Jeremiah 33:14-16                 Luke 21:25-36                        1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

As we begin this morning, I have two questions, but each question has two parts.

First question: Have you ever flown on an airplane? How old were you when you did so the first time?

Second question: Have you ever taken a trip overseas? How old were you when you did so the first time?

Everyone is different. Not everyone has flown in an airplane, and not everyone has traveled overseas. But for several generations, our family is an immigrant family and a family of travelers. My maternal grandparents immigrated to the United States from Germany and as a result nearly all her family still lives in Germany. And so, when I was fourteen years old, I traveled to West Germany, by myself. The logistics of a minor making such a trip today would be quite different, but at that time, Mom and Dad simply drove me to Cleveland, gave me my ticket, put me on a plane (it was a charter and a direct flight except for a refueling stop in Bangor, Maine), and told me that Mom’s cousin, Helga, would meet me at the baggage claim at the Stuttgart airport.

While repeating such a trip today would have additional challenges, I’d like to think about what happened and what might happen in a similar trip. I had never been to Germany before. I had never flown on an airplane before. I didn’t speak much German but I had learned a little taking some evening continuing education classes at the University of Akron (even though technically I was too young, nobody ratted me out). I had never met Helga or her husband Richard, nor any of my mother’s family. From my perspective, I was flying into the unknown for the next five weeks.

But I had several things that made my parents think that this was possible, and which gave me the confidence to do it. First, I had trust. Although I had never been to Germany, I knew that it was a real place, and it was the place that my grandparents had been born and that my parents had visited. Although I had never met Helga and Richard, I trusted that they were my relatives, that my parents had met them, and that they were nice people who would take care of me. The second thing that I had, based entirely upon my trust, was hope. And the third thing that I had was the promise of my parents, and by extension, the promises of my extended family in Germany.

I had never been there. I had never met them. But I had a plane ticket, trust in my parents, hope that my extended family would do what they said that they would do, and I had a promise that it would all work out. And to make a long story short, it did.

But the reason that I told you all this story is because what we have in the scriptures for this first Sunday of Advent bears many similarities to my experience. And it is my hope that by understanding my experience, we can all make a connection to what today’s scriptures are trying to teach us. We begin this morning by reading one of God’s promises recorded by the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 33:14-16 where we hear this:

¹⁴ “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah.

¹⁵ “‘In those days and at that time
    I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line;
    he will do what is just and right in the land.
¹⁶ In those days Judah will be saved
    and Jerusalem will live in safety.
This is the name by which it will be called:
    The Lord Our Righteous Savior.’

Jeremiah brings a message that says God remembers the promises that he has made to Israel and there is a day coming in which he will fulfill those promises. A king descended from David’s family will once again rule over Judah, and God’s people will once again live together in safety. Jeremiah’s message from God is a message of promises kept and a message of hope for the future.

But then, in Luke 21:25-36, Jesus warns that the Roman peace is still not the peace that God had promised. That Rome’s peace would end, that the end of the world was still to come and when it did, there would be disaster, terror, and anguish before Israel’s rescuer arrived. Jesus urges his followers to be attentive to the world around them and to look for the signs of his coming.

²⁵ “There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. ²⁶ People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. ²⁷ At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸ When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

²⁹ He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. ³⁰ When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. ³¹ Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

³² “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

³⁴ “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. ³⁵ For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

Jesus reminds his listeners that just as they watch the fig tree, which is always the first to sprout, for signs of spring, they should be watching for the signs of the end times. Jesus says that once the end starts, all those who are living will see everything unfold except for his return. And Jesus warns them not to be distracted by parties, alcohol, or even the normal worries of life because all these things can distract us from God. When the end comes, it will come, not just for Israel but for the entire world. Be on watch and pray that you will be able to stand before Jesus on the day of judgement.

But that still leaves us wanting something more. Since Jerusalem was destroyed just short of two thousand years ago, aside from prayer, what else should we be doing as we watch for the end? And in his letter to the church in Thessalonica, Paul includes some additional advice. Reading from 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13, we hear Paul say what he is doing during their time of forced separation and recommends that the church do this:

⁹ How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? ¹⁰ Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.

¹¹ Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you. ¹² May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. ¹³ May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

First, Paul says that he and his team are praying that their time of separation would end and that they would have a wonderful time of reunion when they would all see one another again. But until that time, Paul prays that the love of the church, and the love of its members, would grow so that their love would overflow into one another, into the people around them, and simply into everyone just as Paul’s love was being poured into the lives of the church. Paul also prays that the hearts of God’s people would grow stronger so that when we stand before Jesus on the day of judgement, that we will be presented before him as blameless and holy.

And so, in ways that may seem like my trip to Germany as a young teen, we are looking forward to a trip into the unknown. We have heard of our destination, but we’ve never been there. We have never met our host face to face (though we’ve been told that he is nice). We trust in those who have invited us, and we have hope that our God will be faithful and keep his promises as he always has.

And so, let us do as Paul has said. Let us pray that our love for one another, and for the people around us would increase and overflow into our families, our friends, and everyone else. And may we also pray that our hearts, and our faith, would grow stronger so that when we stand before Jesus, we will stand as people who are both blameless and holy.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

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