Above: Saint Joseph with the Infant Jesus, by Guido Reni, Circa 1635
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Isaiah 64:1-9 (New Revised Standard Version):
O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,
so that the mountains would quake at your presence–
as when fire kindles brushwood
and the fire causes water to boil–
to make your name known to your adversaries,
so that the nations might tremble at your presence!
When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect,
you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
From ages past no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who works for those who wait for him.
You meet those who gladly do right,
those who remember you in your ways.
But you were angry, and we sinned;
because you hid yourself we transgressed.
We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth.
We all fade like a leaf,
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
There is no one who calls on your name,
or attempts to take hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us,
and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.
Yet, O LORD, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD,
and do not remember iniquity forever.
Now consider, we are your people.
Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18 (1979 Book of Common Prayer):
1 Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock;
shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.
2 In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,
stir up your strength and come to help us.
3 Restore us, O God of hosts;
show us the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
4 O LORD God of hosts,
how long will you be angered
despite the prayers of your people?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears;
you have given them bowls of tears to drink.
6 You have made us the derision of our neighbors,
and our enemies laugh us to scorn.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
show us the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
16 Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand,
the son of man you have made so strong for yourself.
17 And so will we never turn away from you;
give us life, that we may call upon your Name.
18 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts;
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
1 Corinthians 1:3-9 (New Revised Standard Version):
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God for you because of the grace of God that has been given to you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind–just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you–so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Mark 13:24-37 (New Revised Standard Version):
Jesus said to his disciples,
In those days, after that suffering,
“the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.”
Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake– for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.
The Collect:
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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Some Related Posts:
First Sunday of Advent, Year A:
Luke 21 (Similar to Mark 13):
http://ordinarytimedevotions.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/week-of-proper-29-thursday-year-1/
1 Corinthians 1:
http://adventchristmasepiphany.wordpress.com/2010/09/20/second-sunday-after-the-epiphany-year-a/
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Many science fiction movies and television shows depict human-like aliens who, oddly enough, speak Earth languages fluently. This is, of course, a conceit made necessary for a long time due to limited special effects technology and budgets, the fact that actors are humans, and that many audience members dislike reading subtitles. This also reflects the fact of our frame of reference when pondering extraterrestrial life; we seek life as we know it. But what if life as we know it is rare and life as we do not know it is more plentiful?
Let us apply that principle to Messianic expectations. It is natural to seek a spectacular display of divine power and presence, especially when one lives under foreign occupation or when the troubles of life seem too difficult to bear. But what did we get? The picture I placed at the top of this post says it all: a baby. He grew up, died, and rose again. In fact, I write this post on the Feast of the Ascension in 2011. With that departure came the promise of a Second Coming, but when?
Many of the earliest Christians, including St. Paul, thought that the Second Coming was soon. That was, of course, nearly two thousand years ago. After Paul, the canonical Gospels, written after the First Jewish War, reflected expectations that Jesus would be back any day now. That was nearly two thousand years ago. Over a century and a half ago, William Miller predicted more than one date for the Second Coming. He was mistaken. More recently, Colin Hoyle Deal, writing in the late 1970s, thought that Jesus would return by 1988. He had 101 reasons for this. (I have a copy of his book.) Hal Lindsey, also writing in the 1970s, thought that Jesus would come back before 2000. And Harold Camping has issued more than one faulty date for the end of times.
Jesus has not kept the schedules some people have calculated for him.
God will tend to the details of time quite well without our predictions; may we tend to our earthly vocations and not waste time getting in over our heads. We are called to be agents of God and faces of Christ to those to whom God sends us. This is our reality. So I ask you, O reader, some questions: Whom has God sent to you? To whom has God sent you? And how often did any of this not match your expectations? What lessons have you learned from the discrepancy between your expectations and your reality?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 2, 2011 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF REINHOLD NIEBUHR, UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST THEOLOGIAN
THE FEAST OF THE MARTYRS OF LYONS (A.K.A. BLANDINA AND HER COMPANIONS)
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Published originally at ADVENT, CHRISTMAS, AND EPIPHANY DEVOTIONS BY KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR on June 2, 2011
Adapted from this post:
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BLOGA THEOLOGICA 
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