AVBC - Sunday 11/30/25 – Sermon Title: “Jesus Came, and He Will Return!” (“Christmas Hope” - Sermon Series: Part 1 of 5) – Luke 21:25-36, Revelation 21:1-4 (1st Sunday of Advent)

 Sunday 11/30/25 – Adams Village Baptist Church

Sermon Title: “Jesus Came, and He Will Return!”                                                         (“Christmas Hope” - Sermon Series: Part 1 of 5) –                                                      Luke 21:25-36, Revelation 21:1-4 (1^st Sunday of Advent)

 

          Brothers and sisters, this morning we are starting a new sermon series called “Christmas Hope.” This sermon series will run through Christmas Eve, on Wednesday December 24^th. This year we will have the seven o’clock service, and then on Sunday December 28^th Melissa and I will be away.

          With this said, in many traditions of Christianity, we call the season leading up to the season of Christmas, the season of Advent. Advent is a season of preparation, and we now find ourselves in this season. Further, full disclosure, there is nothing in the Bible about the season of Advent, or the season of Lent leading up to Easter Sunday. The early Christian Church over the years developed these seasons, as part of church tradition to prepare us and to orient us towards Christ. Since Jesus is born on Christmas, this sermon series is called “Christmas Hope.”

In addition to the season of Advent not being in the Bible, neither is an Advent Wreath, the Christmas Tree, the candy cane, the hanging of the greens, and definitely not our mixed pot of soup that will have after we hang the greens. In every Christian Church then, we all have some traditions. We all have some things that we have integrated into the life of the church, our lives, our communities, and in worship that we have added on top of Holy Scripture. This is not always a bad thing, as long as these extra things that we have added in point us to Christ and grow our faith in Christ. The ongoing debate, therefore, is how Christian tradition is enough, and how much is too much?

          With this said, about a week or two ago, a memory picture popped on my Facebook page. For those of us that have Facebook, you might notice that a “memory” or previous post pops up periodically, so that you may re-share the post once again on your Facebook page. This memory of mine that popped up was from November 21, 2012, and it was picture of Melissa and I, taken at my parents’ then home in the Adirondacks. It was my first-year pastoring two churches, back when I knew everything!

          When I saw this picture, I then remembered back to my first season of Advent and Christmas as a new pastor. I was excited, because in the season of Advent we were awaiting the birth of Jesus. In fact, most of my years when I was a Methodist Pastor, we used pre-canned scriptures from what was called the “Revised Common Lectionary.” We even had what was called “Lectionary Groups” to meet weekly, just to discuss the weekly scriptures, and how were going to preach on them. So, this means some churches all read the same scriptures for each service and each Sunday, and some still do.

          So, in 2012, I was preparing for my first Advent sermon, as I was totally clueless at that point. I did figure out though that we had to light only one Advent Candle on the first Sunday though, so that was good! As I looked over the readings for the First Sunday of Advent in 2012, the gospel reading was from Luke 21:25-36. I remember reading it, and I was reading I said, “Hey Melissa, can you come in here for a minute?” At home I only say this to Melissa about fifty times a day. I asked Melissa to come into my church parsonage office because I was confused as to why our gospel reading for the First Sunday of Advent, the season where are preparing for the birth of Jesus, did not seem to fit. (Office Sign)

          Once again, our reading for this morning from Luke 21:25-36 says:

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁵ ‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. ²⁶ People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory. ²⁸ Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’

 

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

²⁹ Then he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree and all the trees; ³⁰ as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. ³¹ So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ³² Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. ³³ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

 

Exhortation to Watch

³⁴ ‘Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, ³⁵ like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶ Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man’ (Lk. 21:25-36, NRSV).

          So, Melissa walks into my church parsonage office, and I show here the first part of this gospel of Luke 21:25-36 reading. I then asked Melissa, doesn’t this reading seem a little dreary for the season of Advent?

          I then started doing research, and I began to research what Advent actually was and what it meant. What I discovered was that Advent was not just about waiting and anticipating the birth of Christ on Christmas, but Advent is also about anticipating and waiting for Jesus’ second coming or return to earth of Jesus Christ. This is why in Luke 21:25-36, Jesus is not telling us about His birth, but instead, He is telling us about the day He will return. To drive this point home further, Jesus gives us “The Lesson of the Fig Tree,” then encouragement to watch and wait, and anticipate that one day He will return in glory.

          In doing more research, I also learned the word Advent is from the Latin word “Adventus,” as Christians have had this season of Advent for 1400-1500 years (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventus). This season of Advent that we find ourselves in now though, is about awaiting the birth of Jesus, and also His second coming. We are also invited to invite Jesus into our hearts anew during this season.

          The reason that I chose our second reading for this morning from the Book or Revelation 21:1-4 is this scripture describes our world when Christ returns. There will of course be judgement, but what will the world look like for those who loves Jesus. In Revelation 21:1-4, it says once again:

The New Heaven and the New Earth

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. ² And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; ⁴ he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away’ (Rev. 21:1-4, NRSV).

          This is why my sermon is called, “Jesus Came, and He Will Return!” If you think about it, since Jesus was born almost two-thousand years ago, every Christmas we are awaiting the memory of Jesus’ birth. I mean when we are born, we are not re-born as a baby every year. Even so, Christmas is a day where we remember the birth of Jesus. The season of Advent though is about much more that just remembering Jesus’ birth on Christmas. It is also about inviting Jesus into our hearts anew and also awaiting Christ’s return.

          I know some people that profess to be Christians but have told me that they do not believe in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Common things that I have heard is that “it just doesn’t make sense,” “it is not scientific,” etc. In being person of faith though, is to believe that the God of the universe can do all things. To be a person of faith, is to believe that God can work within and outside of the natural world in which we live. Further, we hear in various scriptures about Jesus returning. In fact, we even hear Jesus himself discuss this in the gospels, as we heard an example of this morning.

          On this First Sunday of Advent 2025, I would submit to us all then that if we no longer believe in the second coming or the return of Jesus Christ, then we have forfeited part of the greatest hope that we have as Christians. Here is why, for those of us that are or were history or social studies majors of teachers, here is the historical argument for the second coming of Christ. In our world, we have roughly six-thousand years of recorded human history. Fragments of writing, artifacts, things showing how different civilizations lived and functioned. Beyond about six-thousand years ago though, it is harder and harder to really understand how societies or people functioned fully.

          Over these six-thousand years of recorded human history, I believe we have tried everything. We have had Egyptian Pharaohs, we have tried Roman Emperors, and other kinds of Emperors. We have had kings, queens, dictators, democracies, republics, communism, socialism, capitalism, religion governments, etc. It would seem like brothers and sisters that in the past six thousand years of recorded human history, we have tried just, as I said, just about everything. Hopefully, we had the goal of creating a perfect world in the process. A world of peace, no war, harmony, human flourishing, and a world where everyone had the basic things that they needed to live.

          I believe that in many ways life in many countries is much better than it was just one-hundred years ago, or less, but is the world perfect? No, far from it. With knowing how many retired educators and some active educators who are in this church, if were to give humanity a report card grade, would be give humanity an A+? I would not give humanity and F, but I certainly would not give us an A+. Even though medical technology and so many other aspects of our lives have improved so dramatically, why is there still so much brokenness in the world? Or to ask it another way, can we as humans create a perfect world, and a perfect society? As I said, we have about six thousand years of recorded human history and have tried just about everything.

          Should we give up? No, but do we really think that we as humans have the capacity to make this world perfect? I believe that we can make it make much better, but making it perfect, I mean perfect, I believe that this will only happen when Jesus Christ our Lord returns to this earth to live and reign. In my years of ministry, and in life I have encountered Christians that got burned out, jaded, or even became cold in their faith. You see some of them had just seen so much, so much suffering, so much brokenness. Year after year they served Christ and they gave and gave, and while progress was made for Christ, the world did not become perfect. In some places, it seemed like no matter how much the people of Christ did, it actually became harder and harder.

          Some people I have talked to have also asked hard questions, such as, “why would God allow a child to die from a disease.” These are hard questions, and sometimes we will not fully have all of the answers that we seek on this side of heaven. Brothers and sisters, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem almost two thousand years ago, his earthly mission was not to have us make the world perfect. His mission was to show us a radical new way of living and loving, to die for our sins, and to save our souls and transform us. For nearly two-thousand years, the followers of Christ, Christians have been called to move this world towards the perfection the world will be when Christ returns.

          Not only do I believe in the return of Jesus Christ, but I am also putting all my eggs in that basket. Why? I believe that our church, and others like it can do so much to make Adams, Adams Center, and the world better. Jesus is coming on Christmas as baby in manger in Bethlehem, as a rescue mission. Jesus is coming to save and restore a broken humanity, knowing that this broken humanity will not be fully restored until He returns. For if there is no second coming of Christ, which I believe that there is, then how will this world be perfected? I believe we can continue to make our communities and the world much better, but when Jesus returns it will a perfect world.

          As our reading for this morning from Revelation 21:3-4 says once again of Jesus’ return:

³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; ⁴ he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away’ (Rev. 21:3-4, NRSV).

          Imagine a world where every tear will be wiped for our eyes. A world with no sorrow, no suffering, no pain, no disease, no war, no death, no anger, no crying, no mourning, and no pain? Imagine a world with no cancer? A world where cancer units close because no one has cancer? A world that no longer has chemotherapy or radiation, as no one needs it. A world that, as much as we love our military, will see our militaries dissolve, as we no longer need defense against war and aggression. A world where would no longer need police officers, as no crimes would be committed. A world where all elected leaders would always tell the truth, and always do what is right. A world with no poverty, no hunger, no homelessness, and only peace. A world led by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ.

          When Jesus comes on Christmas, his earthly mission continued God’s perfect plan for how the world will be made perfect when Christ returns. The season of Advent is about so much more than just the birth of Jesus. Even when Jesus was on the cross that first Good Friday, He prayed for His enemies, he offered one of the criminals on the cross next to Him salvation, and he made sure that His mother Mary would be taken care by His “Beloved Disciple” John. Our lives and our faith as Christians is not always easy, but generation after generation at our church and others, the work of the gospel continues. We continue the work of our ancestors that with culminate with the return of Jesus Christ our Lord.

          One of my heroes of our Christian faith, is Mother Theresa, or as she is now known as Saint Mother Theresa of Calcutta. Mother Theresa served the poorest of the poor Calcutta, India. She had times of immerse sorrow for the human suffering that she saw. She could not fix it all, but our Lord Jesus Christ called her and calls us to be His representatives in the world. Until Jesus returns, we will continue the mission of the gospel. Bringing people to the hope and salvation found of Christ and equipping them to serve and love a world that desperately needs it now more than ever.

          One of my favorite contemporary Christian songs is a version of the song “Come Jesus Come We’ve Been Waiting So Long,” by Stephen McWhirter. In this song the singer sings about wanting Jesus to come back to us now. I posted this song on our church Facebook page, but here are some of the lyrics of this song:

“… Sometimes I fall to my knees and pray Come Jesus come let today be the day. Sometimes I feel like I'm gonna break … But I'm holding on To a hope that won't fade. Come Jesus come We've been waiting so long For the day You return To heal every hurt and right every wrong. We need you right now Come and turn this around. Deep down I know this world isn't home. Come Jesus come Come Jesus come” (https://lyricsondemand.com/stephen_mcwhirter/come_jesus_come).

 

          The Bible talks about those Christians that went before us as that “great cloud of witnesses.” Every name on a stained-glass window, every portrait, every placard, all part of that line of heroes. For we stand in a line of heroes, and we stand on the shoulders of giants. We continue to preach Christ, so that people will know Him and have eternal life. We continue to preach Christ, so that people will be transformed from the inside out. We continue to preach and serve like Christ, knowing and believing that one day He will return in glory. None of us know when, but Jesus will come back. As my sermon for this morning is called, once again, “Jesus Came, and He Will Return!” Not only do I believe this, but I bet the names we read on stained glass windows, that we see on portraits, and that we read on placards in this church, I am sure believed it and still do in glory.

          How then can we take this sermon on this first Sunday of Advent called “Jesus Came, and He Will Return!” and take it with us out of the church this morning, into Adams and the world? This, brothers, and sisters, is why season of Advent is important:

Key reasons Advent is important:

·       It prepares for Christmas: The four weeks of Advent serve as a reflective and spiritual preparation for the celebration of Jesus's birth.

·       It anticipates Christ's return: Advent is also a time to prepare for Jesus's second coming, encouraging believers to be alert and ready for his future return.

·       It emphasizes hope and joy: Each week of Advent often focuses on a theme like hope, peace, joy, or love, helping people refocus on these spiritual values.

·       It connects to tradition: Advent connects modern Christians to centuries of church tradition and the generations of people who longed for the Messiah.

·       It encourages reflection: The season encourages a pause from the usual holiday rush to reflect on the spiritual significance of the season, providing a time for self-examination and prayer. 

Brothers and sisters, “Jesus Came, and He will Return!” Amen.