Today in the Spirit: Advent 1A

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The first Advent Sunday marks the arrival of a new year in the life of the liturgical church. While there is little fanfare to celebrate that fact, we find the church, after the slow drip of nourishment in the Pentecost season, urgently inviting us, as worshipers, to take stock of our lives in view of the sudden arrival of a cataclysmic moment: the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In Year A, the assigned Gospel reading from Matthew 24:29-44 presents Jesus’ teaching on the parousia (second coming), the parable of the fig tree, and the exhortation for believers to remain vigilant for the coming of the day. Compared with Mark and Luke, Matthew’s version contains more expansive language from Jesus on watchfulness: “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master 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” (42-43).

The Collect

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your 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 living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Walk in the Light (Isaiah 2:1-5)

1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
3 and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
5 O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord.
Isaiah 2:1-5

Note the two phrases in this reading containing the verb walk (Heb. hālak in both cases): “that we may walk in his paths” (3) foretells a time when the people of Jerusalem, experiencing the establishment of Zion, are eager to obey YHWH. In this case, there is no need of a command from God, for the people spontaneously and gladly follow his ways. By contrast, “O house of Jacob, come let us walk in the light of the LORD” (5) is the prophet’s exhortation to the people to follow the ways of the LORD against the tide of sinful decay into which the city has fallen in the present. The “light” of the LORD here may refer to the vision the prophet has just communicated to them or to the law which God has given them from Sinai.

Devotionally, we may consider how we are asked to “walk” with God as Christians. Think of what is needed to assemble a piece of furniture newly purchased in a box from Ikea. In the box are the step-by-step instructions; on the box is an airbrushed picture of how the piece should look after assembly. To follow Jesus Christ in a wayward world, we need not only a list of instructions (like the commands of Scripture) but also a picture of the finished product (like the prophetic visions also found in Scripture) to encourage us forward in the right direction. The Lord sees us through to the end by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the revelation of the Scriptures.

O Jerusalem (Psalm 122)

1 I was glad when they said unto me, *
“We will go into the house of the LORD.”
2 Now our feet are standing *
within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is built as a city *
that is at unity in itself.
4 For there the tribes go up, even the tribes of the LORD, *
as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks unto the Name of the LORD.
5 For there is the throne of judgment, *
even the throne of the house of David.
6 O pray for the peace of Jerusalem; *
they shall prosper that love you.
7 Peace be within your walls *
and plenteousness within your palaces.
8 For my brethren and companions’ sakes, *
I will wish you prosperity.
9 Indeed, because of the house of the LORD our God, *
I will seek to do you good.
Psalm 122, New Coverdale Psalter (BCP 2019)

This pilgrim song reads like the journal recollections of any believing person who has looked forward to a large-scale Christian conference, only to find the experience more wonderful than they could have imagined. Arriving in Jerusalem, “David” offers his exalted reflections on the city. The structures are remarkable—her “walls” and “palaces,” but it is the people, the gathered “tribes,” which really capture his attention. At the end, the pilgrim makes his solemn vow to YHWH (like signing the commitment card at the conference): “I will seek to do you good” (9), and before that, to pray for peace: “‘May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!’” (6-7).

By way of application, in our Advent 1 worship, we might imagine a time after Christ’s second coming when life in the “holy city, new Jerusalem” (see Rev. 22:2) will be just as the psalm pictures it. Then, there will be no reason to pray for peace and security within her walls. This is not the case now, beloved. The “Jerusalem” of the psalm is the Church of Jesus Christ–the people and its institutions and its properties–and we must zealously intercede for her. Our constant prayer now must be for the things the psalmist asks for: “unity in itself” (or, “bound firmly together, ESV); “peace” (Heb. šālôm, “wholeness”); and “prosperity” (“security,” ESV).

Today, in the Spirit, responding to this psalm in our worship, we pray for the Church of God: strengthen us, dear Jesus, united around your lordship and grace. to stand fast against enemies within and without who would seek to tear down our walls. Guard our structures and prosper us as your people toward the fulfillment of your gospel work. Amen.

Make No Provision (Romans 13:8-14)

8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Romans 13:8-14

Or, “…and make no provision for the flesh to arouse its desires” (14, NET). The end of this clause in the original is literally just “unto desires,” so for clarification purposes, English translators feel the need to add a verb like “gratify” or “arouse” to make greater sense of it. “Arouse,” it seems to me, has the advantage of including in the initiation of desire, not just the end gratification. Further, to “make no provision” (Gk., literally “make no foresight”) implies refraining from the intentional preparation–mentally, physically, emotionally–which will lead to the achievement of what we want.

Devotionally, then, what Paul is calling for here is the will to intentionally put aside, not only the act of gratifying the desire of the carnal self but also the foresight, the preparation of how to satisfy it. So if “drunkenness” is the desire we cannot control, we don’t simply refrain from putting a cup to our lips but from entering the liquor store in the first place, the prior action that will almost surely cause us to fall. Are you struggling with the gratification of desires that tear you away from obedience to Christ? Paul’s exhortation is for you to look further back from the point when you arrive at the end of the cliff to the gateway that put you on the path there in the first place.

Today, at the apostle’s urging, with the help of the Spirit, be honest with yourself, admit weaknesses that lead easily to sin, and take the practical steps necessary to give your desires no arousal and no gratification.

Be Ready (Matthew 24:29-44)

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 “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. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master 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. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

“Therefore, stay awake…Therefore you also must always be ready” (42,44). Only Matthew’s version of the end of Jesus’ end-times discourse contains the double-barreled admonition “stay awake” and “be ready.” They are similar but not identical: Jesus himself suggests a distinction by the addition of “also” in the second command.

We note from the text that “stay awake” (or “be on the alert,” NASB) is linked to our not knowing when the return will be, while the command to “be ready” corresponds to its suddenness. The parousia will be both unpredictable and quick. Jesus’ earlier reference to the people in Noah’s day seems to illustrate the theme of suddenness more clearly, since they had no prior knowledge of a storm: “they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away” (38). On the other hand, his mini-parable of the household servant, which comes just after our passage (vv. 45-51), focuses more on the unpredictability of the day, since the servant knows the master will return at some point.

Devotionally, if we are being honest, both of the commands “stay awake” and “be ready” should cause us no slight uneasiness. Isn’t it true that most of us who believe in and look forward to the second coming also fully expect to die “a natural death?” We might wonder if, truthfully, that expectation does not run counter to our remaining both awake and ready for our Lord’s return as he wants us to. Now, don’t tear up your will or cancel your life insurance, but ask yourself: How would you be behaving differently now if you really were unsure about when Jesus was coming, or if your life might end suddenly “with a loud trumpet call” (31)?

Today, in the Spirit, from whom we hear the incessant whisper “understand the present time and wake up from your slumber” (Rom. 13:11, in the NT reading), assume nothing about the timing of the Lord’s coming: “Stay awake” and “be ready,” and see what happens.