![\""Wow!"\"](\"https:\/\/faithlutheranchurchandover.files.wordpress.com\/2020\/11\/martin-angelov-kndi1dy4c-o-unsplash.jpg?w=1200\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
by Christine Hayward<\/p>\n
24\u00a0\u2018But in those days, after that suffering, 28\u00a0\u2018From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.\u00a029<\/sup>So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he\u00a0is near, at the very gates.\u00a030<\/sup>Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.\u00a031<\/sup>Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.<\/em><\/p>\n 32\u00a0\u2018But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.\u00a033<\/sup>Beware, keep alert;\u00a0for you do not know when the time will come.\u00a034<\/sup>It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch.\u00a035<\/sup>Therefore, keep awake\u2014for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn,\u00a036<\/sup>or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly.\u00a037<\/sup>And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n Wow! First day in Advent.\u00a0 I was tempted to just type \u201cWait and watch\u201d.\u00a0 And perhaps that would be more meaningful than anything I can add.\u00a0 But this chapter of Mark is all about waiting and watching.\u00a0 The Jewish people were convinced that God would intervene in history and win the day for them.\u00a0 They were waiting for Jesus to take the reins of government and believed the second coming was imminent.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jesus used the parable of the fig tree to exhort people to watch and wait.\u00a0 As the fig tree branches become tender and leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near.\u00a0 And with the second coming, Mark 13:33 says \u201cTake heed, watch; for you do not know when the time will come.\u201d\u00a0 So while we are convinced that there will be a second coming we don\u2019t exactly know what form it will take.\u00a0 For us to speculate on the form of the second coming is somewhat useless as even Jesus was content not to know the details.\u00a0 History is going somewhere and there will be a consummation to come. William H. Barclay in the Gospel of Mark says \u201cThe wise man is he who never forgets that he must be ready when the summons comes.\u00a0 If he lives in that memory, for him the end will not be terror, bur eternal joy.\u201d<\/p>\n So, wait and watch.\u00a0 Ready or not, Christmas still comes as does\u00a0 the second coming of Jesus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Christine Hayward Mark 13:24-37 24\u00a0\u2018But in those days, after that suffering,the sun will be darkened,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and the moon will not give its\u00a0light,25\u00a0and the stars will be falling from\u00a0heaven,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.26Then they will see \u201cthe Son of Man coming in clouds\u201d with great power and glory.\u00a027Then he will send out […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2291,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advent-devotions"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n
the sun will be darkened,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and the moon will not give its\u00a0light,
25<\/sup>\u00a0and the stars will be falling from\u00a0heaven,
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26<\/sup>Then they will see \u201cthe Son of Man coming in clouds\u201d with great power and glory.\u00a027<\/sup>Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.<\/em><\/p>\n