Advent 2

December 7, 2025

Luke 21:25-36

In preparation for this Sunday, I revisited and reread Martin Luther’s sermon for the second Sunday in Advent, and in it, you hear a message about how God uses nature to tell the story of the end times— the end of days, the end of this life, and the end of this earth.

This story of the end days is described in the Gospel as Jesus said,

And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world.

And then a few verses later, Jesus says,

Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

In a beautiful way, God’s creation is always the teacher, whether through disaster or new life, guiding you to prepare for the arrival of His kingdom.

But how often do you observe its lessons?

How often do you see eclipses of the moon or shooting stars and think, “God is coming?”

How often do you hear of hurricanes tossing waves to and fro, destroying anything in their path, and think, “God is coming?”

How often do snowstorms trap you in your homes and think, “God is coming?”

How often does a budding leaf in the warmth of spring stop you to ponder and think, “God is coming?”

God’s creation is always telling and preparing you for His return.

And in this way, it’s the darknesses that descend upon your life, the tossing waves of trials and tribulations, the coldness of your hearts that often keep you bent over and looking down, so you cannot see the budding fig leaf of spring, telling you summer is near.

New life is near.

Christ is near.

Every Advent, I like to reread the book, God is in the Manger, which includes excerpts from the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In one of his devotions from this past week, he wrote,

Let’s not deceive ourselves, ‘Your redemption is drawing near’ (Luke 21:28), whether we know it or not, and the only question is: Are we going to let it come to us too, or are we going to resist it? Are we going to join in this movement that comes down from heaven to earth, or are we going to close ourselves off? Christmas is coming – whether it is with us or without us depends on each and every one of us.

The question Bonhoeffer poses is, are you going to permit Christ to come to you, or are you going to ignore the signs that you need a Savior and close your heart to Him?

Jesus says, “Your redemption is drawing near.”

And this is what the Advent season prepares you for: like the changing seasons of this world, Advent prepares you not only for Jesus’ birth but also for His coming again on the last day, the day when He will gather you into His eternal presence.

So, how do you prepare for the coming of Jesus? You do as Jesus instructs, “Straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is near.”

These words should be understood in the context of the fig tree sprouting leaves and summer approaching. It signifies that the old, dying life is cast aside so the new man can emerge.

Or through the lens of Holy Baptism, the Old Adam is drowned along with all his sins so that a new man might arise, and this occurs through Confession and Absolution.

This can also be seen in a Christian’s posture. In some traditions, a Christian continues to kneel for Confession and Absolution. They kneel to confess their sins in humility, which demonstrates how sin burdens the heart of man. But after receiving the absolution, the forgiveness of sins, they rise to new life because they see the nearness of their Savior as they hear His voice in His Word or approach this rail to receive His flesh and blood.

Reflect on how Martin Luther also teaches this truth in the Small Catechism and how the Christian should arise each morning; he says you should make the sign of the cross to remember your Baptism, that drowning of the Old Adam and the raising of the new man, then pray the Morning Prayer like we do at the beginning of Sunday School and then conclude with the Lord’s Prayer before going about your tasks.

Remember, in the Lord’s Prayer, you pray, “Thy kingdom come.” With these words, you are always asking for Jesus to come with His grace and mercy.

But how often do you give attention to what you are asking for when you speak these prayers?

When you follow this Lutheran practice of prayer in the morning, you not only use your words but also your entire body, which was burdened by sin and needed sleep, to rise from bed to embrace the new life of the new day.

But of course, you must also pay attention and be aware of how the darkness of each night yields to the rising sun of each new day, how the slumber from the past night’s sleep gives way to the sounds of the new morning. And how your first words of each new day either confess the life of a curmudgeon or the joy of one who looks to the coming Savior who has protected you through the most dangerous part of your life, the time of night, the time while you sleep unaware.

In a marvelous way, every aspect of God’s creation and this life is a reminder of the coming of Jesus.

Look, the Gospel readings for Advent can be startling to many because the world has convinced you that it’s already Christmas, but it’s not. Christmas lasts twelve days, starting December 25th. It’s not time yet.

It’s Advent now, a season of longing and preparation. The readings remind you to look around, observe the fallen world, and see how creation is telling you that God is coming, see the signs of cosmic events and the storms in your own life. Learn again to confess your sins, because only then will you be ready for the coming of Christ.

As we come to a close today, I want to share the final part of Bonhoeffer’s meditation. He wrote,

Such a true Advent happening now creates something different from the anxious, petty, depressed, feeble Christian spirit that we see again and again, and that again and again wants to make Christianity contemptible. This becomes clear from the two powerful commands that introduce our text: “Look up and raise your heads’’ (Luke 21:28). Advent creates people, new people. We too are supposed to become new people in Advent. Look up, you whose gaze is fixed on this earth, who are spellbound by the little events and changes on the face of the earth. Look up to these words, you who have turned away from heaven disappointed. Look up, you whose eyes are heavy with tears and who are heavy and who are crying over the fact that the earth has gracelessly torn us away. Look up, you who, burdened with guilt, cannot lift your eyes. Look up, your redemption is drawing near. Something different from what you see daily will happen. Just be aware, be watchful, wait just another short moment. Wait and something quite new will break over you: God will come.”

And He does come; He comes to you here, around this altar.

So come on bended knee and then arise to new life, to the redemption found in Jesus Christ.

My friends, as you look forward to the coming of the Christ child in the manger this Advent, see Him also on the cross, and then see how the happenings of daily life and the world are reminders for you to “Straighten up and raise your heads, because your Savior [is near].” +INJ+

Rev. Noah J. Rogness

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Tomah, WI

Good Shepherd Website: www.goodsheptomah.org

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