Pastor Thanael Certa-Werner
Scripture | Luke 21:25-36 (NIV)
25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” 29 He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
Today, we start our Advent series: Homeward Bound. Over the next four weeks, we’ll be looking at our journey as Christians towards our homeland. We’ve talked before about the homeland of believers – that it’s not the United States, England, or any country that you can be a citizen of on earth. It has no customs, no airports, no presidential limousines. But it is humanity’s country of origin – the place where we were meant to be.
This country – or kingdom as Jesus called it – is the Kingdom of God. It calls to all people of all backgrounds and upbringings, of all nations and creeds. It doesn’t matter if you are a Jew, Hindu, or Muslim – The Kingdom of God is calling to you because all humans were made to live there. But we’re not there yet. This utopia of God, where dying is no more, suffering is removed, and there is no want or need is indeed calling us all, but we are not there yet. And this waiting, this yearning to be back at home, is what Advent is all about.
Advent is the beginning of the Christian year, when we start the story of salvation over again and are reminded of the beginnings of God’s work in Creation. But notice that we do not start with Jesus’ birth. It would seem to make sense to, especially because that story is filled with wonder, love, and peace. But the year begins with waiting because the story of salvation, of our redemption, begins with waiting.
400 years before Jesus was born, the people of God had received their last promises through the prophets: God would send a messiah – someone who would free them from their servitude to other rulers and set them free to live in the Kingdom of God. Sound familiar, right? Just like us, from that moment on, they were waiting for this promise of God to come true. And for 400 years, God was silent. Talk about a big, “Where are You God?” moment! Imagine, God being silent for 400 years. But God was not absent – God was moving and working as His salvific work was unfolding.
We know what the Jews were waiting for because we have the story of what happens after 400 years. We know that the Messiah, after all that waiting, did come. But it was not what the people expected. They thought that the rulers they would be freed from were Rome and foreign governments. But what Jesus came to free them from was the rulers of things like money, power, addiction, relationships, and more. Jesus came to remove the power of those things which rule over us like God is supposed to and open our lives to living as we were made to. Through His life, teaching, death, and resurrection, Jesus has essentially opened the Kingdom of God’s border back up to all people. The train ticket has been bought; the passport is stamped – but now it’s up to us to enter in.
The train ticket has been bought; the passport is stamped – but now it’s up to us to enter in.
But, this is all stuff that has already happened. Jesus lived and died almost 2,000 years ago. So, what are we waiting for? If Advent is about God’s people waiting for Jesus’ coming, then what are we waiting for? This is where our scripture reading comes in. In Luke, things are heating up. The disciples have been learning from Jesus and living with Him. Right before the Last Supper – before the betrayal of Judas and the execution of Jesus – we get a glimpse of end times.
This is the ultimate of God’s salvation for creation. This is what the Revelation of John is talking about in a new heaven and a new earth. In other words, Jesus is talking about the conclusion to God’s redemption of humanity. Jesus gives these signs so that we will know when this ending is approaching: The stars and moon will give signs, the seas will roar and no one will know why, people will live in anxiety over the state of the world, they won’t know what will become of them, and the whole way of life that humanity has known will be shaken up. When these things happen, as a pilot might say, we’ll be making our final approach to the Kingdom of God.
These signs are like the changing of the leaves, Jesus says. When we see the colors begin to change, we know that fall is fast approaching. When there are no longer leaves on any trees, we know that winter is not far behind. Similarly, when we see these things, we know that the season of the Kingdom is approaching. To top it all off, Jesus says, “I tell you in all honesty, that this generation will not die before the Kingdom of God arrives.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but this makes stop and say, “Wait a minute!” First of all, these signs sound an awful like what we’re experiencing now. And second, how can that generation not die before the Kingdom of God arrives if they’re already dead? This leads us to the main point that Jesus is making.
Firstly, these signs sound like our modern times – it’s true. But that has been true for most of human history. From the moment Jesus taught these things, people have believed that the end times were just around the corner. All of these signs are a part of the human story. And that teaches us an important lesson, the one Jesus is stressing here: be ready! The Kingdom of God could come at any moment because these signs are all around us! He says, “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
So what about this generation thing? We are living in this generation. We are a part of the generation which knows the teaching, love, sacrifice, and victory of Christ, yet has not entered into the Kingdom of God. We are dwelling in this state of waiting and it is not an easy place to be. Jesus recognizes this when He says, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.”
In many ways, living in this in-between space – between redemption and the salvation of creation – is like waiting for a big job interview, or a really fun vacation. It’s hard to sit and just wait for that moment to come. In many ways, we’d just like to get it over with and to stop waiting! Because of this, many people distract themselves from the waiting. Jesus lists partying, getting drunk, and being anxious. He says that if you take the view that there’s no way to know when the Kingdom will hit so there’s no way to prepare, if you think that there’s no way to know, so it’s best to dull your senses so it won’t hurt so badly, or if you think there’s no way to know so you worry insistently about work, or relationships, or any number of things to focus on what you can know with certainty then the Kingdom of God will hit you like a hunting trap – and it’s going to hurt.
Instead of doing these things, and relying on parties, drugs, alcohol, or living in anxiety, Jesus gives us the best tool for being prepared for the wait. He says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” All these things all around us, this building, these people, everything we know and love will pass away. Nothing on earth is permanent. Except for the words of Jesus. What Jesus is teaching us is to rely on Him and His teachings. They contain everything we need to live through a wait which may last our whole lives, or end tomorrow.
As we enter into this time of waiting, of anticipation, as we prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ, both as a baby and as the Savior in Glory, we turn to the words of our Savior because they last.
As we enter into this time of waiting, of anticipation, as we prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ, both as a baby and as the Savior in Glory, we turn to the words of our Savior because they last. More than that, they are not just enteral, but full of hope. It’s not just that these words last a long time, but that we can depend on them to see us through the hardships of waiting. That we can rely on their truth to see us through the hard times and the good times. That through these sentences, we have hope to face whatever tomorrow brings, be it another day of waiting or the Kingdom finally come. This is the Good News of our Gospel, this is what we celebrate on the first Sunday of Advent, that through Christ and His Words, we have hope. Praise be to God. Amen.