Blog
First Sunday of Advent: Hope
Embrace the Unknown
Isaiah 2:1-5
Matthew 24:36-44
by Maryann Verghese
“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 hour you do not expect.”
—Matthew 24:40-44 (NSRVUE)
My dog barks at anyone who comes by our front door. Day or night, he is ready. He’s on alert, even when there are no real threats around. This kind of hyper vigilance reminds me of this passage. Adrenaline racing, clutching to those people and things I hold dear, fearful and worried about what is to come. The kind of anxiety that keeps you up at night and heightens your senses. I know many of us might be familiar with this feeling.
Whether it’s gun violence, climate change, health care, war and genocide, job insecurity, attacks on vulnerable communities, or other concerns for the well-being of our neighbors, our world, and ourselves, there is a lot to be alert about these days. How can we be ready for anything and everything that’s coming?
However, this is a passage of hope. We know that God is among us, bringing peace and justice, a better world. We just don’t always know how or when. And what if, instead of anxiety in the lack of sure knowledge, we embraced the unknown?
Sometimes, I admit it’s hard to get out of this anxiety. I remember having a conversation with my pastor about not knowing what was next in life. He asked me, “What if this is it? What if this is all you have is this one life? What would you do?”
Although we are never sure what is coming, we are given this one precious life. This passage in Matthew is an invitation to turn away from the spiraling anxiety and embrace that we are called to create hope among us, wherever life takes us. An invitation from God to co-create a consistent love in a world that profits from instability and anxiety. This Advent, I want to embrace uncertainty and live out the hope of a better world beyond the one I know now. Breathe, take care of yourself, and be not on high alert, but attentive to the world around us.
Prayer
Holy God, you know all that was, is, and is to come.
As we feel anxious, fearful, uncertain, and lost, be with us.
Grant us peace to embrace the uncertainty and live out hope in the world.
In the discomfort of an unknown future, help us be a beacon a love.
Amen.
Maryann Verghese is the managing editor of response magazine and a consultant for United Women in Faith for mobilization, advocacy, and leadership development. She currently lives in Southern California on the traditional land of the Acjachemen people.
