Lectionary for Advent 1
Restore to us, O God, the light of your face, that we may be saved. Psalm 80:3
Collect. Almighty God, you have promised to make all things new. Graciously enable us to prepare for the coming of Christ your Son, that he may find us waiting eagerly in joyful prayer. He lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reading. 1 Corinthians 1:3-9. This is a beautiful opening to what is quite a stern letter. Paul begins by joining the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ together in the blessing of grace and peace. It is the grace of God which brings salvation into a new life and as a result peace is the effect which follows. It is the “grace of God” that Paul refers to a number of times throughout the letter. It is God’s grace which binds them together and brings the harmony that Paul will soon be appealing for from the Corinthians. However to begin with Paul is reminding the Corinthians whose they are as well as who they are.
The Corinthians have been called into fellowship with a “faithful God”: one who has done all that is needed to bring them into a new life free from the strife and violence of the pagan world. As a major trading port Corinth was known for its wealth and for its self-indulgent and often immoral lifestyle. The result of coming to know Jesus had changed their lives in a wonderful way and Paul begins by reminding them of the blessings that have come to them because of the presence in their lives of this “faithful God”
Being in fellowship with God has linked them all together and given them a new confidence in the future. As a congregation they have been endowed with all the spiritual gifts that are needed to live a life which is honouring to God. Paul is reminding them that it is not that a few have been enlightened but that each one has been equally blessed by the Spirit. Therefore the Corinthian Christians are surrounded by the evidence of God’s grace poured out upon them. Paul in his opening salutation is reminding them that they belong together under Christ and so he is addressing them as such.
As we begin this season of Advent Paul’s words to the Corinthians could quite easily be applied to us as well as it was to them. How great is the blessing that we have through our faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ. By God’s grace we have been given all that we need to love and serve God effectively. Through the fellowship we enjoy with God and each other we can live a confident life, knowing that the future is firmly in the hands of Jesus Christ. Paul is emphasising the blessings that have been poured out because the message from the world is very different. How easy it is to take our blessings for granted and to forget that God is constantly at work in our lives.
Advent calls us to look back and remember that a Son has been given to us. Advent also demands that we look forward, filled with the knowledge and understanding that one day Jesus will return and every wrong will be righted, every hurt will be healed and God will be revealed as Lord of all.
Prayer. God of all hope and giver of all comfort we approach you today and offer our prayers with thankful hearts. May nothing in us resist your spirit that we may rejoice in the true hope which is to be found in you. Grant us the wisdom and insight to discern your will and purpose for us both as individuals and as a Christians together. May your way forward be made clear that we may walk with you and at all times exalt in your prefect presence. Grant that we may live our lives filled with the expectation that each day brings us closer to the return of our Lord and the final victory of Jesus our Saviour. Amen.
Reading. Mark 13:24-37. Advent signals the beginning of the Church’s year and also is the beginning of the lectionary readings from the Gospel of Mark. Although greatly regarded by the early church it was only at the beginning of the twentieth century that Mark’s worth was once again truly recognised. Mark was the first of the Gospels to have been written and so links us back to the earliest record of Christ’s earthly ministry.
Traditionally the gospel is thought to contain much of Peter’s preaching and teaching and as such bears record to Peter’s eyewitness account of incidents in the life of Jesus. Mark however makes it clear at the beginning of his record that this is not simply and account of the life of Jesus or a simple unpacking of Peter’s teaching, this is a Gospel; it is good news and it is Good News that Mark wants to deliver.
The whole of chapter 13 in Mark is often referred to as the Little Apocalypse. The intention of this chapter is to reveal the destruction of the temple and the victorious return of Christ. Overall the theme of this section is to give a warning to the church. By describing the suffering or tribulation Mark has reminded his readers of the serious nature of following Jesus while at the same time he is emphasising the great hope that Christ’s return in glory will bring to the “elect”. The return of Christ will see a cataclysmic upheaval within the creation. This disturbance will be necessary for it will be the power of God visibly at work replacing the old creation with a new heaven and a new earth. In his second letter Peter remarks that “the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be burned up. 2Peter 3:10. Marks’ description conveys the message that those who are followers of Jesus Christ, though they will face grave danger will be gathered in safely even though the old world is being destroyed.
Present along with this cosmic upheaval will be the glorious return of Christ, along with an angelical crowd tasked with gathering in all the believers from every part of the dissolving earth. This return will not be some mystic event but the Lord Jesus will be visible to every living creature. For some this will bring great rejoicing and a sense of fulfilment but for others it will only add to the terror.
Mark then breaks off from this futuristic description to remind his readers of the need to be prepared for Jesus’ coming. The fig tree very naturally announces to everyone who takes notice that summer is on its way and soon there will be a ready supply of figs. Mark is foreseeing the return of Jesus as a natural event which we must prepare for and at the same time reminding us that the signs of his approach are plain to see. Mark has already recorded the words of Jesus that ‘there will be wars and rumours of wars” and these will be the signs of Christ’s return
Verse 30 has often caused concern, however if we see that from the moment Jesus returned to his Father the forces of evil have been at pains to discount his victory. All power struggles are a denial of his victory and equally a sign that one day Jesus as victor will return to vanquish all opposition.
Mark on the one hand assures us that Jesus will return and he also cautions us to be prepared for that return will come at a time that no one expects. As believers in the victory of Jesus Christ we cannot afford to lead complacent lives, we are to be prepared.
Mark is offering a prophecy about the future. The language may seem strange to Western sensibilities but that should not blindside us. If we go back just a few decades, who would have believed that we could see and talk to a person on the other side of the world with a gadget little bigger than a match box. {If you can remember what a match box is!} The future is hard for us to imagine for it is limited to our experiences of life, Mark is envisioning the future based on who Jesus Christ is and what his death and resurrection have accomplished.
Prayer. Lord Jesus as Mark describes heavenly things may we not be so earth bound that our minds fail to picture the glory that will be revealed on your return. We remember that before the earth was formed and even after it ceases to be, you are God and Lord of all. Grant to us the joy of placing all things into your hands and live each day contented and at peace: Safe in the knowledge that you live and reign with the Father Everlasting. Though we may face many struggles, still let us keep our hope anchored in you always facing the future with high expectations, until that day when all your people will form a glorious congregation who rejoice to sing your praises. This we ask in the name of Jesus our Lord and Saviour. Amen
Collect. Saviour God, your purposes are sure; help us to keep awake and trust the future to you, that we may be constant in faith and free from fear; in Christ’s name. Amen.
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