En Garde – Be on Guard.  Wachet Auf – Stay Awake

That’s what Mark 13:33, tells us this weekend; “Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.”

What time?  The time for Isaiah’s prayer to be answered, “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence.”

To which coming is Isaiah referring?  Ah, that’s what Advent is about. That’s what makes Advent so much fun.  In Isaiah 64:1-9 the prophet looks forward to the advent of the Messiah, his first coming.  However, the choice of the Gospel lessons first presents us with his coming into Jerusalem riding on a donkey who is bringing God’s kingdom to his father David’s city.  Secondly, in Mark 13, Jesus wants us to be on guard and stay awake for his coming when he brings this age to an end.

If you have a sensation of dizziness this Sunday, you don’t need to have your equilibrium checked.  It’s just the season.  It’s Advent which can get us coming and going.  En garde, Wachet Auf.

Give Advent its due.  Christmas can wait.