Hello Friends,
Welcome back to Prepared Hearts, the online Bible study of
the Wacousta Community United
Methodist Church.
For this first week of Advent our texts include: Isaiah 2:1-5,
Psalm 122, Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24:36-44. I’ll be preaching from the Gospel of Matthew
this week. The text is below, followed by starter thoughts:
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.
STARTER THOUGHTS
This week’s text is what is referred to as apocalyptic literature
(also known as the parts of the Bible that give a lot of folks the creeps). Let’s
put it this way: it’s not often chosen for bedtime reading! In the late Nineteenth
and early Twentieth Centuries a lot of emphasis was placed upon the “Rapture” or
Second Coming of Christ. Most of it focused on how God was going to save some
and burn others. When I read this stuff, it seems (at least to me) like the
church was trying to terrify folks into believing in Jesus. As Christians, we
do believe that our God is the ultimate and just judge. However, I have a
problem with using fear to coerce people (especially young people) into the
faith. What do you think? Have there been times you’ve experienced preaching
and teaching that cast God in a terrifying light? What do you think of fear as
a motivator? Does the church still use it to convert folks into believers?
This passage in Matthew is ultimately about the coming of
God’s Kingdom in its fullness and the return of Jesus as Lord. This brings me
to a critical note on Advent, something that escaped me until I went to
seminary. In all my time growing up in the church, I thought Advent was about
awaiting the birth of baby Jesus. Turns out, it’s not. It’s about awaiting the
final coming of Jesus and God’s complete reign on earth. Now this is something
that many of you astute theologians may have picked up on years ago…but it was
news to me! We aren’t waiting on a baby. God’s been there and done that. We are
waiting on the completion of God’s Kingdom: that it would be on earth as it is
in heaven. What do you make of this? How have you understood the season of
Advent?
The text is pretty clear about the unknown timing of the
parousia (Coming of the Son of Man): the
Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. Yet throughout church history,
there have been groups who have pored over the books of Daniel and Revelation
and sifted through every piece of apocalyptic literature, attempting to nail
down the exact date of Christ’ return. What do you think that’s about? Is the
unknown too much for us?
The theme for the first Sunday of Advent is always hope. Does this reading give you hope?
Do the other lectionary texts? Why or why not?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts and reflections!
Email me or post a comment here.
Peace,
Pastor Amee
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