We see today how Matthew 24 can sound scary at first — one of those “Left Behind” passages many of us grew up hearing with fear — but you remind us that Advent invites us to hear it with hope, not dread. Jesus’ return isn’t about God coming to get us; it’s about God coming to heal us, restore what’s broken, end suffering, and make all things new. You point us to Isaiah’s vision of swords turned into plowshares and help us imagine a world with no more cancer, hunger, or heartbreak — the world Christ is coming to bring. And while we wait, you encourage us to live with expectation, not discouragement, because at any moment hope can break through, and by God’s grace we can even be agents of that hope for others through kindness, service, and love.

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Well, good morning, y’all.
It’s good to be with you today. If you’re watching this on YouTube or on my website, you’ll notice things look a little different. I ran late at church this morning and didn’t get a chance to record there, so we’re doing this old-school — at home, on the laptop, no fancy camera, no microphone. Hopefully the quality feels the same to you, but it always makes me a little nervous when the setup is different!

Today we’re continuing our Advent study by looking at some of the suggested readings from the lectionary. The passage for today actually comes from the same section of Scripture I preached on this past Sunday — at least part of it. We talked about hope on Sunday, the theme of the first candle of Advent, and this passage ties right into that.

Let’s read Matthew 24:36–39 together:

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Matthew 24:36–39 (NIV)

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;
and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.
That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

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Now, like I said Sunday, I find it a little ironic that the theme for the first Sunday of Advent is hope, and the reading we’re given sounds — at first glance — anything but hopeful. This is one of those classic “Left Behind” passages. If you keep reading, it gets into “one will be taken, one will be left.” It’s the kind of Scripture that many of us grew up hearing in a way that made us feel anxious or afraid.

Most of us haven’t heard this passage taught in a hopeful tone.
We hear it almost like a warning in a horror movie — “Something bad’s about to happen. Jesus is coming back… better watch out!”

It’s like when Thomas and I were watching a TV show recently. There was this scene where they were driving down the road in a truck, and the camera kept cutting to the empty bed of the truck. And every single time it cut to that angle, I tensed up. I just knew something was going to pop up from behind and get them. I felt that anxiety in my chest — something bad is coming.

A lot of us read Matthew 24 the same way.

“Oh no…
Jesus is coming back.
Something bad is going to happen.
He’s coming to get us… we’re in trouble.”

We turn Jesus into a horror movie villain instead of a Savior.

But that’s not what this passage is meant to do.
That’s not how Advent invites us to hear it.
And that’s not the hope Scripture gives us about Christ’s return.

The Second Coming of Christ isn’t meant to frighten us — it’s meant to fill us with hope.

One of the other readings for this Sunday is from Isaiah, where the prophet says:

“They shall beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks…”

When Jesus returns, He’s not coming back to harm us — He’s coming to heal us.
He’s coming to restore everything that’s broken.
He’s coming to set the world right.

Can you imagine a world with no more cancer?
Can you imagine a world with no more dementia?
A world where no child ever goes hungry again?
A world where violence, fear, and heartbreak are gone forever?

That’s the promise.
That’s the hope.
That’s the return of Christ.

So instead of reading this passage with fear — “Oh no, Jesus is coming to get us” — we should read it with joy:

“Thanks be to God — Jesus is coming to save us.”

At any moment, friends, hope could break through.
At any moment, restoration could begin.
At any moment, Christ could return and make all things new.

And so this passage calls us to live with hopeful expectation.
Not dread.
Not fear.
Hope.

Because the world has a way of wearing down our hope, doesn’t it?
The world can make us discouraged.
The world can make us believe nothing’s going to get better.
The world can convince us to settle for the way things are.

But Matthew 24 reminds us:
At any moment, hope can break out.
At any moment, God can move.
At any moment, light can shine in the darkness.

And here’s the beautiful part:
Not only do we look for the coming hope of Christ —
but by God’s grace, we ourselves can become agents of hope.

Today, you might be the unexpected moment of hope in someone else’s life.

Your kind word.
Your act of service.
Your generosity.
Your forgiveness.
Your simple obedience.

It could be the very thing the Lord uses to break open hope in someone’s heart.

As Wesleyans, we talk about “means of grace” — ways God pours grace into our lives. Scripture, prayer, communion, fasting. But friends, you yourself can be a means of grace today. You can be a vessel of hope.

Someone who feels hopeless today may experience the hope of Jesus through what you do.

So yes — Christ is coming again.
But He is not coming to get us.
He is coming to save us.
To restore us.
To heal us.
To make all things new.

And until that day comes, we live in hope.
We look for hope.
And we share hope.

So today — live a hopeful life.
Live with expectation.
And know that God is good in all things, and God is with us.

Thanks for being with me today.
We’ll continue with our Advent readings tomorrow.
Have a wonderful and hope-filled day.