Anticipation of Hope

Sunday Scripture Reading:

Luke 21:25–36 NLT

25 “And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. 26 People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. 28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!” 29 Then he gave them this illustration: “Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. 30 When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. 31 In the same way, when you see all these things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near. 32 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. 34 “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, 35 like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. 36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.”

I always look forward to the beginning of fall and winter. In the fall I love the switch from humid hot dog days of summer to crisp mornings moderated days (Not so much this year) and comfortable nights and the beginning of the Holiday season. Football, Thanksgiving smells and decorating for Christmas are all parts of the season I love.

As fall give way to winter we move from changing leave colors, and comfortable weather to Holiday cheer. Christmas is around the corner. But this is where I stop looking forward to winter and start looking forward to Spring.

By the end of February, winter has lost its charm. The holidays have come and gone. The trees and plants have been barren for months. The snow has become dingy and dirty. The grass is brown. The skies are gray, and it feels like the world might never be warm or green again.

Then happens almost all at once. The first signs of spring. A robin lands in the yard, a tree starts to bud, and the sun comes out restoring color from bleak gray days of winter.

Our perspective begins to change from bleak to hopeful anticipation. You know that spring is coming and that summer will arrive soon after. Plans shift from shoveling snow and heating bills to thoughts of warm breezes and gardens.

The fig tree is used as such an illustration in this text. Summer is coming when the fig tree begins to sprout leaves. Summer is near, and the barrenness of winter, the concerns that the stores laid up for the winter, will be depleted before the next crop grows and begins to fade. This is good news to a people dependent on growing their own food. This is good news in a place of poverty and in a land of oppression. This is good news at a time when furnaces do not exist and in a place where desert nights get very cold. Summer is coming.

But the text is not about a fig tree or the hopeful anticipation of summer; it is about something even greater: the coming of the Lord. There will be signs of the coming of the Lord too. When it feels like your stores are depleted, when it feels like you can’t make it anymore, there is good news: the Messiah is coming. And as we sit in this season of Advent, we are reminded again that the trees are beginning to bud and that the Messiah is indeed coming.

1. The signs of the times herald justice and redemption.

The signs of the times are often discussed with fear. This text also alludes a bit to that. Jesus is pointing to common language from the Old Testament about the day of the Lord. The scriptures , , all reference impending doom, natural disasters, and war—all as signs of the coming of the day of the Lord.

The day of the Lord is alluded to as being a day when the enemies of God will be punished, a day of judgment for those who stand in opposition to the ways of God.

However, the day of the Lord is also referenced with the language of mercy and blessing toward the people of God. , , , are just a few of the texts that reference the blessings that will be bestowed upon the children of God when the day of the Lord comes.

The day of the Lord, then, is not a day that those who are just and righteous should fear; rather, it is a day that should be embraced.

Justice is only scary for those who have acted in unjust ways, and the themes of these Old Testament texts seem to be about justice. We often approach these texts—with their language of seeming natural disasters—an an attitude of fear, but fear is not meant to be the way of existence for the people of God.

2. Redemption is about hope, not fear.

Jesus’s words are about redemption, not condemnation. There are myriad stories about people fearing the return of Christ. This idea that the world will be ruled by terror and destruction, while having some connection with texts like these, misses the heart of this text being about redemption.

The signs are not those of destruction but of restoration and renewal. Verse 28 focuses on this in particular: “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” This verse is not about cowering, hiding, or dreading the coming of the Messiah. Rather, it is about standing tall and lifting up your head—because this is good news! Redemption is coming!

Advent and the coming of Christ are about the hope of redemption of the past and for our future. The Jews longed for a Messiah to bring the day of the Lord, both for the justice that would be brought on their oppressors and also for the freedom it would bring to them.

The coming of the Messiah in Jesus brought redemption in a way they didn’t expect. The day of the Lord didn’t come destroying empires in political ways; instead, it sought to build the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven—through love and mercy.

When we long for the return of Christ, we often look and hope for the destruction of those who perpetrate injustice, but maybe we should be looking for the ways God wants to bring justice and redemption—in the sense of making things right—to the world.

3. We hope not for revenge or destruction but for even the worst things to be made right.

Justice doesn’t mean annihilation or revenge. Justice means making things right.

Justice doesn’t mean annihilation or revenge. Justice means making things right.

Justice doesn’t mean annihilation or revenge. Justice means making things right.

3. We hope not for revenge or destruction but for even the worst things to be made right.

.3. We hope not for revenge or destruction but for even the worst things to be made right.

We hope not for revenge or destruction but for even the worst things to be made right.

We hope not for revenge or destruction but for even the worst things to be made right.

We hope not for revenge or destruction but for even the worst things to be made right.

We hope not for revenge or destruction but for even the worst things to be made right.

We hope not for revenge or destruction but for even the worst things to be made right.

3. It’s easy to miss the Messiah in our midst.

Earlier in the disciples point out the grandeur of the temple while seemingly missing that the presence of God—Jesus—is in their midst. All this talk of the day of the Lord being at hand, and he is present among them!

While we wait in hopeful expectation of Christ’s return, we cannot overlook the places where Christ is at work already. The kingdom is now; it came with Jesus to earth, but it has yet to be fulfilled. We cannot miss the signs of the nowness of God’s presence for the sake of the signs of the future.

There is something to the signs Jesus mentions. The sun and stars doing interesting things has been happening for all of recorded history. Storms have also been happening for all of recorded history.

Fear and terror for what is to come have also been happening for all of recorded history.

Fear and terror for what is to come have also been happening for all of recorded history.

These signs can be found both now and in the past. There is a commonness to these signs that seems intentional. We do not know when the Lord’s return will be; it could be any second. Redemption is also happening now. It’s in our presence. We just have to have the eyes to see.

Justice and redemption in their fullness will come too. We just have to look forward with hopeful anticipation.

Conclusion

Spring is coming. It might seem like a long ways off on a dreary December Sunday. It might feel even more far off on a dreary February day, but when you look for glimpses, you see them.

Jesus is coming too. We remember his first coming with joy, but we also look again to his second coming hopeful anticipation. A day that will be filled with justice and redemption. And we wait with heads held high, confident in Christ’s mercy and grace.

Jesus is coming too. We remember his first coming with joy, but we also look again to his second coming hopeful anticipation. A day that will be filled with justice and redemption. And we wait with heads held high, confident in Christ’s mercy and grace. We look ahead for the signs of that coming too, in the ways redemption is happening now. We look in hope at how lives are being restored, how lives are being made new, and the work that Christ is doing in our own hearts, and we know that the trees are budding around us and the day of the Lord has come and is still to come in beautiful and life-giving ways. We move forward in hope for all to be made new, even as things are already being made new.

We look ahead for the signs of that coming too, in the ways redemption is happening now. We look in hope at how lives are being restored, how lives are being made new, and the work that Christ is doing in our own hearts, and we know that the trees are budding around us and the day of the Lord has come and is still to come in beautiful and life-giving ways. We move forward in hope for all to be made new, even as things are already being made new.

Let’s Celebrate the Anticipation of this by coming to the table together.