The Gospel reading for this Tuesday in the third week of Advent captures the theme of the season, watchful expectation for the second coming of Jesus. Matthew writes:
“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as 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. Then two will be in the field; 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. But 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. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” (Mt. 24: 26-44).
Watch, be ready—that’s the message in today’s Gospel reading. Part of watching and waiting is simply doing what Jesus asks us to do. Jesus, knowing the Old Testament extremely well, tells us what we should do. We have been praying this every Sunday during Advent as we use Rite I, Jesus' summary of the Law which can be found in the Book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. Jesus tells us to love the Lord, our God with all all hearts, all our souls and all our minds, and the second commandment is like unto it, we should love our neighbors as ourselves. Do that, and you’ll be ready when Jesus comes again in power an great glory.
Let us pray: Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
CALENDAR REMINDERS
The Advent Series (Hope, Peace, Joy and Love) continues every Sunday after the service.
Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Katie, Roylene, Robert, the unemployed, the poor, the weary, the depressed, the lonely, and those who have no one to pray for them.
“You matter because you are you, and you matter to the end of your life. We will do all we can not only to help you die peacefully, but also to live until you die.” —Dame Cicely Saunders
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as 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. Then two will be in the field; 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. But 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. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” (Mt. 24: 26-44).
Watch, be ready—that’s the message in today’s Gospel reading. Part of watching and waiting is simply doing what Jesus asks us to do. Jesus, knowing the Old Testament extremely well, tells us what we should do. We have been praying this every Sunday during Advent as we use Rite I, Jesus' summary of the Law which can be found in the Book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. Jesus tells us to love the Lord, our God with all all hearts, all our souls and all our minds, and the second commandment is like unto it, we should love our neighbors as ourselves. Do that, and you’ll be ready when Jesus comes again in power an great glory.
Let us pray: Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
CALENDAR REMINDERS
The Advent Series (Hope, Peace, Joy and Love) continues every Sunday after the service.
Please remember everyone on our Prayer List, especially Katie, Roylene, Robert, the unemployed, the poor, the weary, the depressed, the lonely, and those who have no one to pray for them.
“You matter because you are you, and you matter to the end of your life. We will do all we can not only to help you die peacefully, but also to live until you die.” —Dame Cicely Saunders
Your servant in Christ,
Fr. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550
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