INTRODUCTION
December 3rd is the first Sunday in the season of Advent. It also marks the beginning of the church year. If you are not familiar with this season, I’ve provided an explanation in the following paragraphs. If you are familiar with this season, feel free to jump to the next page.
The season of Advent in the church year begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. This year, it begins on November 29, 2020.
The word “advent” means “coming”. The season of Advent observes three “comings” of the Messiah:
- The historic event, which took place in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago.
- His coming to us this Christmas in 2023.
- His return to earth, sometime in the future, when he will reign as our king.
Especially in the first weeks of Advent, we review the bible passages referring to his return. The emphasis shifts in latter weeks to the first two.
What we do during Advent is prepare our hearts for the coming of the Christ Child on Christmas Day. We do this by self-examination; reflecting on the ways that we have not lived up to our end of our relationship with God. We resolve to make a fresh start. We often do daily family devotions, and sometimes light candles on an Advent wreath. This is my favorite season of the church year. Join me as we wait, watch, and prepare for Jesus to come into our hearts on Christmas Day. He is certainly already in our hearts; but by reliving the moment and this season, we rekindle our faith.
ISAIAH 64:1-9
THE BACKGROUND
At this point in Israel’s story, they have returned from captivity in Babylon. They are working to rebuild their country and their lives. From the content of this passage, they are feeling discouraged and abandoned by God. This passage is a lament, or a prayerful expression of sorrow.
THE DETAIL
- The passage begins with Israel’s plea-payer to God. They feel alone. They are begging God to make Himself known, like He did in olden times. (vv. 1-5a)
- The give God their confession. They admit that they have sinned, and even their righteous deeds are like a “filthy cloth”. (vv. 5b-7)
- They appeal to God to rekindle their relationship, and make Himself known to them again. (vv. 8-9)
THE TAKEAWAY
We all experience ups and downs in our spiritual lives. This passage speaks well to those down times. But there is hope and yearning in this passage as well. Sometimes even our good deeds feel like a filthy cloth. Why? Has our sin and guilt dragged us down or distracted us? Let’s start by confessing our sins to our Lord. We can take comfort and refreshment in the knowledge that we are forgiven. Let’s clean those dirty rags!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Have you ever felt like God has “hidden his face from you”? (v. 7b) How can we lift ourselves up from these lows, and renew our relationship with Him? Prayer and reading scripture are a good start, along with confession and forgiveness. Observing the season of Advent provides us an opportunity to do just that. Best of all is service. By serving others, we are putting our faith into action. Doing God’s work renews our relationship with God.
1 CORINTHIANS 1:3-9
THE BACKGROUND
This is the introductory portion of one of Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth. This church was both abundantly blessed not only with spiritual gifts but also with internal problems. Yet, Paul starts out his letter with love and praise.
THE DETAIL
- Here is the main theme of this passage, the theme of thanksgiving. How appropriate for this holiday week! But Paul is not talking about a harvest thanksgiving. His thankfulness is for the church in Corinth, and all that they have been blessed with. (vv. 3-4)
- These blessings include speech, knowledge, and spiritual gifts. (vv. 5-7a)
- The “revealing of” and “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” are references to Jesus’ second coming. The church back then was waiting patiently for his return, as we do today. (vv. 7b-8)
- Finally, are reminded that we are called by God into fellowship with His Son Jesus. (v. 9)
THE TAKEAWAY
The church is Corinth was a mess! If you were to read the whole letter, you would discover that this church was full of petty rivalries and disputes. But in spite of this, they were blessed with an abundance of spiritual gifts. Paul praises their faith and energy, and is thankful for their work.
We, too, are blessed with gifts. Yet, since we are sinful beings, we and our churches end up doing unchristian-like things. Thanks be to God, that he loves, forgives, and blesses us in spite of our “warts”!
MARK 13:24-37
THE BACKGROUND
One of the themes of Advent is waiting and watching for Jesus’ second coming. If today’s gospel lesson sounds familiar, it is because Mark and Matthew both record this discourse of Jesus. Early this month, we studied Matthew 24 & 25, which contains many of these words. Today, we will focus on the areas not previously covered in our studies.
Mark 13 has often been called “The Little Apocalypse”. Apocalyptic writing is a style of writing which includes wild visions and scenes from the end of time. Other apocalyptic writings occur in our bible, including Revelation, the second half of Daniel, and some of Ezekiel. Today’s reading begins with verse 24. To best understand today’s reading, I suggest that you start by reading all of Mark 13.
THE DETAIL
- By the time we get to the beginning of our passage, Jesus is speaking of the end times; of his return. This is the form of a prophet poem. Jesus is basically saying that when the end comes, everything will be turned upside down. The sun won’t shine, and neither will the moon. The universe, with all its stars, will come crashing down. No wonder there will be suffering! (vv. 24-25)
- Jesus gives us hope and good news from this chaos. When Jesus descends, he will send forth his angels to gather up “the elect”; those who love and serve him. So, we can take comfort in knowing that if we are present for the chaos in verses 24 & 25, we will be protected from all this by our Lord. (vv. 26-27)
- Jesus teaches us the parable of the fig tree. These are key verses for some who study the end times. I will discuss this in detail under the Takeaway. (vv. 28-31)
- Verses 32-37 have been discussed at length in studies we did a few weeks ago, from Matthew’s version instead of Mark’s. A quick summary is found below.
THE TAKEAWAY
Verses 28 & 29 are Jesus’ parable of the fig tree. To some Christians, this is a key passage for predicting the end times. To them, the fig tree represents Israel. The sprouting of leaves on the dormant tree is said to be the restoration of Israel as a nation in 1948. When Jesus says “this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place”, they say that once Israel has been restored as a nation, the end time will occur within one generation—40 years. Since 75 years have now passed since 1948, it is time to revise this claim. The key to understanding this “prediction” is to go straight to verse 32. Jesus admits that he really doesn’t know when he will return; that is up to his Father is heaven. In other words, this information is none of our business. What is our business is preparedness. Jesus tells us to keep awake. That’s our part in this whole process.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
The big question here is how do we prepare, and keep awake? We can’t possibly stay awake 24/7. I will quote Barbara Rossing, a Lutheran theologian, seminary professor, and expert on this subject. She says it better than I:
“We do not know when Jesus is returning again. That is why we must live our lives at every moment as Jesus taught us. The message to Matthew’s [and Mark’s] readers was the same as the message today: Whatever traumas befall us, we are to be urgent in loving our neighbor, urgent in caring for the world that God created, urgent in feeding the hungry and visiting prisoners, urgent in living faithfully as Christ commanded us to live.”
Barbara R. Rossing, “The Rapture Exposed”, (Basic Books, 2004), page 181.