Collect and Readings for Advent Sunday – Isaiah 2.1-5, Psalm 122, Romans 13.11-14, Matthew 24.36-44
The Prayer for today
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and to put on the armour of light, now
in the time of this mortal life, in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility; that on the
last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, we may rise
to the life immortal; through him who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Church begins its new year on Advent Sunday with the alarm clock jerking us out of sleep. There isn’t even a snooze button. There is rather a sense of urgency as we listen to the readings.
First, we have the vision seen by Isaiah of the last days, with the holy hill of Jerusalem a centre of pilgrimage for people of every nation. It is a picture of two-way traffic; the pilgrims streaming towards the city from all directions, in order to understand and know God better, and the Word of God pouring out from Jerusalem in all directions to teach, explain and transform lives.
From our position in time, we can appreciate the typical and extraordinary nature of such prophecy, since in Jesus the Word of God has indeed been pouring out from Jerusalem to the rest of the world, and to the rest of time during this last age before the end of all. And it is to him that the people come in every generation to have their lives transformed.
The Isaiah passage ends with a summons and an invitation to walk in the light of the Lord, and Paul takes this up in his letter to the Romans. The armour of light that will protect us from evil is the life of love spelt out by Jesus both in teaching and example. So, as we begin our preparation for Christmas, we are reminded of Jesus’ humility in coming to live among us and show us the Way, and also of the future, when he will return in glory as righteous judge.
In the Gospel we have Jesus’ own teaching about the last days and discover that one thing we can be certain of is that the second coming cannot be predicted. No last-minute revision will be possible, then, and the regular coursework format is a more helpful model. We have to live our lives in constant readiness so that we are not taken by surprise. This is partly so that we can be prepared for death or the second coming, and partly so that we can enjoy that quality of eternity which means God is constantly coming to us even while we live out our earthly lives. We need to be ready to receive him at every moment of every day.
Some things to reflect on:
· In what ways is the historical site of Jerusalem still a centre of pilgrimage? Why are so many people drawn to it?
· Why do you think the timing of the second coming is known only to God the Father? How might it affect us if we knew all the details in advance?
God bless and stay safe and well.
Rev’d Fiona Robinson
