Matthew 24:36–44
1st Sunday of Advent – 11-30-25
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[a] but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Entering the Season of Advent
Well, here we are once again stepping into the season of Advent. And just for the fun of it, with a show of hands, let’s see how many of us have started our Christmas preparations? How many of us have the inside of our houses decorated for Christmas? How many of us have the outside decorated? Are there any overachievers in the room who have bought all their Christmas gifts and started wrapping them? How many of us would say we are completely ready for Christmas?
Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted just thinking about it! Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas! It’s one of my favorite seasons in the liturgical calendar! But Christmas usually comes with a flurry of activity. The days fly by way too fast! The to-do lists grow too long, and our calendars fill up before we can blink an eye. And while it’s a beautiful, joyous occasion, it also comes with all its trappings.
We feel the pressure to decorate the perfect tree, string lights, and garland across every corner of the house. We also find it necessary to search for the ideal gifts and wrap them with beautiful paper and matching bows. Then there’s all the holiday baking! For whatever reason, we bake a variety of cookies, make buckeyes and fudge, and, of course, we can’t forget one of the most essential features of Christmas.
We must send out the picture-perfect Christmas cards to all of our friends and relatives.
And sadly, the season that’s supposed to be holy and peaceful suddenly becomes a season of hurried, overwhelming stress!
Why Advent Matters
This is why we celebrate the season of Advent. You see, Advent is the church’s yearly antidote to our hurried hearts. It teaches us to slow down, to breathe, to wait, to remember that the holiest work often happens in the quiet pauses of life. Life, after all, is a gift from God. So all of life’s moments are sacred.
Advent calls us to wait for two sacred arrivals:
1. Waiting for the Incarnation
First, Advent prepares us for Bethlehem, for the wonder of the Incarnation, that breathtaking mystery in which God loves us all of us so much that God leaves God’s place on the throne to become human. To be God with us. And the reason God chooses to do this is surprising in itself. God chooses not to love us from a distance but to step into our time, our flesh, and our weaknesses so that God can make God’s love known to us, and in our gratitude, we will show God’s love to others.
Theologian Athanasius put it this way: “God became human so that humanity might become like God.” And Friends, I believe this to be true. You see, the Incarnation proclaims that God sanctifies human life from the inside out. In other words, we are all works in progress.
We are all being transformed into the likeness of Christ. And because God entered time, every moment can be sacred.
2. Waiting for the Second Coming (Parousia)
The second thing we wait for during the season of Advent is the Parousia, better known as the Second Coming of Christ. The Greek word Parousia means presence, arrival, or coming. And when this happens, God’s story will be complete. On the day Christ returns, it will not be in a manger, but in glory, not in weakness but in power and victory! Praise God!
So Advent holds both the cradle and the kingdom. Both the birth and the promise. Both the tenderness of God with us AND the hope of God renewing all things in the future.
So, this scripture today is a call to continue doing the work of Christ even as we wait.
Understanding Matthew 24:36–44
You see, Biblical scholars agree that Matthew 24, verses 36-44, has an apocalyptic orientation, drawing on the belief in two ages: an evil age that will be replaced by God’s realm, where God and the angels will reign in heaven and on earth. And Biblical scholars also believe that these passages indicate that Matthew’s congregation was losing confidence in the second coming because it hadn’t occurred quickly enough. Indeed, ever since Jesus left the earth and returned to the Father, the church has been anxiously awaiting His return.
So, the early Christians believed the apocalypse had been delayed, and their hope and witness were fading.
So Matthew writes to the early Christians to encourage them to continue doing the work of Christ, even though they must wait. Matthew basically says, “We don’t know when Christ will return, even Jesus and the angels don’t know that, only the Father knows for sure when that’s going to happen. But just because we don’t know doesn’t mean we can lie low and do nothing. No! It’s even more imperative for us to stay alert and continue to witness to the truth of Christ, to witness with extreme intensity. Jesus says, “Keep awake and be ready!” In other words, live your lives as if today is your last, but keep working diligently for the cause of Christ.
Friends, this isn’t about staying busy, though, so busy in fact that we find ourselves running through life. No, it’s about knowing that every second of every day is a gift from God, so every second is sacred. And because our time is sacred, so are our lives.
Sacred Living and Mindfulness
As followers of Christ, we are called to live mindfully. We are called to live life in such a way that every action, word, and deed reflects the character of Jesus Christ.
Author Amy Oden offers one of the most beautiful reflections on mindfulness and God’s presence. In her book Right Here, Right Now, she writes,
“God is present when we are sitting at the stoplight, helping Kids with homework, and in the frustrating meeting at work. God is working in those brief sentences with my spouse before we head out the door, at my yoga class, and when I’m surfing online. My entire mundane, daily, messy life rests in God. All. Of. It. [So], the more I practice mindfulness, the more I become aware of God, the True Life that holds my life in this moment. The goal of Christian mindfulness is God-awareness. [Which is] an experience of our lives in God, our true home.
Jesus says, ‘Look! See! The kingdom of God is at hand!’ [and] Christian mindfulness cultivates this seeing.”
This, my friends, is what makes time sacred; we are always in the presence of God. Every moment, ordinary or extraordinary, rests in the hands of the One who entered time and will redeem it.
A Personal Story of Waiting
Several years ago, my oldest daughter graduated from high school and decided to attend Marquette University. This was such a bittersweet time in my life. My husband Jeff and I had done all that we could to prepare Andrea for college life. We had the “don’t party too hardy” talks, we talked about campus safety, and we warned that if she were to flunk out of college, she would have to grow up fast and get herself a real job. But what we failed to prepare our daughter for was the desperate feeling of homesickness. In the first month at Marquette, everything went well.
Andrea was happy and enjoying life. But then, in month two, Andrea and her roommate had an enormous disagreement. So, she started calling every week, crying and begging us to come to Wisconsin and visit her. And we did that! We jumped in the car, braved the Chicago traffic, and visited Andrea many times. Just about every time she called, we went to see her. Then, as soon as we got home, the calls kept coming. So we encouraged her and gave her pep talks, but to no avail. And this went on for many months.
Finally, I had to do one of the most challenging things I have ever faced. I told Andrea to stop calling and crying to us all the time. I said, You’re intelligent and capable, Andre. You know what to do; you can work things out and get this done! Well, as you can imagine, my daughter didn’t like that answer. She got upset and stopped calling us altogether.
Finally, a few more weeks went by, and I called Andrea to see how she was doing, and she said, “I’m doing great, Mom. In fact, I think I’m going to go to a friend’s house for Christmas.” Well, my heart sank. I mean, staying at college was one thing, but it never dawned on me that she would choose not to come home for Christmas! As the days passed and the Advent season began, I started to prepare for Christmas. I bought Andrea’s gifts and cleaned up the guest room. I baked her favorite cookies
and saved her favorite ornament just in case she came home, so that she could hang it on the tree.
I kept praying and waiting for Andrea to change her mind and decide to come home for Christmas. But here’s the thing: it wasn’t anxious waiting; it was a loving waiting. A hopeful one. A waiting filled with anticipation and preparation.
And then, two days before Christmas, I heard a car driving down our lane, and there she was. Andrea had changed her mind and caught a ride with a friend who lived in Columbus. She had decided to surprise us for Christmas! Friends, all that waiting and preparation made the moment even more beautiful. The whole season of preparing wasn’t wasted time; it was love in motion.
Active, Hope-Filled Waiting
This is Advent Friends! It’s not passive waiting; it’s not standing still and hoping the Lord will return one day. It’s active, hope-filled waiting. It’s a time of preparation. Preparing room for God in our hearts: lighting candles, reading scripture, singing hymns, and telling and retelling the most fantastic story ever told.
It’s a time to clean out what clutters our spirits. To set things right with one another.
To light candles in the darkness. And look for ways to reveal the love of Christ to others while we wait in joyful hope for Christ’s second coming.
Clarifying the Scripture’s Tone
Now, I must admit this scripture might sound heavy because it speaks of Christ coming like a thief in the night. It has an end-of-time feeling to it. But rest assured, this is not a metaphor for “get right or get left!” This isn’t about “The Rapture.” Which most United Methodists do not believe in anyway. I mean, think about it. Why would God take all of the “good people” away and leave others behind to learn of his love? It just doesn’t make sense to me. But alas, that’s another sermon for another time. If you have questions, come talk to me. But this scripture is a reminder that God often shows up unexpectedly. God shows up in interruptions, delays, and inconveniences. God shows up in conversations with people in the drugstore, in the sunrises and sunsets. God shows up in the beauty of snow and when we gather with family and friends.
Every moment matters. Every second is precious and every hour is holy when we are mindful of Christ. So if the authors of Matthew were here today, they would say every day is a chance to deepen our awareness of Christ. So we wait not with dread, but with delight; not with fear, but with faith; not with anxiety, but with anticipation, as we actively wait for God’s perfect timing to arrive.
I’m reminded of Children opening an Advent Calendar, counting down the days until Christmas, every tiny door, every tiny chocolate, every scripture verse teaching that waiting can be joyful when you know Someone wonderful is coming.
The Question of the Hour
So, here’s the question of the hour: Do we know who we are waiting for this Advent season? Is our relationship with Jesus the same as it was last year? Or has it changed? Is it deeper?
How can we use our time wisely and keep it sacred?
Well, A teacher once said, “If you give me five minutes a day, I can teach you anything.” So, I know God can shape a lifetime five minutes at a time.
Five minutes of prayer, five minutes of gratitude, five minutes of kindness, five minutes of service, or five minutes of sitting still in the presence of God. These will be five minutes well spent, and these God Moments will make this Advent the best Advent yet! If we stay committed to growing in our faith and keeping our time sacred.
But don’t misunderstand, it’s not about clearing our calendars to make room for God. It’s about knowing that God is right here, right now, and that God is with us, patiently waiting to connect with us on a deeper level. So, it’s about opening our hearts to the One who holds all life and time.
So, I have an Advent challenge for us: This year, let’s embrace every moment as sacred, let’s stay alert with joy, let’s stay present with love, and be ready, not with predicting Christ’s return but by reflecting His heart to a weary world that hungers for the promise of hope and a reason to rejoice. A world that desperately needs to see and experience God.
Come, Holy Spirit, I pray it may be so.
Amen.
Benediction
Well, friends, as we leave this place, may we walk in the sacredness of every moment awake, alive, and attentive to the presence of Christ who meets us in the ordinary rhythms of our days. May our waiting become preparation, our preparation become love, and our love become light for a world longing for hope. Go in peace, go in love, go in sacred time to love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God. Amen.