Thoughts for the Day

DETOUR Revelation 1:7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.”

Advent is a time to look forwards as well as back.  According to the headings in my bible, this verse is part of a doxology, a hymn or piece of liturgical praise.  By comparison, our declarations in the communion service “Christ will come again” seem a little tame.  I particularly note that one “is” in this verse, which gives a sense of imminence that we seem to have lost.  For sure, after 2000 years it is hard to maintain it.  Maybe we need a new verb tense, not simply a future tense but a continuously-potentially-imminent-future tense!  And I think liturgy can help too. I don’t mean mindless repetition of phrases we no longer fully understand including words we no longer use, poetic as they may be.  But liturgy can be like a vessel holding precious unvarying truths, detached from our emotional ups and downs yet available for the Holy Spirit to refresh as the words are poured out week by week and even year by year.  400 years on from Malachi, Zechariah had a visit from Gabriel in the temple, and did not believe it.  If Gabriel interrupted our next Sunday service to proclaim that Jesus will return within the next 12 months, would you or I likewise respond, “How can I be sure?”  How do we keep our expectation fresh?