(Mark 13.24-37)
Jesus said to his disciples: 24‘In those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in clouds” with great power and glory. 27Then 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. 28‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 32‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34It 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. 35Therefore, keep awake – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’

Today is Advent Sunday. Advent means 'coming' and Christians remember how everything was prepared for the coming of Jesus into the world. Advent happens during the darkest winter-iest time of year - it usually begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and lasts until midnight on Christmas Eve. Christians think of Jesus as the light coming into a dark world and advent candles reminds us of that.

If you want to be a part of these events (Advent and Christmas) please do not sit like a theatre audience and lap up everything that comes your way. We all need to participate and become a part of the Christmas celebrations. With this in mind (can I ask) are we all aware of the different Christmas dates in our minds?

Christmas at St Stephens

Saturday December 6th
St Stephens Christmas party from 4pm
Sunday December 7th
10am Christingle Service for Children
Tuesday December 9th
6.30pm BBC Carol Service (by popular demand)
Monday December 15th
9am St Stephens School Carol Service
Sunday December 21st
10am Sung Eucharist
4pm Children’s Crib Service (Sunday school)
Wednesday December 24th
11.30pm Midnight Mass (Christmas Eve)
Thursday December 25th
10am Sung Eucharist (Christmas Day)

What be easily overlooked at Christmas rush is that there are two occasions in which Jesus comes to earth. The first coming is the baby born at Bethlehem. The second Coming is Jesus’ return at the end of time. Jesus was resurrected from the dead three days after his crucifixion. We will be resurrected at his Second Coming of Christ. The living and the dead are waiting together for this Second Coming when we will all be raised together in glory. The Second Coming will mean the general resurrection of the dead, last judgment of the dead and the living and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. It is this to which the Gospel passage refers.

Archangel thunder! God's trumpet blast! He'll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise—they'll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we'll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master (1 Thess 4:17-18).

We are currently in between the first and second comings of the Lord Jesus. The most significant events in history have either happened or are yet to happen and in the meantime we wait. Eschatology (doctrine of the End Times keeps us from sinking into a rigid form of duty and obligation and form a coherent understanding of grace. It is the fact that everything will pass away (Rev 21) and the fact that it is not known when that will happen (Lk 12:39) that enables the individual believer to live in the present moment and take each day as it comes (Mt 8:20) – nothing becomes itself so much as it does in the parting (Juliet in Romeo and Juliet). Eschatology helps us to take the present moment seriously without ever attributing to it any ultimate significance. In the same way that fresh flowers are more beautiful than plastic flowers precisely because they don’t last, so also days are more precious when appreciated in an eschatological context. It is eschatology that rescues us from the need to plan for an endless succession of days trying to live up to what Christ has done for us.

We can feel uneasy when talking about the Second Coming and the end of the world because we are uncomfortable with the idea of judgement. We live in our own houses, follow our own lives and don’t like the idea of someone telling us what is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. If we don’t like the idea of judgement it may simply be because it is such a natural part of how we relate to the world. It is always hard to see something that is deep within our psyche reflected in those around us. Judgement is hard wired into who we are and how we make sense of the world. On a gentle level, judgment lies lurking behind so much of what I do. I met James during the week at 9pm in the evening. We gave each other furtive glances (what had we been doing?). We had just come from the Westfield Centre.

When I worked as a curate in Luton I was out one evening having a meal in a Chinese Restaurant with a friend (my girlfriend of the time). There was a man having a close and intimate meal with a woman who was very clearly not his wife. I could not ignore him as I had a relationship with both him and his wife (I arranged for the waiter to send over a bottle of wine). Without judgement there is either complacency or apathy (and nothing more). With judgement there is forgiveness. As soon as you have a concept of judgement you need a concept of forgiveness (calling us home). The two go hand in hand together – the greater the judgement, the stronger the forgiveness.

On a lighter note, there has been a furore over who has the right to do the judging in the row over former ITV political editor John Sergeant’s decision to quit Strictly Come Dancing. What happens in the competition is when the contestants have finished their dance; they receive half of their score from the judges and half from the public who phone in to vote. John Sergeant and his partner Kristina Rihanoff were voted bottom by the judges for three weeks in a row. However on each occasion the public vote was so overwhelmingly in their favour that they were kept in the contest.

Arlene Phillips (one of the judges) questioned his commitment. She said that if Sergeant won it would leave her feeling "desolate". She claimed in a BBC interview that instead of rehearsing he "sits and reads the Guardian", adding: "There is nothing that is correct about his performances, he is just getting through the dances." There has been a huge public campaign to keep Sergeant in via the Internet. Lord Mandelson was among those who weighed in to the debate. He said that

John Sergeant should not bow out, He has become the people's John Travolta and he should be a fighter, not a quitter.

The obvious point to make about the Second Coming is that we do not ultimately know on what basis we will be judged. The Bible gives two glimpses into this. The first is that each person will have to answer for how he or she treated the poor and the vulnerable within society. (How do we care for people in need?) Did you feed the hungry and provide shelter for the homeless? Did you care for the sick and clothe the naked? (Matthew 25.31-46). Those who cared for others were caring for the Lord himself, and those who refused to help had rejected Him. They would face the fire of the Judgement. The second glimpse is that people will always be saved by the name of Jesus Christ. If at the point you stand before God at the judgement throne you have been clear in your faith in Jesus as the son of the living God, then God will look at you as if he was looking into the faith of his own son and you will be invited to come and sit at his right hand with all the angels in heaven.