Wrapped Inside a Promise – Luke 21

A text – 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. ²⁶ People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

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

³⁴ “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, ³⁵ like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ Be 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.”

A reflection:

Why do we begin Advent with this description of the end of the age and Jesus’s return to earth? Maybe because Advent is all about waiting for the arrival of Jesus as a baby.

Life on this planet can be fraught. If you are privileged enough, you can escape from fraught-ness (is that a word?) most of the time, but the tension is there. And Advent, like all seasons, doesn’t eliminate the tense waiting we all go through for test results, the homecoming of a traveler or service person, the next wildfire or flood, and so on and so on. We know tension. We actually crave the drama in our TV streaming and video games and mystery/thriller novels. But real life is surely filled with things to wait for and worry about. And it is filled with wonderful things wait for and to eagerly anticipate – the birth of babies, for instance.

Jesus, in this scene, gives us both the prophesy and a way to live while we’re in its tension. “Look for signs of danger and the end times,” he says, “and KNOW that you will stand before me. Everyone will experience this. Know, and do not fear. You know me and I will be there. Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away. You can count on me.” Jesus is the Word of God. And Jesus has told us, time and again, that God loves us. “Don’t be dissipated with worry. Know that I will return.”

So we wait this Advent in certainty, wrapped inside a promise, that no matter what happens, Jesus will be back, and he loves us.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for the season of Advent, of waiting for the Lord. Help us to know that, though we live among whirling worries and signs of danger, we also live within your promise of love and eternal life. Amen.