Pray for Peace and Work for Good

Sermon 2022.11.27

Advent 1A

Rev. Wesley Menke

Grace Lutheran Church Upland, California

Pray for Peace and Work for Good

The coming of the Son of Man could be the second coming of Jesus Christ. We think about this on the first Sunday of Advent. Jesus said that when the Son of Man comes people will be taken away, or disappeared. Jesus compares the Son of Man coming to a thief breaking into a house to steal. And again Jesus compares the coming of the Son of Man to when the flood came and only Noah and his family were spared because of the ark they had built. 

The coming of Jesus may not be what we expect. It will probably be very disruptive. But we fool ourselves. Some people say that if you have accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior then you will get to bypass the harsh judgment of the Son of Man, and you get to go directly to heaven. That’s wishful thinking. 

Paul writes in Romans that we should make no provisions for the flesh. The same group of people who fantasize about a rapture also make a big todo about the flesh. They claim that men rule over women. They go so far as to claim that only men have the authority to make coffee. Why? Because in the Bible it says: Hebrews. Get it? He-brews! 

It’s a bunch of baloney. Thinking that some flesh is better than others hurts ourselves, relatives and friends. That is why in Psalm 122 it says for the sake of our family and friends I will pray for the peace of Jerusalem; and I will work to do good. What a concept! Pray for peace and work for good. 

Richard Fierro is a real life example of what faithfulness looks like. He was with his wife and daughter at an LGBT nightclub, Club Q, to watch a drag show. Then the unthinkable happened. A gunman with an AR-15 began to kill people and cause terror. Richard, who is a US Army veteran, took the man with the weapon down. He grabbed him by the back of his bullet proof vest and slammed him to the ground. He directed bystanders to help subdue the perpetrator. Richard saved lives. Pray for peace and work for good.

Believing in the coming of the son of man means being prepared at any time to do the right thing. We can see Jesus in the faces of those who surround us, and in our own face as well. Richard Fierro said that everyone in that club became his family. That was Richard being the Son of Man. Anyone could be the Son of Man. Pray for peace and work for good.

Isaiah the prophet says swords will be beaten into plowshares and spears will be beaten into pruning hooks. Today, Isaiah would say that all of our guns will be melted down into power tools. Pray for peace and work for good. 

There is a better world. Things can be better than they are right now. The people of the earth could peacefully gather in Jerusalem to worship together. We can imagine peace both within and outside of our walls. Pray for peace and work for good.

The other day someone told me that they were suffering from guilt, and there was nothing they could do to get rid of it. I said, “Good. You should feel guilty. Guilt is a sign that you have conscience and care about right and wrong. Maybe God wants you to feel guilty so you learn from your mistake and never do it again.” They laughed at me, smiled, and said okay.

So when is Jesus coming?

Take a look in the mirror.

Pray for peace and work for good.