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‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.(Matthew 24:36-44)
When we were kids we knew to know the signs that Christmas was coming. Aside from the calendar, but who had time to stop long enough to look at one? The signs were there. A stroll, yeah right, a run through downtown and Roy's Camera Shop, you'd see the signs! The little evergreen trees alongside the miniature train track with blinking lights, and before too long all the stores would have something "Christmasy" in their display windows, and soon school would be out for a long time! Oh joy, oh joy! It seemed as soon as trick or treating's candy stash was finished, the holiday season would be upon us. The Thanksgiving-Halloween mash would not be as bad as it seems today, but it was still a grand time of year.
In the Christian year, this Sunday is Advent Sunday One. A time to prepare. We celebrate and remember Jesus' first arrival as a baby, visited by the wise men and the shepherds; sung to by choirs of angels, forced to escape his homeland to a foreign land, where his parents had sought safety and a better life for their child; yes indeed, an undocumented immigrant in the Egyptians' midst. And Advent is also a time to remember, as we say every time we celebrate Communion, "Christ will come again." And I believe He is coming again, as do you, but we don't know when. It will come when God is ready, and for our sake, we should be ready as well. The story Jesus employs in today's passage is that it will be a day like any other day, just like in the days of Noah; party after party, marriage feasts after marriage feasts, then that day came when the flood took them away. And to further illustrate, Jesus said, "Two will be working in the field, side by side; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. KEEP AWAKE THEREFORE, FOR YOU DO NOT KNOW ON WHAT DAY YOUR LORD IS COMING." And then again, if a homeowner knew when the burglar had him or her on his scheduled homes-to-hit list, he or she would be ready. We must be ready as well, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour we do not expect. And He's coming back for His own. Are you in that number?
PRAYER: Lord, for this week of preparation and travel for many of us, grant us Your pace and peace. Grant us safety and joy, a time for love and sharing; a time for remembering and giving thanks for those who have joined You but have left us behind. Help us live our lives in ways that glorify You and signify to others that we are ready. This we pray in the name of He who died for us; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
