Our lectionary passage today is filled with foreboding. This is a strange way to welcome the first Sunday of Advent, but Jesus was very purposeful in his words about what will happen at the Second Coming. Perhaps it is a sober and thoughtful way to start Advent, before we get too caught up in the “parties and drinking and shopping,” as Eugene Peterson says in The Message version of this Scripture. It is a good reminder that the first coming that we celebrate on December 25 was only a precursor to the second one. Let’s dive in:

Luke 21 (The Message)

^25-26 “It will seem like all hell has broken loose—sun, moon, stars, earth, sea, in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers-that-be quaking.

^27-28 “And then—then!—they’ll see the Son of Man welcomed in grand style—a glorious welcome! When all this starts to happen, up on your feet. Stand tall with your heads high. Help is on the way!”

Even in the terror of what he is describing, Jesus gives us this word of assurance. We, who follow him, are encouraged to stand up, stand tall, look up, and see our redemption coming. While the unbelieving world will be cowering and quaking, believers will be able to stand and watch as the Son of Man reclaims the earth.

^29-33 He told them a story. “Look at a fig tree. Any tree for that matter. When the leaves begin to show, one look tells you that summer is right around the corner. The same here—when you see these things happen, you know God’s kingdom is about here. Don’t brush this off: I’m not just saying this for some future generation, but for this one, too—these things will happen. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won’t wear out.

The realization that at some point heaven and earth will pass away but God’s words will remain is good reason for us to do what we are doing right now. We should stay in the word, study the word, and be in the word on a daily basis.

^34-36 “But be on your guard. Don’t let the sharp edge of your expectation get dulled by parties and drinking and shopping. Otherwise, that Day is going to take you by complete surprise, spring on you suddenly like a trap, for it’s going to come on everyone, everywhere, at once. So, whatever you do, don’t fall asleep at the wheel. Pray constantly that you will have the strength and wits to make it through everything that’s coming and end up on your feet before the Son of Man.”

Our job, then, is to be ready and to be constantly on the alert for signs that Jesus is about to return. In the meantime, while we wait, we have work to do. We must pray and stay focused on the One who is coming. God’s kingdom is about here! How will you live that out your life today?

Be ready.

The Day of the Lord is at Hand by Michelle Robertson