Matthew 24:37–44, Gospel Reflection First Sunday of Advent

Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
In those days before the flood,
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage,
up to the day that Noah entered the ark.
They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away.
So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man.
Two men will be out in the field;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Two women will be grinding at the mill;
one will be taken, and one will be left.
Therefore, stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house
had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
he would have stayed awake
and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

Matthew 24:37–44

This Sunday’s Gospel Reading could be kinda scary. It makes you wonder about the end of times and the rapture (by the way, the rapture is not a church teaching. I’ll be explaining that some other time). But it is not meant to be. It’s meant to be an admonishment.

While Advent is a time of preparation for the joy of Christmas and an annual reminder of God’s incarnation in a small baby, we are also called to remember two more things:

1. Jesus’s daily arrival in our hearts. God is always there and always wants to be part of our daily lives.
2. In the end of time, Jesus will come back as a loving, merciful judge and welcome us all into his kingdom.

So, Jesus’ arrival in time was not just something that happened over 2000 years ago in a small middle-eastern village. Jesus arrives every day in the form of our loved ones and not-so-loved ones. He will arrive at the end of time to welcome us home.

And for these other arrivals, we need to be ready and alert. We need open eyes to greet Jesus in our neighbor. We need to be awake to good deeds and prayer to be ready for Jesus’ final return. The end of time is not something to be feared, but a final cumulation of how we have lived our lives so far.

So, stay awake! Welcome the advent season and welcome Christ in all that you meet. I hope you have a blessed season and I will be returning daily with reflections this year.

For more of my ministry, look me up as “Not Your Bible Teacher” pretty much everywhere. I’m trying to really get this thing rolling before the end of the year.