The Unknown Day and Hour

Preti, Mattia, 1613-1699

Therefore you also must be ready, 

for the Son of Man is coming 

at an hour you do not expect.

(from Matthew 24:36-44)

Never, perhaps, has this Advent gospel been timelier. “Watch!” Jesus says in the closing to his apocalyptic warning.

It's timely as our North American culture becomes increasingly secular and “mainline” churches are shrinking, being sold for condos and housing, or abandoned.

But even where the church is thriving—in many parts of Asia and Africa, for instance—violence that denies the peace of Christ, along with the suppression of Christian faith, is real. 

Whatever the situation Jesus tells us to “stay awake”—to keep eyes, hearts, hands, and minds on the hope of his coming.

Since we don’t know when “the day of the Lord” is coming we need to keep watching, working, and living by grace.

My way of working and watching in hope is through feeding those who are hungry.

Each Sunday, before the beginning of our worship, I see people bringing food donations and placing them in the “Food Pantry” container.

Perhaps the greatest sign of hope for me was the parishioner who, each Sunday, carried his oxygen pump along with his food donation, and placed the food in the container.

He did this until he could no longer attend worship.

Stay awake!!!