Turning the last page

Sermon for the second Sunday in Advent

Why do we want 

to know the future?

To be fair,

some of us don't.

Some of us are terrified 

of the future.

It seems that we have

a love-hate relationship

with the things that are to cone.

For many, 

the future stands before them

like the black hooded figure

in A Christmas Carol

ready to point out their grave.

But, think now.

What do you see the future

looking like?

[PAUSE]

There are lots of 

doom mongers out there.

Some use horoscopes

or pendulums

or will even claim

to talk with spirits

about the future.

Some will use science

and scientific data

to predict what will happen.

Some will even use the Bible

or the apparitions of saints

to discern the future.

But why?

We already know

what's on the last page.

[PAUSE]

Turn to the last chapter

of the Book of Revelation

and you see exactly

what Our Lord is telling us.

There will be disruption:

disruption to countries

disruption to the Earth

disruption to the Heavens

disruption even in Heaven itself.

Things will be turned on their heads

and then Christ comes.

That scares us.

We don't like disruption.

We like things to follow a pattern,

even if we are a bit ofba daredevil.

We might love a bit

of drama and chaos

but ww still have

an expectation

that things behave consistently.

We might like the adrenaline rush

but the thought of the Moon

crashing into our planet

would still be a concern.

Even we Christians

who know what it says

on the last page

are frightened of the future.

Why?

[PAUSE]

There are two reasons

at least.

First,

there might be the possibility

that we're wrong

and that the last page of the Bible

won't happen.

This requires faith.

Based on what we know of gravity,

if we throw a ball.into the air

in normal circumstsnces

we have good reason

to believe that it will 

fall back down.

This is faith in the law of gravity.

Based on what we know of God

and how He loves us

and how He wants every human

alive yesterday, today and tomorrow

to be saved,

we can have faith that the last page is true.

Second,

we might be afraid of the future

because

even though God loves us

Christians have gone through

and still go through

the most awful tribulation

to get to the last page

and He doesn't take away

the possibility of

extreme suffering from us.

Yes, this is disturbing.

But this is still an issue of Faith.

Our Lord chooses the death on the cross.

He specifically chooses it.

Even if He has to be executed

He chooses crucifixion,

slow and agonising,

rather than something quick

He does not have to choose it

but He chooses extreme suffering

so that our extreme suffering.

would end in Heaven.

This is our faith.

[PAUSE]

While the future 

may look scary

the back page is still true.

Of course,

people will say

that Our Lord's generation

has come and gone

and He has not returned

We can see why.

Our children and our children's children

still need to know the love of God

even if they have not yet been born.

They are still the generation

of the Apostles.

We are still the generation

of the Apostles

because,

while people are still being baptised

they are still being regenerated

into the Family of the Church

and of the Body of Christ.

The Church has not passed away.

And that's because Our Lord's worda

will not pass away.

[PAUSE]

We do not need to see the future

because we already know what it is.

We still have the Holy Spirit.

The Church is still the Bride of Christ.

The Spirit and the Bride

say, "come!"

Even so, come Lord Jesus!