The First Sunday of Advent

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Apocalyptic Visions

The assigned Gospel for this morning was one of those end-times apocalyptic passages. Having just been reading Frank Schaeffer's discussion of the Left Behind series I was particularly attuned to the way these passages are often used as blueprints, scripts, for something that Jesus has told us no one knows. Not even the Son. Yet here he says,

When these things happen, know that your redemption is near.

Huh?

Which made me think of another statement of Jesus:

[The end will be] just as in the days of Noah- people marrying and giving in marriage....

You mean it will seem particularly ordinary? You mean the signs have been all around for all the times since Jesus?

Signs, signs, everywhere are signs.
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign

So, if that is the case, I better hunker down and start getting ready or else.

But we never do that. Not really. When we get apocalyptic visions we want to hoard food or guns or ammunition. We want to build bomb shelters or find places far from the possibility of the dangers. We want to be bigger, stronger, better. We trust in the things of human hands rather than the things of God's.

What is this apocalyptic vision all about?

It will happen on a day just like today. "It" is the life of God coming into our lives and world. "It" is the possibility of the Kingdom of God being made more real than it has been before. "It" is the Kingdom of God feeling more remote in our lives that it has ever felt before.

"It" is life. In a few weeks we will celebrate that Life again. In a little baby. The pastor said this morning that "we" can't get ourselves ready. Only God can do that.

I think I will listen this Advent and see what God is doing to get me ready.