Advent I

 Mark 13:24-37;  I Cor 1:3-9;  Isaiah 64:1-9 --- Advent I

"The readings are filled with hope, but also with warnings about what is coming, a doom we cannot grasp or even really conceive. One shall be taken, and one shall be left. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world. Judgment is upon us; as in horror movies, real violence is about to irrupt into our daily round of manageable, pettifogging wickedness.

The music is full of a beautiful gloom. Ever since I was a child we sang progressively more verses of “O Come O Come Immanuel” around the dinner table every night, in that characteristic medieval minor key.

O come, Thou Dayspring from on high

And cheer us by Your drawing nigh

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death’s dark shadow put to flight " by Clare Coffey

"Here is the message of Advent: faced with him who is the Last, the world will begin to shake. Only when we do not cling to false securities will our eyes be able to see this Last One and get to the bottom of things. Only then will we have the strength to overcome the terrors into which God has let the world sink. God uses these terrors to awaken us from sleep, as Paul says, and to show us that it is time to repent, time to change things. It is time to say, “all right, it was night; but let that be over now and let us get ready for the day.” We must do this with a decision that comes out of the very horrors we experience. Because of this our decision will be unshakable even in uncertainty."  by Alfred Delp

"Radical Waiting---Nouwen

I have found it very important in my own life to try to let go of my wishes and instead to live in hope. I am finding that when I choose to let go of my sometimes petty and superficial wishes and trust that my life is precious and meaningful in the eyes of God, something really new, something beyond my own expectations begins to happen in me.

To wait with openness and trust is an enormously radical attitude toward life. It is choosing to hope that something is happening for us that is far beyond our own imaginings. It is giving up control over our future and letting God define our life. It is living with the conviction that God molds us in love, holds us in tenderness, and moves us away from the sources of our fear.

Our spiritual life is a life in which we wait, actively present to the moment, expecting that new things will happen to us, new things that are far beyond our own imagination or prediction. This, indeed, is a very radical stance toward life in a world preoccupied with control. "

Henri J. M. Nouwen

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.---actually my life verse.

PROVERBS 3:5-6 (NIV)

----these are all good thoughts to begin our new Church Year, Advent.  One of the older readings from Romans hit me this morning...."  Romans xiii. 8.

OWE no man any thing, but to love one another"   That could be our sermon for today and we could end it at that.

Perhaps we need to apply !!!  I find I assume too much about others.  We fail to communicate from the leadership on down and find that we are not really loving each other.  WE may meet on Sundays, but how much do know about others????  You and I cannot love each other if we don't know each other.   

I think we could coordinate more with others----it would be helpful.  I appreciate cross-talk.  If you have something you need assistance with, let us know.  Some of us do that well. Others not so much!  Are these things important?  Yes.  We are in a body here, called out as Christians, in the body of Christ in Loango.  We are together whether we like it or not.  That is how the Church works.  It is beautiful if we see the parts that contribute.  Some of us don't do much, but sit, but that is a beginning as well!  That is where it starts.

I  really treasured the Isaiah reading from today.  Isaiah 64----" Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down."....vs 2 tells about our national evangelism ----"  As when the melting fire burneth the fire causeth to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence!"

Encouraging words quoted in I Cor 2:9 by the Apostle Paul too in vs 4 " For since the beginning of the world, men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither has the eye seen,O God, beside Thee, what He has prepared for him that waits for Him."  I suggest reading that whole chapter by the Apostle for more encouragement.....

"  You meet those who gladly do right,

those who remember you in your ways.

But you were angry, and we sinned;

because you hid yourself we transgressed."   a different trans....maybe NRSV?  " Yet, O Lord, you are our Father;

we are the clay, and you are our potter;

we are all the work of your hand."  Talk about the Gospel in the OT!!!

from Rev. FR. Charlie Sutton on fb....I thought this was helpful for Advent as well:  " Waiting

Waiting can be defined as actively anticipating something with patience. Repentance should shape our waiting, urging us to turn from distractions and worldly concerns. Anticipation becomes a humble trust, acknowledging our need for God's mercy as we eagerly await the celebration of Christ's first coming.

"But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." (Isaiah 40:31, NLT)

Watching

In the act of watching, we are called to stay alert and attentive for a specific event. Repentance should also shape our watching. We look not only to the joy around us but also to the areas in our lives that need God's healing touch. Being prepared for Christ's return involves turning our hearts toward Him with sincerity.

"So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return." (Matthew 25:13, ESV)

Wondering

Wondering is about being awed and amazed. Repentance transforms our wondering into a reflection on God's grace. As we ponder the amazing deeds of the Lord, let our hearts turn to Him in gratitude and humility, recognizing His grace, mercy, healing, and forgiveness.

"How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them." (Psalm 111:2, NLT)

Worship

Worship is giving reverence and adoration to God. Infused with repentance, our worship becomes a genuine response to God's love. Kneeling before our Maker, our worship is an acknowledgment of our dependence on Him and a turning of our hearts in gratitude for the gift of Jesus.

"Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker." (Psalm 95:6, ESV)

Ultimately, waiting, watching, wondering and worship is about wisdom! The 5 W's !

Wisdom

The Bible tells us that the wisdom of God is Jesus Christ! Jesus is the guiding light through our Advent journey. As we repent, turn to the Lord, and navigate the themes of Advent, our hearts should be turned to Jesus, who is the very reason for the season. In Him is our hope and salvation.

"But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1 Corinthians 1:24, NLT)

As we journey in Advent, may our waiting be filled with a repentant trust, our watching be marked by alertness to God's healing, our wondering be wrapped in gratitude and humility, and our worship be a sincere expression of turning our hearts towards God. Let true wisdom, found in Christ, guide us through this season of anticipation and joy."

Bottom line up front-----Mark tells us why we should be waiting and watching .  You do not know when the time is.  13:33

Conclusion .  The prayer of Advent-" The Collect

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.

< > This Collect is to be repeated every day, after the other Collects in Advent, until Christmas Day."  And we all said, " Amen."