Listen here.
Welcome to Devotions for Worship where we meditate on the
appointed Scripture readings for the upcoming Sunday. I am Pastor Eric Tritten
from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Hudson, OH. Thank you for being with me
today.
This coming Sunday begins a new church year and we enter a
new season – the season of Advent.
Advent is a preparatory season – we prepare to celebrate Christmas. That
being said, Advent is also a penitential season, like Lent. That might seem
strange because the celebration of Christmas has become so commercialized and
focused on gifts and gatherings which take place before Christmas Day. In days
long gone this was a serious season that called people to repent in preparation
of the coming of the King – our Lord Jesus. It is in no way my intention to
quash the fun that has come to lead up to Christmas, but I do hope that we can
insert some of the call to repentance back into the season.
During Lent many hold the custom of fasting; an ancient
spiritual discipline that Jesus himself practiced. Fasting doesn’t work to well
during Advent, but other spiritual disciplines and devotional habits might. The
Giving of Alms is one habit we might consider. God calls us to care for the
poor and needy. Perhaps this season we might look for more opportunities to
give to help others, and to do so prayerfully and joyfully remembering Jesus’
words, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
In the spirit of full disclosure, the lectionary has two
Gospel Lessons appointed for this the 1st Sunday of Advent. The
preferred reading is from Mark 11, and it is the account of Jesus riding into
Jerusalem on a donkey. In the past this reading was reserved for Palm Sunday –
the Sunday before Easter. As Advent is a season that focuses on Jesus as our coming
king, the new lectionary now places it here. I, however, still prefer to use it
on the Sunday before Easter, so we will use the alternate reading.
Let’s listen to God’s Word.
The appointed reading for the 1st Sunday of
Advent is: Mark 13:24-37
24 "But in those
days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not
give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and
the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see
the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And
then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from
the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
28 "From the fig tree
learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves,
you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things
taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly,
I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take
place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not
pass away.
32 "But concerning
that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the
Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not
know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a
journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his
work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay
awake-- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the
evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning-- 36
lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you
I say to all: Stay awake."
Comments
The coming
of the king is a big deal. Even in the United States where we have no king, we
make special preparations to welcome royalty when they visit our country. But
when the king is someone who comes not just for a pleasant visit but to
actually judge and exercise authority over his people the need to prepare
becomes even more important.
Jesus would
have us aware, alert, and mindful of His return. Our hearts and minds should
not become dull and unaware of our situation. The King is coming! He would have
us alert to the kingdom’s work and priorities. He would have us about kingdom
work – work of prayer, witness, mercy, proclaiming the gospel, and community.
Some say it
has been a long time since Jesus ascended into heaven. This is true from our
point of view. Nevertheless, his charge to us is to be awake, watching and
waiting for his return. We can look and see, like the lesson of the fig tree,
that the end is coming. The Son of Man, Jesus Himself, will come in clouds with
great power and glory. On that day we will celebrate and rejoice that our King
has come to judge the nations and to save his people forever.
Prayers
O Lord Jesus, You teach that in the midst of the turmoil of
this world You will return and save Your people and You call us to be awake,
watchful, waiting for that day. Thank You for giving us hope that the sorrows
and injustices of this life will not be allowed to stand. We also give You
thanks for the promise of rescue from this world and our sin. Forgive us, Lord,
for not being watchful, and for living as though this world and its priorities
were eternal when in reality this world will pass away and Your word – Your
promises of salvation, forgiveness, resurrection, and everlasting life – will
remain forever. Give us Your Holy Spirit to set our hearts on Your eternal word,
and make us ever watchful for Your return while faithfully working as citizens
of your kingdom. Amen.
Thank you so much for using Devotions for Worship, I pray
that our time together has blessed you and given you something to meditate on –
some reminder of God’s grace to rattle around in your brain – for the rest of
the day.
One of the things we can do to help us meditate on God’s
word is to memorize it. This week’s verse comes from the Old Testament lesson,
which we’ll look at tomorrow.
Memory Verse: Isaiah 64:4 – From of old no one has heard or
perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides You, who acts for those who
wait for Him.
Would you do me a favor? If you got something out of this
devotional time, would you like and/or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or
wherever you do social media? That would help me get the word out, and
hopefully help these devotions be a blessing to others.
God bless you!
Comments