Advent and Lenten Devotions by Goshen
College students, faculty, and staff - Welcome to Goshen College Advent
Devotions 2013: Friday, 29 November 2013 “No one knows the hour” by Abby
Deaton, a junior communication major from Indianapolis, Ind.
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 24: The Necessity for Watchfulness
36 “But about that day and hour no one
knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son,[a] but only the Father. 37
For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 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, 39 and they knew
nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming
of the Son of Man. 40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one
will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken
and one will be left. 42 Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what
day[b] your Lord is coming. 43 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. 44 Therefore you also
must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
Footnotes:
Matthew 24:36 Other ancient authorities
lack nor the Son
Matthew 24:42 Other ancient authorities
read at what hour(NRSV)
DEVOTIONAL:
No one knows the day or the hour when it
will strike. For me, it was September 28, 2013 around 2 p.m. No warning. No
reason. But on that day, at that hour, I developed an illness, and it has been
a battle. My semester at school has panned out very differently than I had
planned. My illness radically changed every aspect of my life for the past two
months. No warning. No reason.
There is this sense of injustice when
negative events happen in our life without warning. We want reasons. We
desperately seek explanations for those events because suffering without
purpose seems cruel. This seems especially true during the Advent season, when
we spend our time rejoicing, when we spend our time reflecting on the word of
God. Tainting this traditionally blessed time just seems cruel.
Three weeks ago, my illness took a turn
for the worse. Three weeks ago, I had all but lost hope in ever feeling normal
again. We are told that we cannot know the hour or “on what day your Lord will
come.” Two weeks ago, I began to recover.
Both my illness and my recovery came
without warning, but I no longer believe it was without purpose. There are good
friends who I would not have met. There were close friends that I would have
never understood otherwise. There were changes in my friend’s life that may
have never occurred. There were personal revelations I’m not sure I would have
come to.
We are asked to prepare for the Lord, to
“be ready” for the day the Lord comes. Faith is our best preparation. Faith
that God will deliver us from evil. Faith that God is always near. Faith that
God has a greater plan. We may not be given any warning, but we are given faith
that there is a reason. We may not know the day or the hour, but we can have
faith in the outcome.
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 24:The Necessity for
Watchfulness
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.(NRSV)
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Goshen College
1700 South Main Street
Goshen, IN 46526 United States
(574) 535-7569
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