December 2, 2007

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First Sunday of Advent

Please read:

Matthew 24:36-44

Also:

Isaiah 2:1-5

Psalm 122

Romans 13:11-14

"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.

      .      Wake Up Call    .

The prophet’s voice,

the apostle’s pen,

the words of Jesus himself

all sound the same note:

“Wake up!

The Lord is coming.”

Isaiah’s vision of peace

with swords hammered into plowshares,

and Paul’s vision of awakening dawn,

open out before us like a wide screen,

HD and luminous,

to reveal Jesus’ vision of sudden surprise,

separating workers in the field

and women grinding flour,

separating them like sheep from goats;

and what for one, is to be cast into darkness

is to the other, sheer joy.

But with Christmas decorations on display

and Christmas lights already lit,

and Christmas carols being sung,

why must I bother myself with apocalyptic woes?

We know the day of his coming:

December twenty five, right?

Wrong!

Well not really wrong,

not entirely wrong. 

It’s December twenty five, alright.

and every other day,

and no day in particular,

at least as far as we can tell. 

Only the Eternal One has the date

on the divine do-list.

That being the case, 

we really need to pay attention

to Paul and Isaiah and Jesus:

 “Let us walk in the light of the Lord!”

“Let us then lay aside the works of darkness!”

“Keep awake!”

So listen to what they say and be ready.

He’s coming!

But you just don’t ever know. 

--- rvc

*** D I S C L A I M E R ***

The Weekly Lessons are based on the lectionary texts for the week – usually the Gospel lesson. They are not designed as a formal commentary.  Rather, they are the personal reflections and original compositions of The Relay Online editor, Rev. Robin Van Cleef, and offer a jumping off point, using the scriptures as triggers to thought, imagination, and (we hope) empowerment.  As you read them, let your own imagination play, and let the Spirit speak to you, leading you where it will.  The Gospel Lessons reflected on this site may not be copied, reproduced or otherwise manipulated elsewhere on the internet without the expressed consent of the author.  Please also note that while we're unable to quote Bible scripture on these pages, it is permissible to redirect our viewers to Bible passages using hyperlinks to web sites having that authority.

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