1st Advent 2022, I Am Coming

 1^st Advent

Luke 21:25-36 

And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth, the nations will be constricted with anxiety and doubt with the advent of these spiritual revelations, as before a roaring sea and waves. And people will lose their inner strength of soul out of fear and foreboding of what is coming over the living earth: for the dynamic powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud, in the sphere of life, with dynamic power and great radiant glory. 

And when these things begin to happen, stand upright and lift up [or, raise] your soul to the spirit, for your deliverance draws near. 

And he gave them a comparison, saying,

"Observe [or, behold] the fig tree and all the trees when they burst into leaf. Seeing this, you know yourselves that summer is near. So also, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 

"Amen, the truth I say to you: this present age of being human shall not pass away until all has happened. 

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 

"Guard yourselves lest the perceptive power of your hearts be smothered by an excess of food and drink and by over-concern with the cares and worries of life, and the light of these spirit events break upon you suddenly like a snare; for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. So be awake in the spirit at all times, praying, so that you may have the strength to live through all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

1^st Advent

November 27, 2022

Luke 21:25–36 

Roaring windstorms quake the trees and scatter their leaves. If we were to be seeing this for the first time, it might seem to us as if the trees were being stripped of their very life. We would quail with anxiety at the fearsome power of such apparent destruction. 

But we know, in fact, that trees bud, leaf out, and drop their leaves as a matter of course. Overall growth demands that the old leaves drop away to make way for the next phase. The roaring of the wind also belongs to that time of leaf loss. But even before the old leaves drop, the buds of the new growth are already in place. They stand firm through the winter’s chill till the sun brightens and opens them again. 

We, too, have times when the soul wind roars and we are shaken. The old drops away, and it makes us anxious and fearful. But it is, in fact, a sign that the next phase has arrived. The spirit wind is cleaning house, removing the old and outworn. It is painful to lose what we have built up. But the strength of all our inner work, our prayers, our attention to quality and character, our strivings, are the life that survives loss. They are the
buds of life’s next phase that are already in place. For a while, their life lies dormant, but after the heart’s winter, they will burst forth. 

Sombart

The tree of the human race also has its seasons. Here too, there are times when the old must pass away. Phases of history and the blossoming of cultures give way to what needs to develop next.
Painful battles shake the earth. Humankind is fearful. 

But the budding of the new, of what continues to grow, the life in the tree of earth, speaks to us in a voice like an angel’s: “Do not be afraid. Become. Do not lose heart. You can stand firm, for I am always with you. I am the evergreen tree of life; and I am the wind of the spirit, the soul’s sun, and the ground beneath your feet. I am coming. And I create all anew.”

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