Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Nov. 27, 2016
“For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” Persian tapestry, 14th century.
Advent begins! It is a time of preparation and expectation for the coming celebration of the birth of Jesus. As we look forward to Christmas Day, our readings look forward to a bright Messianic future. In verses of poetic beauty, the prophet Isaiah foresees Jerusalem and its Temple restored. It will be the highest of the mountains, the center of a world that recognizes it as the house of God. It will be a world of peace, a time when swords have been beaten into plowshares and there is no more war.
This Psalm closely mirrors the Isaiah reading’s hope for a future of triumph and peace for Jerusalem, the city of God, the throne of the new King David, the Messiah. The house of David is a city at peace, a city on a mountain where all the tribes of Israel go up with gladness to praise God’s name. At David’s throne, all the people can expect fair judgment; there the love of God is rewarded with security, prosperity and peace.
Second Reading: Romans 13:11-14
Advent is the time to wake up, to watch and wait, enduring the darkness as we look for the coming of a new dawn. Paul urges the people of the young church in Rome to prepare for the return of Jesus, an eagerly anticipated event that first century Christians believed and prayed would come very soon. “The night is far gone, the day is near,” he assures his flock. In the verses just preceding, Paul had advised the Romans to obey the commandments and love their neighbors as themselves. Then, to prepare for the day of the Lord, Paul invites them to “put on the armor of light” by living honorably, behaving well, living abstemiously, and avoiding quarrels and jealousy.
Gospel: Matthew 24:36-44
The First Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of the new liturgical year and a new year of Sunday readings. We have spent the last 12 months focusing our attention on Luke’s gospel; now we turn to a year with Matthew. Today’s verses complete today’s cycle of readings that foretell the last days and a Messianic future. Looking at the Temple from a nearby hillside in they days just before his passion and death, Jesus reminds his followers that only God knows when the last days will come, just as careless humans in Noah’s time had no warning of the Flood. The Advent message here is clear and simple: Be ready. Be prepared. Live as if Christ might come back at any hour.