“Great Expectations”, a sermon by Owen Rogers based on Isaiah 2:1-5, Matthew24:36-44 and Romans 13:11-14.

Introduction
Our Christian ancestors who invented Advent believed that following Jesus is an arduous vocation – a hard thing to do, easily abandoned when life gets tough, and even more easily abandoned when life gets really good. In both cases, they knew that we’d be tempted to put our human hope in things that are more immediately alluring than the Lord who left us long ago for a seat at God’s right hand. They knew that we would settle for living “ordinarily”—we would eat, drink, make merry, get and spend, marry and give in marriage oblivious to the deeper currents of God’s activity in creation, eventually losing ourselves in self-concern.

We would, they knew, get tired and bored and doubtful about the whole Christian enterprise. We would sleepwalk through our lives, waking up only briefly at times of wrenching loss or personal danger. At those motivating junctures, we might swear to live more attentively, and perhaps for a while we would let ourselves test the sharp edges of a life of faith. But it would not be long before we’d slink back to our warm beds, not long before we’d nod off again over our detective novels. We would forget who we are, where we are going, with whom we are traveling on the Way, and who it is who will come back for us when all is said and done.

And this is why those forbears of ours decided that Advent should begin with The End. Every year, the scripture appointed for the first Sunday of the season fast-forwards us to a vision of The Last Day. “Look hard at this spectacle,” the texts demand, “and see the way history ends, Jesus returns, the good are rewarded, the wicked are punished, and everything that is wrong with the world is set right. Take a lesson from this. Wake up. Live attentively. Take heart.”

What Jesus says about the future
So that is how we have these passages and this topic. I’ve spoken of Christ’s return before as you may recall, and I will keep referring to it for the reasons just stated. Something has to keep us awake and looking forward to today, let alone tomorrow, expecting good things, seeing God at work, indeed, seeing God.

Jesus said quite a lot about what will happen in the future — what it will be like when he returns, after he has died, risen and gone to heaven. We all like to know when things will happen and those who were listening were no exception, neither are we.

Jesus said it will be just like it was when the earthquake hit Canterbury. Most people were asleep – because it was night time. Because they were sleeping it took time for them to realise what was happening. By the time they figured out it was an earthquake it had already happened.

It was similar for the men in the Pike River Coal Mine. Did they have any warning, any indication that something was about to happen? When it was over did they know or were they killed in that first blast? Taken as they worked at their work. We don’t know, but Jesus’ return will be like that. We will be doing what we’re doing and – sudden fanfare of trumpets – and Jesus will be here.

I know that some people in Christchurch have been lying awake waiting for aftershocks but Jesus doesn’t mean us to do that. He says, “Get your sleep; you need it.” Being ready for his return means carrying on with life but with an awareness that eating, sleeping, working, playing and so on is not all there is. There is more to life. So we are to live our lives with an awareness of God, cultivating our relationship with Him.

So, yes he’s coming back and, no, we can’t put the date in our diaries.

What Paul says about the present
When Paul’s wrote this letter to the church in Rome Jesus had gone back to heaven and the people who had followed him and believed in him were learning how to live without him being physically present with them.They had the Holy Spirit with them and were receiving guidance in the letters they received from the apostles, like Paul. Paul is concerned that as these Christians grow in their faith, they should live as Jesus taught them and not in the way that non-Christians live.

Isaiah used the phrase, ‘living in the light’ and Paul talked about it too. It means doing things that it’s ok if other people see what we’re doing. In other words, doing good, honest and worthwhile things. The things Paul listed in his letter (v13) are things that we wouldn’t want anybody to know that we’d done. That’s why people who do such things usually do them in the dark when they’re less likely to be seen. Paul also refers to the weapons of Jesus Christ. These are the things that help us to fight off the temptation to do bad things – weapons like praying, and reading the Bible. What do you want Jesus to find you doing when he comes back? Do it. What do you not want Jesus to find you doing when he comes back? Don’t do it.

The New Testament has many letters written to churches and individuals that helped them to live as followers of Jesus. If all this was happening today you may find that they’d use mobile phones to keep in contact with each other.

Living in the present and the future
The Bible is clear that one day Jesus will return and make everything right.
Some Christians think that this is a long way off and so they don’t worry too much about how they act — so they drift. They don’t only do the things of the light. They figure that we can always say sorry later. Others believe that Jesus’ return is the only important thing to know and so they don’t worry about this world here and now. Some call them ‘too heavenly minded for earthly use’. Some become busybodies and gossips because they’re not doing anything useful, just hanging around waiting. Some are pains in the neck because all they can ever talk about is end times.

Both Jesus and Paul are clear that we should live the right way now because we don’t know when Jesus will return.

Conclusion
Yes, I am ready. I have warned those I know that He is coming, including everyone here in this church. I have been telling people how wonderful it will be. I am also waiting in readiness, prepared but getting on with things.
Living in the light while I wait.

Thanks to Rev. Dr. J. Mary Luti, senior minister of First Church in Cambridge (MA), Congregational, UCC, in Harvard Square, for the introduction.