Scripture: Isaiah 2:1-5 • Psalm 122 • Romans 13:11-14 • Matthew 24:36-44
We begin the new Lectionary Year A with the first Sunday of Advent, a time of waiting and preparation, a time expectancy for the light which breaks through the darkness, a time of hope for the kind of peace which turns spears into plowshares, and swords into pruning hooks. In "Why Advent is the hardest of times for faithful Christians," The Rev. Canon Catherine A. Caimano discusses what we must take off to put on the armor of light mentioned in Paul's letter to the church in Rome.
In Like a Thief, Debie Thomas explores what considers Jesus means when he says we must be alert and awake for the life giving birth and coming of the Son of Man. What is coming for us? What is life giving? What is not?
Over the last few weeks we have explored "faith living" - living the Life Christ calls us to live in such a way that it is so innately a part of what we say and do, that we don't have to even think about it. You might say that God's presence becomes manifest in us. Appropriate, as we approach a new Advent season.
Some of the lessons we have learned are: (1) keep it simple, and go about our work and what is expected of us, with our "hand to the plow" - the reward will come; (2) go about our work with a spirit of humble and joyous thanks and praise for God's gift of a present hope and blessing; (3) the lesson of keeping our faith through persistent prayerful relationship with God, which builds trust and assurance that God's will will be done in God's good time, and God's purpose for us will be fulfilled; (4) learning to see others as Jesus sees them, and us; (4) sharing our faith with the great and the small, and learning to appreciate the love and worth God has for all of us, crossing boundaries of shame, guilt and the judgment of men; and, (5) living a "resurrection" life from the perspective of being generous with the abundance of life God has given us.
This week as we hear Jesus tell us about the destruction of the temple, and what many have called the "end times," we learn to not invest ourselves, our lives, our hopes and dreams in transient things, but in that which endures, and lasts forever - even when and as "temples fall." See The Rev. Dr. Janet H. Hunt's "Falling Temples." Do we do that? See Alyce M. McKenzie's "Get Over Yourself!"
As we continue our studies of "faith living," our Scripture readings speak of the resurrection. This week we will discuss "resurrection living."
The Sadducees in today's gospel do not believe in the resurrection. They try to trick and ridicule Jesus with their absurd and extreme examples about marriage partners in heaven if people married more than once. Jesus did not treat them with scorn, but with patience and assurance in his answer. What was his answer?
What do you think about resurrection? Especially in a post modern, empirical verification based age? How does that compare with life two millennia ago. Read Debi Thomas' "Children of the Resurrection."
