Getting sleepy?

Hebrews 10:31 NRSV

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

The Lord’s return

[H]e ascended into heaven,

and sitteth at the right hand

of God the Father Almighty;

from thence he shall come to judge

the quick and the dead.

Matthew 24:36 NRSV

“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

*** Slide of earth: At least 91 times since 1920 we’ve been told the world’s probably going to end

*** Slide: Y2K. Chuck Smith, Hal Lindsey, Pat Robertson, all announced dates. Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins suggested the year 2000 was

*** Slide: Harold Camping and his followers were so convinced of a date in May 2011 that many simply abandoned their homes, gave away their goods, and drove around the nation sharing the “good news” that the end of the world was at hand

Matthew 24:36 NRSV

“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

*** No slide: The timing of the end is a mystery. It’s a fool’s errand to try to compute that which can’t be computed

Normal, then not

Matthew 24:37–39 NRSV

For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man.

*** Street scene: We live our everyday lives under the watchful gaze of God. How we live here and now, the faith we have here and now, the way we relate to others here and now

*** Hourglass: Our time matters, the years and seasons months and weeks and days and hours and seconds

A suddenness

Matthew 24:40–41 NRSV

Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left.

How are we to live?

Matthew 24:42–44 NRSV

Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

A general attitude in life

Watching

Praying

Being sober-minded

Making good use of the time

Increasing in faith, hope, and love

Awake v. Asleep

*** Images of sleeping man/woman

Mark 13:35 (NRSV)

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...

Revelation 3:3 NRSV

Remember then what you received and heard; obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.

1 Thessalonians 5:4–6 (NRSV)

But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief;

for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.

So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober...

Luke 12:37–38 NRSV

Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

A double arrival

For the individual, when life is over

For the whole world, at the parousia (coming) of the Lord

Sleepy? Or alert?