Gospel
THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO LUKE
Jesus said, "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
LUKE 21:25-36
Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Maryann Amor
Hope is a star that shines in the night, leading us on till the morning is bright.
Winter in the northern hemisphere brings early nights. By 5 p.m., darkness has already fallen. The air is freezing, and the earth seems lifeless and still. For many, this season carries a weight—the weight of isolation, weariness, or even the effects of seasonal affective disorder.
In response to winter, Advent offers an antidote. It calls us to reflect on themes that challenge darkness and despair: hope, peace, love, and joy. Each week, we are invited to focus on one of these themes and allow it to sustain us through the dark days ahead. This morning, our theme is hope. As we sang when lighting the Advent wreath, hope is depicted as a star piercing the night, guiding us from darkness to dawn. This image reminds us that, even in the bleakness of winter, hope helps us journey forward, finding the wonderful light of morning.
Our Gospel reading today also carries a theme of hope, though we must dig through intense imagery to find it. When I first read the passage, I couldn’t find any hope at all…it took effort, real effort, to discover why we hear this reading today.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of the destruction of the temple…a place central to Jewish worship. By the time Luke's Gospel was written, 15 to 20 years after the temple's destruction in 70 CE, this prediction would have resonated with readers, characterizing Jesus as a prophet.
Jesus also describes the end of the world, a topic that felt urgent to his early followers. First-century Christians believed Jesus would return, ushering in the end of times, within their lifetimes. But decades later, they were still waiting.
In describing the end times, Jesus uses vivid and unsettling language: “Distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”
At first glance, these words seem to carry no hope at all.
But, amid this powerful language, Jesus offers words of reassurance: “Stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” He is saying that these intense and frightening signs are not symbols of destruction but of God’s promises being fulfilled. Just as sprouting leaves signal the arrival of summer, these signs tell us that the Son of God is coming, the kingdom is at hand. The hope in this passage lies in Christ’s call for us to stay alert and ready because, even in the darkness, God’s faithfulness remains.
Our world, like the one Jesus describes, is full of distressing signs. Wars rage, and the news often warns of the looming threat of nuclear war. The climate crisis creates uncertainty about the earth we’ll leave for future generations. In our personal lives, as we will remember later in this service, we carry grief…the loss of loved ones who meant so much to us. We might struggle with health, relationships, or the weight of life’s many challenges.
But amidst all this darkness, today’s Gospel calls us to hold onto the promise of Advent: God is near; there is hope. Although destruction and fear are real, and sadness and strife feel close, God’s promises are bigger than all of this. The kingdom of God is not far off; it is breaking into our world even now. We must remain alert; we must watch for the light.
As I reflected on this truth of our faith, I found myself deeply challenged. The imagery and language in the Gospel dominated my mind…it is so powerful that I couldn’t really let it go. It took being very deliberate, going back to the passage again and again, saying to myself, “there is hope, I have to find it,” for me to begin to glimpse it.
I think the same is true in our lives. The challenges we face can demand all our attention and energy, making it hard to see where the light of God’s hope is shining. So, we must be deliberate in looking for the hope. We have to say to ourselves, “Yes, there is a lot going on, yes, there is a lot of darkness, but where is the hope?” Because, as God promises, the hope is there. We must stand up, raise our heads, and keep our eyes open, or we risk missing the signs.
So, what does this hope look like? Where can we see it breaking in? The reality is, it isn’t always big…it might not feel as significant as the difficulties in our lives. This is what makes the work of finding hope so hard. Often, it is little things that glimmer, maybe even dimly, that remind us that all is not lost. Personally, whether it was in Edinburgh, Edmonton, or here, really missing my family has always been my darkness...my mum is getting older, my nieces are growing up, and it is painful not to be with them, especially at the holidays. I know many of you can relate to this…being far from our loved one can make it difficult to see any light, any hope. But the light shines through the phone calls, through time spent with friends who have become family even if we are not related by blood, by the little joyful things that we often take for granted, things that are our light in the darkness.
In our church family, despite all our challenges, especially the financial ones, hope shines through the gift bags for the Mustard Seed, the laughter and fun of youth gatherings, the tea and bake sales where so many people are welcomed. In acts of fellowship, worship, prayer, and service, the light of hope shines.
As we journey through Advent, as our dark, cold days threaten to snuff out the light, let us keep our eyes open to where the star of hope shining. Let us trust that, even in the worst moments that echo the destructive images in Jesus’ words today…God is fulfilling all of God’s promises, the kingdom is breaking through. So let us stand up, raise our heads, and look for the light…because it will lead us through the darkness to the bright Christmas morning.
Amen.
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