Posts Tagged ‘Standing Before God at Judgment’

Standing Before God at Judgment

Sunday, December 2nd, 2012

Westminster Towers

Jer 33: 14-16;  1 Thes 3: 12 – 4: 2; Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36

By Deacon Larry Brockman

 

Advent, we are entering the Church’s season of Advent.  It’s a 4 week period of preparation and joyful expectation of the coming of the Messiah.  But there are two such comings that we are waiting for.  The first is Christmas and the second is the second coming of Christ.  Christmas is a memorial of something that happened 2000 years ago.  But the second coming has yet to occur, and so we need to remind ourselves each year of the reality of that second coming and what it means to us.

The first reading talks about the first coming of Christ.  Christmas, the long awaited coming of the Messiah.   We can, and should, commemorate that coming with incredible joy because Jesus showed us the way and guaranteed us everlasting life.   Now, most of us spend our time during Advent preparing for Christmas- trees and cards and presents and all kinds of rituals that remind us of the season we are about to celebrate.  And that is fine, as long as we also focus on the real meaning of the Nativity that I just mentioned.

But this week, the last week of ordinary time, and the first week of Advent that follow this Sunday is a transition that focuses on the end times and the second coming of Christ.  The Gospel that we just read is all about that second coming.  And that’s what I want to talk a little more about

It sounded scary, didn’t it, ll that talk about earth and the moon and the sun nd people dying of fright.  What does it all mean?  Many think that the emphasis in this reading is on the actual physical end of the World.  But I think there is a more immediate meaning, and that is the one we need to concentrate on.  You see, when each of us dies then we will perceive all of the events described in the Gospel.  The stars and the moon and the sun will be no more to us; and we will see the son of man coming to perform the last judgment on us.

Will we be ready for that, the Last Judgment?  Jesus warns us to “beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from the worldly anxieties of daily life”.  Because when we become drowsy in this way, we may be caught by surprise.  Yes, indeed, we can be caught by surprise in our own death.  Especially if we have not thought through what it means to focus on God rather than our worldly lives.  It is easy to fall into this trap when we grow into adulthood and enter the fast lane of life.  Spouses, jobs, interests, children, money, sports- all these things bid for our time and effort.  And before we know it, we are in the twilight of life and yet, our focus is still on the worldly anxieties of life- our health, our families, and our finances for example.  But we cannot afford to be caught by surprise.  Because these are the people who Jesus says will be afraid- the ones Jesus says will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming.  And being frightened away from Christ is the real death, because it is separation from God and the Kingdom of God.

But there is another side to this Gospel, a very positive one.  Because Jesus is also saying that when we die, we can experience Christ our sovereign King as He approaches us for judgment in the clouds, with a joyful spirit and hopeful expectation.  In fact, Jesus says we should stand erect, and have confidence that our salvation is near!  Have you ever really thought about it that way before?  Standing erect confident of our salvation sounds very appealing, doesn’t it.

So what should we do to make sure we are in the second group?  Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians gives us a strong hint on what we should do.  Paul says that we “should abound in love for one another and for all so as to strengthen our hearts at the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ”.  Yes, love is the answer, how have we loved as we walked through life.  That’s how we strengthen our hearts rather than making our hearts drowsy.

During Advent, we can and should resolve to reflect on our lives.  We can’t change the past, but we can learn from it, and focus on the future, a future where love of God and neighbor are the focus of our energy.  God is infinitely merciful and forgiving to those who believe in Him and love Him.  If we are focused forward in this way then when we die, we will not be caught by surprise.  We will welcome the second coming of Christ.