Coming into the advent season we get a lot of scripture
reminding us that this world is temporary.
In the first reading from Revelation this morning, the
angels reap two kinds of harvests: the earth's harvest and the grape harvest.
In the earth's harvest, all God's people are gathered into
heaven. This scripture connects back to Matthew 9:37, where Jesus asked for an
increase of laborers to work in the harvesting fields of God's kingdom.
In the grape harvest, all evil is cut from the earth and
destroyed. This verse connects back to Isaiah 63:3, where the Messiah's
garments are stained by the blood of evil-doers.
Then, in the Gospel today, Jesus talks about all of signs that
will occur before this “harvesting”—
"See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my
name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be
terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be
the end."
Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and
plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from
the sky."
All these ‘signs’ sound familiar in our present day, don’t
they? But Jesus says clearly that
despite the terrible things happening around us that we should not be terrified
for they are not signs of an immediate end. So, rather than feeling fearful and
anxious, understand that God protects us by giving us the strength and resolve to
persevere through difficult times. Jesus
not only provides comfort and strength, but he reminds us through his teachings
that our perseverance and faith will secure our lives and lead us to
redemption. As many of us know, times of
great challenge and difficulty often bring opportunities for renewal and growth
and that is exactly what the season of advent provides – a chance to prepare
ourselves for the second coming of Christ. We rejoice in the birth of Jesus and
prepare, with hope, for his second coming by reflecting on and then acting upon
his message - a message of kindness, compassion, justice, mercy and love.
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