Living Between Christ's First and Second Advent

“ … it is full time now for you to wake up from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11; RSV)

“Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day the Lord is coming. … You also must be ready.” (Matthew 24:42, 44a; RSV)

These words from St. Paul and Jesus, in our Scripture texts for this coming weekend’s worship services (please read Romans 13:11-14 and Matthew 24:36-44), describe a difficult part of our existence in relation to God; that is our experience of waiting. As Christians, we are a people who are waiting between Christ’s first advent among us (i.e. Christmas) AND Christ’s second advent (i.e. when Christ finally and fully ushers in, as we pray, “Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven”). There’s a tension here because waiting means having but also not having at the same time.

But in the meantime … I think the church has laid so much emphasis on Advent as a season of preparation for Christmas (perhaps even equating Advent with Christmas?!) that we’ve forgotten, or even become complacent (blasé?), about what Jesus calls us to remember in “the last verse” of our Gospel text: “Therefore you must be ready; for the Son of man is coming [again] at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44). I mean, how long has it been that you’ve even thought about Christ’s second advent/second coming, say nothing of a sermon or a Bible Study that addresses this teaching of Jesus? Did you know that 1/20th of the New Testament speaks about Jesus’ return? That there are over 300 references to his Second Coming or Second Advent. Twenty-three of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament speak of Jesus’ return. And they speak of it with great confidence.

Finally, waiting – to draw upon this creative tension of having (Christmas) and not having (Christ’s second coming) – causes us to slow down, to pause and reflect, to ponder what is important or is to be truly valued in life … creating some sacred space in taking a deep breath … when we’re otherwise “dashing” and “blitzing” all over the place – not really awake, attending to the fundamental questions and needs of life, for ourselves or others. And so it is, in this Advent Season, that God is going to slowly bring us out into a quiet starry night, to prayerfully pause and ponder God’s Word made flesh in the incarnation, but also God’s Word of promise that is still coming to us from a horizon of hope … So, what are we waiting for? And how does this inform our waiting in-the-meantime?

“O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lowly exile here, until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel … shall come to you …” (ELW #257, v.1).

In the enfolding grace of God, in Christ, that is mangered, yet still coming for you … now and forever …

John Christopherson
Senior Pastor