"But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 

and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory.... 35 Therefore, keep awake-- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36 or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake." 

--Mark 13:24-37

Events like this can bring out a sense of wonder and awe. It can help us see the beauty of God's creation. It can make us feel connected in a way not normally possible, and can make us see how small we are in the scope of God's grandeur.

Events like these can also bring out the crazies! "Numerologists," as they have named themselves, like to read things into cosmic events and couple them with scripture passages to predict the coming of an apocalyptic event. While most of us pay them no mind, they do stir up panic in the hearts of Christians.

This is by no means a new issue. Bishop Clement of Rome predicted the end would happen around the year 90. Hilary of Poitiers predicted the end in the year 365. His student, Martin of Tours, revised the estimate to 400-ish. The German Emperor Otis III thought an eclipse in 968 was a harbinger of the end of the age. Then, during the lesser-known Y1K crisis, predictions of the end stirred up Christians to literally beat the love of Jesus into pagans to "save" them. Many Shakers suggested 1792. Charles Wesley preferred 1794. He probably wrote a hymn about it somewhere. The Jehovah's Witnesses liked the year 1914--also 1915, 1918, 1920, 1925, 1941, 1975, and 1994 (L. Casey Thompson).

Why are we so wrapped up in the end? Well there are many different reasons: judgment, cleansing, hate, righteousness, etc. But, for Paul, it was a genuine hope and trust of being with Christ in his Kingdom. Paul fully expected for Christ to return, and to return soon.

For me, I'm with Paul. The Rev. Dr. Mark Allen Powell would say that as Christians, we should live with the expectation that we are the last generation. What I pray that means for us is twofold: one, that you are already living a way that shouldn't mean big changes, and two, that you can wait and trust with all your heart that Jesus is coming to bring the fullness of the Kingdom of God.

This Advent I invite you all to embrace the hope and trust of the coming of the Christ!