coming on every cloud and work to have a pleasing offering to show him. Don’t treat the second coming of Christ as an excuse for mediocrity. Use the immanent return as a reason to maximize your effort. Pursue knowledge of God in the Scriptures and works of theology so you can talk to your father about his mysteries. Practice honesty, love, and hospitality so you can fully delight in the way God loves you and hosts you when He returns. Pursue fullness in worship knowing that you will be joining a choir of all the saints, and we want to sing our parts well. Be dutiful in this world because you know who the king is and you know he loves a cheerful giver. The advent of Jesus should grow in us a righteous dissatisfaction as we strive for the final arrival of our King. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
The Collect
Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.
