Advent 1 (Luke 21:25-36) Heaven and earth will pass away; but, my words will not pass away.

Nothing has to happen before Jesus returns to earth.

Everything that Jesus predicted would occur before that time has occurred. It also continues to occur.

This both confuses and disappoints many people. Some people would like to believe they have some special insight or secret knowledge about the second coming of Christ. Some believe in charts and graphs and diagrams. Some believe in secret codes embedded in the Bible. Some look for supernatural or political events. Some even say that Jesus returned in the First Century but no one recognized him.

People invent all manner of interpretations of the second coming, or more generically- the end of the world. Jesus very simply teaches that His return will be at a time we least expect it. What signs there are can be found in the natural world and in the conflicts and confusion of human society.

Since there is no “prophetic time line” as some teach, since there is no secret code, as others assert, Jesus can and will return at a time we least expect. The fact of his personal return to this planet is more important than the date. That is why Jesus gives us the imperative to “Watch”.

The NRSV uses the term “be on guard” and “keep alert.” Older translations of the Bible just use the word “watch”. The teaching Jesus gives is in the form of an imperative. This is not just a suggestion or even a law. It is a command. You must watch. You shall watch.

To watch is to be on guard and to be alert. It is to ask God to set us free from the distractions of the world culture, the disordered desires of our being, and the seductive deceits of Satan. To watch is to wake up. Pay attention. Be present. Hold the present moment as it is and not as we would have it become.

The great challenge in life is to be present to the Real Presence of God in nature, other people, and our own souls and in Jesus Christ. That challenge subverts the revelation of God through Moses, the prophets and the apostles as people seek to reinterpret the message. That challenge seeks to hold Jesus in the context of our cultural expectations and our individual needs and desires.

To watch is to be present. To be present is to surrender the pride of self-will. Self-will brings a demand to life that says: be what I want you to be. That demand keeps us trapped in the illusion of omnipotence. The illusion of omnipotence is the fantasy life we create when we believe we have the right to define God, other people and ourselves. In that belief we have an expectation that we can get what we want when we want it just because we want it.

To watch is to wake up from the dream of omniscience. The Bible is very clear: now we know in part. None of us has perfect knowledge. All of us need guidance, counsel and direction. Most of us most of the time sleep walk through life in a dream of invincible ignorance.

To watch is to be in a state of courageous humility. It is the recognition that the world does not revolve around me. It is the acknowledgement that God is the great I am. It is the experience that the individual is part of a larger community.

On this first Sunday of Advent Jesus reminds us that only his words remain and abide. Our words, our opinions and beliefs will pass away in the light of eternal Truth. Jesus is that truth. That truth manifests in the present moment of our lives as we make a real choice to wake up from dreams, illusions and fantasies of human pride to experience the Real Presence of Jesus in the here and now of Divine Love.