Wednesday Words
November 29, 2023
Pastor Larry Henning

In 2007-2008 I had the great honor and joy to supervise Pastor Cathy during her pastoral internship at All Saints Lutheran, Wales, WI; and, this Sunday, it is my privilege to preach for the First Sunday of Advent to the good people gathered at Bethany.

Advent—it means “coming” or “arrival.”  But what’s coming? What’s arriving?  Well, Christmas is coming and coming fast.  And we do prepare for Jesus’ birth as if we were there in Bethlehem on that holy night.  But, we also prepare for Jesus to fulfill the promise we profess weekly: “and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.”  Yes, we prepare for the “Second Coming” (or if you want a fancy Greek work, “Parousia”).  And it’s this coming at the end of time that is always the focus of the first Sunday of Advent.

Now, we Lutherans haven’t focused much on the “end times.”  We don’t obsess about predicting when it will occur.  We don’t usually try hard to fit current events into biblical prophecy.  No, we’re more given to wondering if the future is in God’s hands after all.  I mean, it has been a long time—2,000 years and counting and those 2,000 years have been no picnic.

So, given that we seem to be in it for the long haul, how do we continue to wait with expectancy... hope... faithfulness?  Wrestle with that question.  I will too as I pray for the Holy Spirit to guide my proclamation.

“O that you would tear open the heavens and come down” (Isaiah 64:1)

Come, Lord Jesus, come.

Pastor Larry