On Dec. 1, Pastor Katy preaches on Matthew 24:36-44.

36 “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. 42 Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

Not many of us are good at waiting. Sitting in a waiting room for the doctor to call us to a room. Waiting to hear back about a job or promotion you applied for months ago. Waiting to hear if the test results are benign. Waiting for your loved one to return from deployment. Waiting… This Sunday begins the Christian season of Advent, a season of waiting. It is striking how counter-cultural the themes of Advent can be for us; waiting, longing, preparing and anticipating the coming Christ don’t exactly mesh with the chaos of parties and consumerism. The passage from Matthew’s Gospel that is traditionally read for the first Sunday in Advent is full of imagery that we easily gloss over, but when we pause to really take them in, we find a mix of messages about Christ’s coming and about what we do while we wait. Do we go about our daily lives as if nothing is coming, nothing is changing, or do we face each day with an intentional expectation that Christ will come?