Preached on Sunday, December 8, 2024, the Second Sunday of Advent, at Trinity Cathedral, Little Rock.

On this second Sunday of Advent, I preach on a verse from Paul’s letter to the Philippians: “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

Advent, like the season of Lent, is a season of tough truths. And this morning, I have three tough truths in mind.

The first tough truth is this: Jesus Christ will come again to judge both the living and the dead. This fact is central to the Advent season, and there’s just no getting around it. And even if I, the preacher, were to dodge this truth, the Nicene Creed would soon come along and sweep up my mess: “He will come again in glory to judge both the living and the dead,” the Nicene Council has us say all these centuries later. In Advent, we remember how the Son came to visit us in great humility, but we also remember that the Son will come again, and this time, with “power and great glory.” When Jesus Christ returns, life as we know it will come to an end and a new world order will be ushered in. And therefore, when Jesus Christ returns, He will be our judge: seeing us as we are, putting away all sinfulness, making things exactly as they ought to be. So much is wrong in this world, but Christ our Judge will make things right. Just this is what we proclaim in Advent: Jesus Christ will come again to judge those who are dead and those of us who are alive––to judge you and to judge me. A tough truth, indeed.

And this brings us to the second tough truth: we are not ready for Jesus Christ to come again. We are not ready for Him to return. If Christ were to come today, we would not be ready. If His coming brings an end to things as we know it, if His coming means that judgment is here––well, it probably wouldn’t go very well. We are so deeply marked by sinfulness. There are so many things we’ve done and so many things we’ve left undone––in thought, word, and deed. There are so many crooked paths and rough ways in us and in this world of ours. We have so many ways to prepare, so many paths to straighten out. There’s so much work for us to do. And so, surely, many things won’t be able to withstand our Lord’s judgment. As the prophet Malachai once put it: “who can endure the day of God’s coming, and who can stand when He appears?” (Malachi 3:2). A very tough truth, indeed.

But there’s more! Here’s the third tough truth, and this one, I think, is the biggest pill to swallow. It comes from the apostle Paul: “the one who began a good work among you [and me] will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). There is so much work for us to do, so many crooked paths and rough ways––so much to do that, frankly, we just can’t do it. But as Paul reminds the Philippians and as he reminds us, God can do it. God can bring our good works to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. God can straighten out our crooked paths and flatten out our rough ways. God can fill every valley and bring low every mountain and hillside. God began something in us and God can bring it to completion.

And it’s not just that God can do so, but God will do so. “I am confident,” says Paul. “I am confident that God will do it.” The great twentieth century theologian, Karl Barth, puts it this way: “Paul’s confidence…is not in the Christianity of the Philippians [or of us, for that matter], which in itself deserves no more confidence than anything else that is human. [No], his confidence is…in Him Who does not tire of giving, nor become incapable of it, Who does not abandon the work of His hands, as [we human beings] without exception and for good reasons are wont…to do….[No,] Paul believes (for himself as for the others) in the sanctification with which God hallows the unholy…He who has begun this ‘good work’ will also complete it” [1]. We are confident that God will complete that which He began in us before the return of Jesus Christ, and we should take great comfort in that bit of good and gracious news––“Gospel,” as we Christians call it.

But why would this bit of Good News be a tough truth? No doubt, Christ’s second coming and our unreadiness for His return are difficult facts to accept, but what makes our confidence in God readying us for Christ’s return such a tough truth?

Well, because we like to convince ourselves that all of this is our work to do. It’s a tough truth because we tend to have more confidence in ourselves than in God. Now, we know that we aren’t dependable. We know that, as Karl Barth puts it, we give up on the work of our hands. And we know that God is so much better than us in this regard. But our self-confidence remains, like a cold we’ve caught but can’t shake off. We keep expecting ourselves to get through that to-do list, to finish off those New Year resolutions, to fix ourselves up, to quit acting like this or that, to quit getting in our own way, to be more kind, more compassionate, more generous, more good. But eventually, we can’t. We fall short. And we’re disappointed because we feel as if we should have been able to do it all along. That’s what makes this such a tough truth. But it is the truth, and we need to hear it: we are confident in God, not in ourselves. We are confident that “the one who began a good work among [us] will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

Three tough truths for the Advent season: Jesus Christ will come again to judge the world; we are not ready for Him to return; but we are confident that God can and will make us ready for that day.

So, what do we do in the meantime? After all, it feels a bit silly just to sit around waiting for God to get to work. And yet, that’s exactly what we are to do: our job is to wait. But don’t forget: waiting is tough work! It isn’t just twiddling our thumbs. Waiting requires active patience and attentiveness. Waiting requires restraint and stillness. Waiting requires an openness to what will happen––a faithful openness to God’s Word to us and His activity in us. That’s difficult work. And that’s why we gather here together as a congregation, hearing these words of Holy Scriptures, hearing the words of this Sacrament, bolstering us for the tough truths and the difficult work of the Advent season––and really, of the whole Christian life.

So, my friends: tarry for the LORD. Wait for Him. He has begun a good work in you. In due season, He will bring it to completion. And in the fullness of time, “all flesh shall see [His salvation]” (Luke 3:6). Amen.

[1] Karl Barth, Epistle to the Philippians (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002), 16–17.