1st Sunday in Advent: Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44 ~ suddenly… out of Zion

THE SEASON OF ADVENT: please see resources below.

Advent is the traditional season of preparation for the coming of Jesus. It’s a time to prepare for Christmas – when Jesus first came into the world, in humility, as a baby. And, it’s also a time of longing for Jesus’ second coming, in glory, as King of kings and Lord of lords. We don’t know when that will be. But the Bible says, “Be prepared! It could happen at any time.”

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening sentence:

Lord Jesus, Prepare my heart to welcome You as the Season of Advent unfolds. Keep my mind focused on the miracle of Your presence within me. Quiet my spirit so that I can find rest and comfort in You. And make me a person of prayer, especially for those You place in my path. Give me a spirit of expectation and longing for Your coming Kingdom as I enter into Your presence today. May I worship You in Spirit and in Truth. Amen.

A Reading from the Old Testament: Isaiah 2:1-5 (NLT)

This is a vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:

In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest of all — the most important place on earth. It will be raised above the other hills, and people from all over the world will stream there to worship. People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem. The Lord will mediate between nations and will settle international disputes. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore.

Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord!

A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 122 (NLT)

I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
And now here we are,
standing inside your gates, O Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is a well-built city;
its seamless walls cannot be breached.
All the tribes of Israel—the Lord’s people—
make their pilgrimage here.
They come to give thanks to the name of the Lord,
as the law requires of Israel.
Here stand the thrones where judgment is given,
the thrones of the dynasty of David.

Pray for peace in Jerusalem.
May all who love this city prosper.
O Jerusalem, may there be peace within your walls
and prosperity in your palaces.
For the sake of my family and friends, I will say,
“May you have peace.”
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek what is best for you, O Jerusalem.

A Reading from the Paul’s Letter to the Church in Rome: Romans 13:11-14 (NLT)

This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 24:36-44 (NLT)

“However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.

“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

“Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.

“So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”

Intercessions:

Gracious God, my Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your kindness and love for me… sending Your Son to live among us, sending Your Spirit to dwell within me… and filling me with the confident hope that one day all will be made right when Jesus comes again in glory. Hear my prayers today as I approach You, in all the humility that I can muster, on behalf of Your people:

+ Fill Your people with a spirit of preparation and expectation… for Jesus’ return in glory as King of kings and Lord of lords.

+ Give us a spirit of welcome and hospitality… as we invite the Living Lord into our present lives.

+ Fill us with a spirit of hope… even in these dark and dreary days and break our bondage, our resignation, to the way things are – so that we can focus our attention to the way things will be when Your Kingdom comes in all its fulness.

+ Give us a spirit of excitement… the night is almost over, it will soon be light, our salvation is near.

+ Fill us with a spirit of courage… to choose Christ, whose light alone can lead us into a future of his making?

+ Give us a spirit of boldness… to share the vision of Kingdom come – to a world threatened by the violence of war, a world grown accustomed to infidelity, a world trapped in its own indifference.

+ Fill us with a spirit of adventure… to abandon the past, and to begin a journey into the future You have prepared for us.

During this Advent season I welcome You, Lord Jesus, into my life and daily routine. You alone can transform my broken hopes and heal my forgotten hurts. You alone can bring peace to my sinful life. You alone can fill my life with the joy of worship: “I rejoiced when I heard them say: Let us go to God’s house!” Amen.

Hymn: O Come, Emmanuel – The Piano Guys

O come, O come, Emmanuel / And ransom captive Israel / That mourns in lonely exile here / Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel / Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free / Thine own from Satan’s tyranny / From depths of Hell Thy people save / And give them victory o’er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel / Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer / Our spirits by Thine advent here / Disperse the gloomy clouds of night / And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel / Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come, / And open wide our heavenly home; / Make safe the way that leads on high, / And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel / Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might, / Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height, / In ancient times did’st give the Law, / In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel / Shall come to thee, O Israel.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

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THE SEASON OF ADVENT:

+ Online Advent Calendar – US Catholic Conference of Bishops

+ Online Advent Calendar for Adults – Loyola Press

+ Busted Halo’s Surprise Advent Calendar

+ 2013 Advent Devotion Apps, eBooks and More! | ChurchMag

Homily for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Deacon Greg Kandra reblog

by Deacon Greg Kandra, patheos.com / August 10th 2013
The Deacon’s Bench

[Click here for readings.]

Years ago, a song asked the romantic question: “What are you doing the rest of your life?”

Last week, an item in the New York Times put that into sharp focus. It was a story about a website called “DeathClock.com.” At the site, you enter your birth date, your general personality type – optimistic or pessimistic – and a few other details. And in a matter of seconds, it will tell you, exactly, the date you can expect to die.

For those who are interested, according to the website, I’m scheduled to check out on Sunday, April 21, 2052. I’m free that day, if anyone wants to make dinner plans. I’ll be happy to make plans for the following night, as well, but no guarantees. I’ll be 92 years old.

Now, this is hardly scientific. And the point of it seems to be to get you to change habits in your life that might be shortening it: lose weight, exercise, stop smoking. We don’t have forever. Time is limited—and fleeting.

Which brings us back to the musical question: “What are you doing the rest of your life?” … I think the gospel readings we’re encountering right now pose a similar question and raise the stakes.

Last week, you’ll remember, we heard of the man who accumulated lots of stuff in his barn, only to learn that he was about to die. “You fool,” God said to him.This week, Jesus underscores that idea again, telling his disciples to be prepared.“Be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,” he says, “ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.”

Be prepared. You do not know when the Son of Man will return.

Be prepared.

They are words of caution to us all. We need to be ready, anticipating, waiting in “joyful hope.” That means nothing less than a constant and daily call to conversion.

We tend to think of conversion as a one-time event, like Paul blinded on the road to Damascus. But no. Conversion is ongoing. To take one example, there is a reason why we call RCIA a “process.” It’s not a program, or a class, or a study plan. It’s a process. What begins in the rectory basement on a weeknight in September continues all the way through the scrutinies, through that moment at the baptismal font during the Easter Vigil. But then it goes on. Every day. It is the work of a lifetime.

And not just for those in RCIA. But for all of us. Conversion of heart demands our constant attention, and our prayer.

In the 13th century, an English bishop, St. Richard of Chichester, wrote a simple prayer about daily conversion that all of us know, thanks to Stephen Schwartz, who set it to music in 1972.

“Day by day, dear Lord, three things I pray. To see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly. Day by day.”

That, quite simply, is conversion. That is the way we are called to live.

Conversion is a daily choice, a daily prayer. A daily state of readiness. Ready to greet the master at the door at any moment, even without warning.

Part of that readiness involves a change in focus, a shift in priorities. Early on in this gospel passage, Jesus offers words that serve as a challenge, especially in our own age:

“Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”

What do we treasure? What do we treasure?

What means the most to us?

The rich man last week learned the hard way that you can’t take it with you, that you “need to be rich in what matters to God,” as the gospel put it.

That means being rich in compassion. In mercy. Rich in love for the poor, the weak, the marginalized, the small. Rich in love and respect for life, from its beginning to its end.

Because none of us, after all, knows exactly when it will end, no matter what a clever website may try to tell us.

So, as Jesus tells us this week: be prepared. Be watchful.

And be open. God is calling us, every one of us, to draw near to him.What are you doing the rest of your life?

The lyrics to that song are by Marilyn and Alan Bergman, who may be best known for “The Way We Were.” Like that song, this one is also a love song. But listen closely. It could also be heard as God’s love song to a fallen, searching world—God’s invitation to each of us:

What are you doing the rest of your life?
North and south and east and west of your life?
I have only one request of your life
That you spend it all with me.
All the seasons and the times of your days.
All the nickels and the dimes of your days.
Let the reasons and the rhymes of your days.
All begin and end with me.

My friends: What are we doing with the rest of our lives?

Are we making ourselves ready to greet God, whenever he comes to the door?

That should be our great work of our lives, for the rest of our lives.

Morning Reading: Luke 21:5-6, 33-38 NLT – watch out / be strong

Reading: Luke 21:5-6, 33-38 NLT

Some of his disciples began talking about the majestic stonework of the Temple and the memorial decorations on the walls. But Jesus said, “The time is coming when all these things will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”
____________

Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

“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, like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. 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.”

Every day Jesus went to the Temple to teach, and each evening he returned to spend the night on the Mount of Olives. The crowds gathered at the Temple early each morning to hear him.

Prayer: Lord Jesus – Place your Word on my heart and mind… when I go to bed, when I wake up, in all my comings and goings throughout the day. And make me a doer of your Word and not a hearer only… that I may be alert and find strength to meet the challenges of the day. To the glory of God alone. Amen.

Spiritual Song: “Word of God Speak” – Bart Millard and Pete Kipley

Morning Reading: Luke 12. 35-48 (NLT) – high standards

Reading: Luke 12. 35-48 (NLT)

“Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat! He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are ready.

“Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”

Peter asked, “Lord, is that illustration just for us or for everyone?”

And the Lord replied, “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. But what if the servant thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant in pieces and banish him with the unfaithful.

“And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished. But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father – all that I have comes from you. I own nothing… simply holding everything in trust for your Kingdom purposes. And you have entrusted me with much. Lord Jesus – you set the example of faithfulness and obedience to the Father’s will… at any price. Keep my eyes on you in every decision that I make. Holy Spirit – fill me with a spirit of anticipation and readiness… to adjust, adapt, or improvise as you direct. I ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hymn: “The Potter’s Hand” – Hillsong (YouTube)