Sermon 30th November 2026 – 1st Sunday in Advent
Text: Matthew 24:36-44 – The unexpected arrival.
Imagine a friend is arriving from overseas – they’re not sure what time
their flight gets in, how long they have to wait to get through customs or how
long to retrieve their luggage and then grab a cab to come and stay at your
house. You don’t know what time they are coming, but you do know the day. So
you have your house ready for any moment even though it could be hours away. You
don’t start tidying up as you see the taxi pull up or the doorbell ring. Jesus
speaks not of a guest, but of His return—a moment that will reshape history and
eternity. And the haunting truth? No one knows when – not even the day.
This passage isn’t meant to stir fear, but to awaken faith – because
faith removes all fear. Jesus affirms the mystery of His return. Even He, despite being God himself, does not
claim knowledge of the hour or day. Only his Heavenly Father knows but has not
revealed when. Some wish he would hurry up and fix this world, but as St Peter
says – The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand
slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but
everyone to come to repentance.
This reveals the heart of the Father and invites us to trust rather than
try and speculate Jesus’ return as many have tried over the centuries. What
Jesus does say is that before his return it will be like the days of Noah. If
we look back to Genesis 6 we will see what the “Days of Noah” were like Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and
was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the
people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to
put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of
them. People might say, - see, it’s just like Noah’s day – corruption,
violence. God needs to do something about them. But is that what Jesus points
out about the days of Noah? No. He says - in those days before the flood they
were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah
entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all
away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. It wasn’t about the
corruption and the violence – it was about the complacency. And that’s not
“THEM” – that’s all of us.
This is not a call for God to do something about THEM – it’s about
making sure that we are ALL ready for Christ to return. The days of Noah are a
sobering parallel. People were living
ordinary lives—eating, drinking, marrying—until the flood came. The point isn’t that these activities are
wrong, but that they can lull us into spiritual sleep if we forget that Jesus
will one day return. And consider the examples: Two people doing the same
task—one taken, one left. This isn’t
about geography, but about readiness. The division is not based on occupation,
but on their relationship with Jesus? Who
do you say that I am.
The surprise imagery is used often and here we have the thief imagery
which is used in several bible readings. If we knew when a thief would come, we’d be
ready. And not only that but we protect
ourselves from surprise intrustions. We deadlock our homes. We set alarms. But
just look how complacent we can get with those. I’ll hide a key under the mat
so I don’t have to be bothered carrying a key around. Or how do you feel when
the neighbour’s alarm goes off in the middle of the night? Is it concern for
your neighbour or frustration at the annoyance? Or when the smoke alarm “low
battery” beep goes off in the middle of the night. Do you rush and get a
battery to replace it or take it out and perhaps get around to it tomorrow. Isn’t
that how Jesus’ return has been treated? He won’t come today or tomorrow – I’ll
worry about my lifestyle later.
Jesus uses this to highlight the urgency of spiritual vigilance. His
return will be sudden but when the time is right. The sad part is the missing
out. There was no visible difference between the 2. The workers in the field,
does not say one was evil and the other was good. Or the parable of the 10
bridesmaids where 5 miss out – not because they were evil but because they were
unprepared. So how do we live in light of this?
Stay Spiritually Awake
We are called to live with eyes open. Watchfulness is not paranoia or
fear; it’s attentiveness to God’s presence and purposes in our daily lives. Prayer,
bibles, worship. Be Faithful in the ordinary parts of life.
Jesus doesn’t ask us to abandon our daily lives. Like he did with Peter,
James and John when they dropped their nets and followed Jesus. He doesn’t say
eating and drinking and marrying are wrong. He asks us to infuse our everyday
tasks with faith - with a heart that says, “Come, Lord Jesus.”
Extend Grace and Hope to others. If Christ could return at any moment,
how should we treat others?
As Paul reminded us - You know what time it is, how it is now the moment
for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we
became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near
We live with urgency, but also with compassion. Every conversation could be a seed that leads
to eternity or, sadly, could turn a person away from God.
The book of Revelation ends with the cry - “Maranatha”—“Come, Lord.” It’s not a call of dread, but longing for our
Lord to return. Jesus doesn’t give us a
date. Jesus isn’t asking us to predict;
He’s asking us to prepare. To
live ready. To walk in faith, serve in
love, and wait in hope. So let us be found faithful—not frantic. Let us be watchful—not worried. And let us live each day as if it matters
eternally—because it does. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians - I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor,
now is the day of salvation. Not tomorrow. As Jesus says - “Therefore you also
must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” It
isn’t about fear of the unknown hour but trust in a faithful God who
welcomes us into His kingdom when the time is right.
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