Matthew 24:36-44 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 24:36-44 on biblegateway.com
Verse 36"But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Verse 37For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Verse 38For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, Verse 39and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Verse 40Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Verse 41Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Verse 42Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. Verse 43But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Verse 44Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
Devotion
I write this meditation on the morning after the collapse of the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Nearly 18 hours later, we do
not know the fate of more than two dozen missing people, or why some were safe and others lost. Fate seems so mercurial. It must have felt similar
for Matthew’s audience when he wrote, “Two will be in the field and one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake, therefore, for
you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” Advent is in part about being ready at each moment to meet the Lord and ever to serve him.
Prayer
O God our judge and justifier, help us to be ready to greet you always, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.