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The First Sunday in Advent

Mark 13:24–37

Notes on This Reading

Happy New Year! With this first Sunday in Advent, we start off the church calendar and dive into the Gospel of Mark, which will provide most of the Sunday readings for the coming year. But we don’t actually begin with the first chapter. We start near the end of the gospel, with a description of end times, or what we call apocalyptic writings. The word “apocalyptic” may convey doom and gloom, but it really suggests a revelation, as if a curtain is pulled back to reveal what’s on the stage of a theater. With that in mind, consider what is being revealed in this passage. The passage calls for watchfulness, alertness, attentiveness, paying attention to the signs of the time, staying awake. Take this Advent season and the coming year to be on the lookout for God to do something new, maybe even surprising, in your life.

Questions

1 What does the word “apocalyptic” suggest to you? Is it a good thing or not?

2 What kinds of lessons does the fig tree have to teach?

3 Are there any particular ways that you can stay awake during this season of Advent?

4 Is this passage scary for you or is it encouraging?