DAY 278
Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic
A series of daily reflections for people of faith
by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor
Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland
pastorrobert@paxpres.org
Week Forty Thursday 17 December 2020
Advent in the First Churches: Philippi
Seven churches – seven letters – seven days
Philippians 3:20-23
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
‘Wait’ comes to us through a number of linguistic lines that include the sense of guarding, defending or even as it is still sometimes used to mean to ‘lie in wait’ for someone. Uniformly today though, it is a ‘time’ word, wherever waiting occurs. We wait until it is our turn, we sit in the waiting room waiting for an appointment, we wait for our food once ordered in a restaurant. We wait, we look at our watches, and we mark time.
The ‘waiting’ here is for a future event but unlike those for which we wait there is no appointment in our calendars with a day and time. Waiting – this isn’t about waiting to go to heaven to be with Jesus when we die, but rather about his returning to earth while we are still alive.
Christians have been waiting for the second coming of Christ from the beginning of the church, two popular times being Easter Eve and Pentecost Eve. Paul writes of some who even in his day were saying it had already occurred. Second coming date setters picked up momentum as the end of the first millennium drew near, with the Pope predicting it would occur January 1, 1000, a similar rush to conclude history with the second coming occurring as we neared January 1, 2000. It is a mystery why those who would set dates ignore Christ’s own statement concerning the end of time: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Matthew 24:36.
The best way to spend time waiting for Jesus to return is to live life fully for Him. It’s that simple.
Reflective question: Are you waiting for Jesus to return? If so, how are you using your time?
Reflective hymn: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” – Latin prose – pre 9th century.
The seventh verse of this ancient Advent hymn looks to the second Advent
O Come, Desire of nations, bind all peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife, and discord cease; fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to Thee, O Israel.
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