Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013.
“For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
The book of Isaiah begins with a description of God’s anger against Jerusalem for its sins; but now, in Chapter 2, the prophet pens verses of poetic beauty, envisioning a future time when the city is restored as the Lord’s house, center of a world in which swords have been beaten into plowshares and there is no more war. Actually, most scholars think that the book of Isaiah was actually the work of three great Old Testament prophets: One who wrote before the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and its temple; one during the people’s exile in Babylon, and one who told of their eventual return and the hard work of rebuilding.
Psalm: Psalm 122
This Psalm, attributed by legend to King David’s authorship, sings counterpoint to our Isaiah reading, looking toward a glorious future, too, as it praises and prays for Jerusalem as the city of God, future home for David’s throne and a place where security, prosperity and peace will prevail.
Second Reading: Romans 13:11-14
Paul exhorts the people of the young church in Rome to be prepared for the return of Jesus, an event that Christians of that time believed and prayed would come very soon. “The night is far gone, the day is near,” he writes his flock. In the meantime, behave well, live abstemiously, avoid quarrels and jealousy. These verses follow immediately after Paul’s urgent reminder to follow God’s commandments and love our neighbors as ourselves, a way of life that prepares us to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Gospel: Matthew 24:36-44
“Eschatology,” a long word having to do with humanity’s expectation of Earth’s final days and Christ’s return, will run through our Advent readings, as our Sunday Lectionary selections now move from Luke’s gospel to Matthew. We have seen hints of this today as each reading peers into the future for signs of God’s activity. Now Matthew turns up the heat, reminding us that only God knows when the last days will come, just as sinful humans in Noah’s time had no warning of the Flood. We needn’t take literally what some might interpret as Matthew foretelling a “Rapture” event. The essential Advent message is simple and true: Be ready. If God were to come to you now and ask what you’ve been up to, would you have a good answer?