Sunday, December 2, 2018

The Days are Surely Coming



Jeremiah 33:14-16
14The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The LORD is our righteousness.”

This is the Word of the LORD
Thanks be to God

Luke 21:25-36
25”There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. 28Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

29Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; 30as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 33Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

34Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

This is the Word of the LORD
Thanks be to God.


What are you waiting for?

The world in which we live is already diving into Christmas, the lights, the trees, the gifts. The sales, the Santas, the songs surround us every time we open ourselves up to the world in which we live. The Church in Advent, however, waits.

What are you waiting for?

Perhaps it’s the perfect gift, the tracking number copied and entered into the shipping company’s website again and again, watching it cross the country so it can be snatched off your front porch before the intended recipient has a chance to peek at their present.

Perhaps you’re waiting for the hint the hard-to-buy-for person in your life tends to drop at the last minute about what they want for Christmas.

Perhaps it’s the winter break from school, when college kids come home after a long semester away, or when teachers get a chance to catch their breath before reviews and exams kick off in the new year.

Perhaps its the family gathering, when generations of relations cram into a room that was just big enough for everyone before they started having kids. The chaos and the love that fill those gatherings bring equal measures of wonder and distress.

What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for the promise to be fulfilled?

“The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.” Jeremiah spoke these words as his world collapsed around him. An invading army had completely overwhelmed God’s covenant people and had ripped down their social and religious structures. Jeremiah’s writings are so disjointed that they fit more comfortably alongside literature like Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five, coming unstuck in time to avoid the trauma of war. Even as everything collapses around him, even the structure of his own book, Jeremiah is still waiting for the good promises of God. The weeping prophet still has whimpers of hope. “The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”

What are you waiting for?

Perhaps you’re waiting for recognition, for people to final see and acknowledge all your effort, all your ability, all your accomplishments. Perhaps you’re waiting for people to affirm that you mean something to them. Perhaps you’re waiting for people to celebrate all your good works.

Perhaps you’re waiting to be seen. For those around you to notice that Christmas is not always merry, but can be a dark and lonely time of the year for you. Perhaps you’re waiting to be seen for who you really are, and the effort of hiding part of yourself is grinding at your soul. Perhaps you’re waiting for others to see that you’re struggling, and that this world is not the “good” God intended at creation.

Perhaps you’re waiting for a chance to start over, to leave your burdens behind and find new ways of being. Perhaps you’re waiting for a reason to trust that the things that have weighed so heavily on your soul no longer have to define your life. Perhaps the expectations you bring with you are difficult to meet and you’re waiting for a grace.

What are you waiting for?

”There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Jesus gives this apocalyptic speech in Jerusalem only a few days before his arrest. The chain of events that began with an innocent child in a manger in Bethlehem have led this far, and as Jesus’s wait draws to an end he gives a promise of what is to come. He gives us something new for which to wait.

What are you waiting for?

The days are surely coming… “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.” The days are surely coming, “People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken.” The days are surely coming. “Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory.” The days are surely coming…

The days are surely coming when God completes the work of creation, when the goodness of the beginning will be restored and the death and pain and suffering that have cursed human life from our origins will come to a close. The days are surely coming when the helpless child in the manger will return with power and great glory “and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.” The days are surely coming when light will banish darkness and salvation will come to Israel. “In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety.” The days are surely coming when God fulfills the promise and we will no longer be bound by our own brokenness, but rather will be freed by God’s wholeness. The days are surely coming…

The Church in Advent waits. Advent is not a reenactment of Mary’s pregnancy. While we point to Christ’s birth during this season, we are waiting for Christ’s return. The days are not “perhaps” coming, the days are surely coming. We are waiting for the fulfillment of the promise of which that child in a manger was a sign. We know that the kingdom of God is near as clearly as we will know that summer is near when the fig trees and all the trees sprout leaves. We are waiting for when what is near becomes fully present. The days are surely coming when we will stand before the Son of Man, and the redemption of all creation will be fulfilled.

Therefore, we wait in hope, not in fear.

Therefore, if what you’re waiting for is a chance to start over, know that the days are surely coming when heaven and earth will pass away, and all creation will be made new by the loving words of Christ, which will not pass away. If what you’re waiting for is a way to define yourself apart from your burdens, know that Christ’s righteous love will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. If what you’re waiting for is grace replace expectations, know that this is the name by which is will be called, “The LORD is our righteousness.”

We wait in hope, not in fear. Therefore, if what you’re waiting for is to be seen, know that the days are surely coming when you will stand up and raise your head, because your redemption is drawing near. If what you’re waiting for is for those around you to notice that Christmas is not always merry, but can be a dark and lonely time of the year for you, know that darkness and loneliness shall cease. If what you’re waiting for is to be seen for who you really are, know that Christ is coming again to restore all people to who God calls them to be, and there will be no need to hide. If what you’re waiting for is an end to your struggle, know that the LORD will fulfill the promise made to the House of Israel and the house of Judah, and all will be good again.

We wait in hope, not in fear. Therefore, if what you’re waiting for is recognition, know that the days are surely coming when all will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud,’ and your own righteousness will not be defined by your good works, but by the mighty works of God. This is the name by which it will be called, “The LORD is our righteousness,” not our own pitiful efforts. If what you’re waiting for is a celebration of your own good works, know that none of us are qualified to stand before the Son of Man, and yet we stand and raise our heads because we know redemption is an act of God, not of ourselves.

We wait in hope, not in fear. Therefore, if what you’re waiting for is the family gathering, know that the days are surely coming when the whole family of God will be gathered around one table, when those whom we love will unite with God’s people in every time and place, and the family gathering will be a source of wonder and joy, and the distress will have long since fallen away as we all see the glory of God in our midst.

We wait in hope, not in fear. Therefore, if what you’re waiting for are the seasonal things: the gifts, the decorations, the hints, the calendar changes, the breaks, know that the days are surely coming when we will all share gifts freely with one another because it is good and pleasing our Lord. Therefore be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly. The days are surely coming when those worries will dissipate and the hope of our redemption will overwrite what has weighed on our hearts.

The days are surely coming when our hopes will be answered and the promise will be fulfilled. It may not be as we expected, and our hopes may need some readjustments along the way. But the days are surely coming when all mortal flesh will keep silence,  and stand with fear and trembling. The days are surely coming when we will ponder nothing earthly minded for Christ our God will descend to earth with blessings in his hand to redeem all of creation and all shall serve him with hope, peace, joy, and love.

The days are surely coming…


Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Lord Most High.

No comments:

Post a Comment