Advent Reflection #1: Who are we expecting?

A reading from Luke, chapter 21, verses 25-36. 

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” 

Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 

“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place and to stand before the Son of Man.” 

Here ends the reading. 

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The gospel reading for the First Sunday in Advent is tough; really tough. 

People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world… 

It is tough for a reason.  You see, if we are going to complete our Advent journey, we should have a care for our sense of direction. 

In Luke’s gospel, we hear some terrifying predictions 

signs in sun and moon and stars    

the powers of the heavens will be shaken   

Heaven and earth will pass away   

In fact, this is a history lesson. This is what the prophets said of old. Jesus is telling a story that people already know. He is forcing them to think about history and what they now expect. 

There is a lot of history in St Luke. We will hear a lot of history in the Advent weeks ahead. We will hear Christ ask us, ‘Do you remember what you were told? Do you remember Isaiah, do you remember Daniel? Jesus asks us to think about the moment that God is revealed in his glory. What do we think that will be like?  What do we expect?   

The answer is that we seem to expect drama, or even chaos. We expect signs in the heavens. But Advent teaches us that God does not always act like we expect. We must reframe our expectations 

We must begin again. The promise of Advent is indeed that we will see the glory of God. But when it comes it will not be lightning on the horizon, but a baby in a manger.  When that time comes, it will be a man dying on a cross. As Advent begins, as this season starts, we have to ask ourselves: what do we expect? Are we ready for the God who does nothing we expect?