How to wait for the Second Coming
Jesus is coming back. We are called to share his good news and live good lives until he returns.
Sermon preached at Grace Anglican Church (Edgeworth, PA) on the first Sunday of Advent, Nov. 30, 2025.
First Sunday in Advent - Year A
Isaiah 2:1–5
Psalm 122
Romans 13:8–14
Matthew 24:29–44
Let’s start by saying the acclamation again.
Surely the Lord is coming soon.
Amen. Come Lord Jesus!
Advent may be my favorite liturgical season, not only because we can see Christmas in the distance but because it gives us permission to squint further to look for Jesus returning, to see the dawn of the next life glimmering far in the east.
Every season in the life and ministry of Jesus is important. Advent builds anticipation for the long-awaited birth of King Messiah. In Epiphany, Jesus’ life continues to unfold how Immanuel – God with us – is redeeming Israel and the nations. In Lent, we walk with Jesus to Jerusalem, reminded of why he has to die. Then we celebrate his bursting forth alive from the tomb. We watch him ascend to the Father to serve as our great high priest, and then we receive the Holy Spirit so we can live and move in Jesus’ supernatural power through the harvest season that is this life.
In my heart, I try to live in Advent. When I graduated from high school, I was given a prophetic word, and it was tied to Isaiah 40:3, the verse with which we open morning prayer in this season: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
But even before I was given this word, as a child, I would peer into the sky looking for Jesus. Sometimes, in hopeful or darker moments, adult me looks for him now in the clouds.
Our Bible passages today tell us what God’s kingdom on earth will look like, what to expect at Jesus’ return, and what we should be doing in the meantime.
What God’s kingdom on earth will look like
In Isaiah 2, we see a verse that is well-known by many:
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore. (Isa 2:4)
This globe is always filled with conflict. Now is no different. Modern Israel continues to skirmish with her neighbors. Russia continues to attack Ukraine. There is, right now, a genocide happening in Sudan. Hundreds of Christian students are still missing in Nigeria after being kidnapped by militant Muslims. Those stories are just the ones making the news.
Somewhere, there is always Cain killing Abel.
The world wonders when we will turn our weapons into farming implements and not learn war anymore. They think we will evolve into better humans. For a vision of what that imaginary world looks like, watch some Star Trek, any iteration. Star Trek is a daydream of where some believe humanism will lead: an Earth free from war and united in space exploration.
Humanity is not getting better. Technology is advancing as we learn, but human behavior is only finding new ways to be selfish and self-serving. Just go on Instagram or TikTok to see the latest expression of personal truth, of being true to yourself with no regard for the Creator.
Humanity will settle into peace and harmony only when the worship of the Creator God rises above every other high place. Humanity will stop fighting itself when it turns its eyes from self up to the One who made us.
Then, the nations will flow to God and finally submit to learning HIS ways. Then, and only then, will we cease to lift missiles, guns, knives, rocks, fists, and evil thoughts against one another.
Then will all the nations run to God singing,
I was glad when they said unto me,
“We will go into the house of the Lord.” (Ps 122:1)
So how do we get from our war-torn world to the reality of Isaiah’s vision?
Our doorway is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, Messiah of Israel, Son of God.
Like Adam and Eve, all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All of us. Me, Tara, all of you. We all think of ourselves first. We all can hate with a glare or an internal curse.
We can’t save ourselves from ourselves. The image of God in which we are made is broken. So God has come down to us to re-form us into his image. God becomes human not just to show us how to be human, but to transform us into the humans God made us to be all along.
So here we are in church, not only learning to be like Jesus but taking Jesus into ourselves through the spiritual food of bread and wine so he can make us like him. We eat this Passover meal together every week to remember his death and resurrection until he comes. Come, Lord Jesus!
Perhaps you are saying: “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of [Jesus’] coming and of the end of the age?” This is the question the disciples ask Jesus early in Matthew 24.
Our Matthew 24 reading is quite dramatic, with the sun and moon going dark and the stars falling out of the sky.
The words of Jesus we heard are just a portion of a longer teaching Jesus gives to his disciples on the Mount of Olives, and we need the big picture to make sense of it.
In Matthew 23, Jesus gives a tough prophetic word against the Jewish leadership. He calls them blind guides and hypocrites. He says their house will be left desolate, and then Jesus prays a lament over the holy city:
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Two lines I want to bring out here:
- “Your house is left to you desolate,” which we will touch on shortly.
- “I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
You may recognize the “Blessed is he…” line from our Eucharistic liturgy. When we say or sing the Sanctus, we
- Sing with the angels in Heaven, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ then
- We quote Psalm 118 when we say ‘Hosanna!’ – Please save us – and ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.’
To this day, this is how you say welcome in Hebrew. Baruch haba b’shem Adonai. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
Jesus tells the Jewish leadership they will not see him again until they welcome him. This passage is very important to my work at CMJ (Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People). We know Jesus will not return until the Jewish leadership welcomes him back.
In Matthew 24, Jesus tells the disciples plainly that the temple will be destroyed – not one stone will be left upon another. That is what he meant when he said that the Jewish leadership’s house would be left desolate.
Now the disciples have questions: “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (v. 3)
I wish we had an hour or two to go through this chapter. It is one that has caught my attention for a long time, even before I lived in Israel, but more so since.
Jesus responds to the disciples’ inquiry by warning of false messiahs who lead people astray, wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes, “but the end is not yet… these are but the beginning of the birth pains.”
Next comes persecution. Some will fall away from faith. There will be betrayal, hatred, and lawlessness.
13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
The wars and earthquakes, the false messiahs and apostasy are not the definitive signs of Jesus’ return. The most important sign is the proclamation of the good news of Jesus to the whole world, to all nations. When all have heard of Jesus’ death and resurrection, then the end will come.
What to expect at Jesus’ return
Jesus promises an increase in persecution the closer he is to returning. So we should not be surprised that Christianity is scorned by many around us. There is true violent, deadly persecution in Sudan, Nigeria, China, Syria, and more right now.
The scorn we sometimes face here in the United States is not persecution. Not yet. However, there will be a day when we will be persecuted. We must remember that increased persecution is a sign that Jesus is coming.
Immediately after the deepest persecution, which Jesus calls tribulation here, the sun and moon and stars that we rely on for light will fail. This implies a deep darkness across the earth. [pause]
And into this darkness will dawn the unquenchable light of Jesus returning in glory!
This icon we have hanging over the altar is one of my favorites. I have a copy at home. It is the best version of the Second Coming I have found as an icon.
Notice the clouds around Jesus and the saints. Clouds are a biblical symbol of divine presence. The chariot of God is often depicted as clouds in the Hebrew scriptures.
As Jesus is telling his followers of his second coming, he uses his favorite title for himself, the Son of Man. This is a call back to Daniel 7, when one like a Son of Man is enthroned next to the Ancient of Days and given rulership over all the nations of the world. In Daniel 7, the Son of Man is seen coming in the clouds.
The idea of a divine human is not a strictly New Testament idea. It appears in the New Testament because Judaism before Jesus was already meditating on Daniel’s vision, trying to understand it.
Jesus constantly uses ‘Son of Man’ to explain who he is. When Jesus is brought for trial before the high priest, they tell him,
67 “If you are the Messiah, tell us.” But [Jesus] said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe… 69 But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” (Luke 22)
Plainly, he tells them that he is not only the Messiah but the God-Man who sits next to the Father.
And this God-Man comes with clouds, the Son of Man comes from heaven with power and glory. The angels will blow the shofar and gather all the followers of the Messiah to him.
All ready, this is all so mysterious to us, and Jesus adds to the mystery.
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
How is that? We will say shortly in the Nicene Creed that
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father…
Jesus says he and the Father are one, yet Jesus does not know the time of his return. Jesus doesn’t know!
And still we’ve had people setting dates! How can you worship Jesus and think you know something he has chosen not to know!
Here’s what we can know. Jesus tells us he will return at an hour we do not expect, so be ready. How?
What should we doing while we wait?
Our first job is sharing the good news of Jesus with all we meet. He said he will not come until all hear, all 8 billion and counting.
There’s a T-shirt I see offered for sale: Jesus is coming! Look busy!
No! It should say: Jesus coming! Keep busy! Keep proclaiming! Keep loving people into the Kingdom.
If you’re a statistics person and want to know how much further we have to go in reaching the world, JoshuaProject.net is keeping track. According to them, 44 percent of the population has not yet heard about Jesus and his saving power. That's 3.5 billion people.
There are 2.4 billion Christians in the world. If all of us told 2 people about Jesus, we’d get the job done! Some of us are called to go to foreign places to proclaim Jesus’ love and salvation. For most of us, our call is to share Jesus here at home, with your neighbor, with your coworker, with your friends and family.
The Great Commission is for all of us. And Jesus gave us a great incentive: we move closer to his return!
On top of sharing Jesus, we are to live well as his disciples. Paul give us a great guide for good Christian living in Romans 13.
Paul’s guidance is not about earning salvation. No. His instructions are for those already saved by Jesus. Jesus says to us that if we love him, we will keep his commandments. Living the Judaeo-Christian ethic is about worshiping God and witnessing to God’s goodness to those around us.
There are many, many books on how to live the Christian life. Yet, in seven verses, Paul gives us instruction for a lifetime.
He tells us to put on Christ. Yes, there is a deeper theological picture here. But in practical terms, in a modern idiom, we might say, Step into Jesus’s shoes or What would Jesus do?
Jesus would make no provision for his flesh. He wouldn’t gratify those selfish desires that push others away, like drunkenness, sexual self-gratification, quarreling to prove you’re right, jealousy.
Paul points to the 10 Commandments – which call us away from coveting, stealing, adultery, murder. He also implies the other side of the tablets: worshiping God alone, not trusting in false gods, keeping sabbath, honoring our parents.
To summarize in four words: Love God. Love people.
Again, this assignment is not about saving ourselves. Keeping the Greatest Commandment – Love God, Love People – is about waiting well for Jesus. It’s about testifying to the goodness and mercy of our God.
Jesus tells the disciples before his crucifixion that they will be known by their love for one another. How we love one another testifies to others of how God loves us!
Let us wake up from our spiritual slumber, ‘for salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. Let us love God and our neighbor as we wait for Jesus to return.
Let us pray.
O God our King, by the resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ on the first day of the week, you conquered sin, put death to flight, and gave us the hope of everlasting life: Redeem all our days by this victory; forgive our sins, banish our fears, make us bold to praise you and to do your will; and steel us to wait for the consummation of your kingdom on the last great Day; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Blessed by this post? Ready to sow into the work of CMJ? No gift is too small. we are blessed by your partnership.
