Image from agnusday.org
‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’ Then he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. ‘Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.’ (Luke 21:25-31)
Good day, dear Friend! I pray this finds you well and having enjoyed a long holiday weekend and still made time to worship the Lord! Nellie and I were blessed to have been in worship back "home" in Gonzales after an absence of working Sundays and some vacation Sundays, and after a wedding in Mission, Texas; but the worship and sermon brought refreshing and renewal to our souls and spirits.
It hit me on Saturday morning that this marks two years since I have not subscribed to a print newspaper. I am a fan of newspapers you can hold in your hand and even have ink smear on my fingers; but I'm just weird that way. The only thing I can think of for not receiving one here at our home is that we travel a lot and end up throwing more unopened papers than we should. One of the things that I loved about getting a major city newspaper were the ads on the Sunday before Thanksgiving that were all about Black Friday sales. Thanksgiving Day's newspapers as well would have, as a reminder of the following day, the ads for the sales where one could save a lot of money if one was willing to fight huge crowds and all that goes with that. The ads served as a sign of a coming day important to some. Now, on the internet big retailers send out hints or even their Black Friday ads via email. Still signs of something to come.
Jesus in today's passage talked about signs. It's found in the chapter that begins with the widow giving her all to the Lord, then the disciples being tourists and enjoying the splendor of the Temple, then Jesus ruining that for them by saying the day was coming when not one stone would be upon another. This piqued the interest and curiosity of the disciples and they begged to know when? Jesus gives what signs He can knowing the only One who truly knows is the Father. The Message Bible has that first verse saying, "It will seem like all hell has broken loose..." The normal will not be normal; the expected will become unexpected. People's focus and attention will go from the earthly and physical to the heavenly and spiritual realms. The signs point to the return of Jesus "with power and great glory." Those signs will be a call to attention for those who believe and who have been awaiting the Lord's return; just like the ads in Sunday's paper signal the coming of an expected shopping day. Signs that the Kingdom of God is near, which it has been for over two thousand years now; but God's promise is that while heaven and earth may pass away, God's words will not. Our call is to be on guard to watch our hearts to keep them from "being weighed down with dissipation (searching for things that do not satisfy!) and drunkenness and the worries of this life" making sure we are not caught off guard with the happening of all these things. These are the words that usher in Advent, the season of preparation that bring us to Christmas and prepare us for Christ's return. We are to "be alert at all times, praying that we may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
Jesus will not ask us, "What did you buy?" or "How much did you save?" Jesus will ask how we lived our lives in ways that showed His love for the world? "What did you share with those who were in need?" And "Who did you bring to salvation in My name?" Those are the essential things. "Did you pray for one another? Did you visit the sick and those who were in prison and widowed or orphaned?" We will then realize that the things of Good Friday outweigh the junk of Black Friday.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, prepare our hearts for this season. We rejoice in the signs that will come to prepare us to welcome You as a baby, but make our hearts and spirits strong to serve You as the Savior who wants us to be gainfully employed and deployed to make Your kingdom a reality now here on the earth. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show signs of Advent in your life today by what you say, think, and do!
Eradio Valverde
A wonderful resource on preparing for Advent: https://amzn.to/2ByYW03
