Advent VII (The Counter Culture Message)

The Lectionary is a three year cycle of Scripture readings to assist the church in its movement through the Christian year.  Each one of the cycles focuses on one of the first three gospels so that in a three year period the church has opportunity to hear the all the gospels read.  Readings from the gospel of John are interspersed throughout those three years.  Advent is the first season of the Christian calendar and this year the gospel lessons come from Matthew.  The gospel lesson for the first Sunday in Advent is from Matthew 24:36-44 and while it is familiar to most readers, it ends with the warning, "Therefore, you must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."    

For so many of us, this word seems so out of step with where we are in these days.  The church is unpacking the wooden characters for the nativity scene, putting in candles for the Advent wreath which speak pleasant words like hope, peace, joy, and love, and hanging enough greenery in the sanctuary to make it look and smell like a forest.  In the midst of such activity, who wants to be talking about Jesus coming again?  What one of us is ready for this conversation when all everyone is talking about is the celebration of Jesus being born in Bethlehem as a sweet little baby?  The popular message is that Advent prepares us for Christmas when in fact it is asking us if we are ready for Christ to come again.    

It is no wonder that Advent is perceived by some as being so counter culture.  Everyone in the secular world is talking about Christmas trees and gift lists and Advent is talking about Jesus returning.  What is surprising is that even the church is hesitant to talk about the Biblical teaching that Jesus is coming again.  It is not a message people want to hear and the church is too eager to be accommodating by making a hard message more palatable as it ignores the warnings about readiness.