This coming 1st Sunday in Advent, 12/3/06, marks the beginning of a new series of the 3-year lectionary in two ways. First, it begins Year C and second, it begins the new Revised Lutheran Lectionary which this Blog will use. The Old Testament reading is from Jeremiah 33:14-16 (The LORD our Righteousness) and the Epistle is 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 (Establish blameless hearts). There are two options for the Gospel; the first being Luke 19:28-40 (Palm Sunday) and the second being Luke 21:25-36 (Son of Man and Judgment Day). The passage chosen to analyze is Luke 21:36, “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

The season of Advent (from the Latin verb “venire” meaning “to come”) refers to the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ (1) in the Bethlehem stable; (2) into our hearts at conversion and (3) on Judgment Day. This text from Luke 21 speaks of Judgment Day. The first problem with verse 36 is that some Greek manuscripts read, “that you may be counted worthy” from the verb “kataxioo” while others read, “that you may have strength” from the verb “katischuo”. The New King James uses the first while the English Standard Version uses the second.

To be counted worthy would be something that God decides on the basis of our relationship to Him through faith in Jesus Christ and would not cause much of a difficulty. That’s why we will instead deal with the other translation that gives the impression that on the Day of Judgment you need to pray that you will have strength to escape hell itself. What is this strength that provides a way of escape?

In all other religions of the world except Christianity, the strength is YOUR resolve and obedience to follow the Will of God in some way. These religions attempt to give you information as to how to have sufficient strength to overcome the wrath of their gods on the Day of Judgment. But Christianity is different in that God gets all the credit for our salvation, not us. How then can we understand those English translations that prefer “pray that you have strength to escape”?

Scripture interprets Scripture. In this situation we examine how the Greek words for “strength” and for “escape” are used elsewhere. For the word “strength” Matthew 16:18 quotes Jesus saying the following, “…on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” The word “strength” is translated as “prevail.” That means that not even Hell itself has the strength to overcome the Church! Our strength is not of ourselves; it is that of the Church–the body of believers with Christ as our Head. He prevails for us not only here on earth but also on the Day of Judgment in which He testifies to the Father that all believers in Him have had their sins forgiven and are worthy to enter heaven.

For the word “escape” we go to Hebrews 2:3, “…how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.” What is this salvation that was spoken by the Lord? It is none other than the Gospel which only Christianity reveals that in Christ, all believers have not only had their sins forgiven but also are wearing that robe of righteousness received in their baptismal adoption.

The strength we need to escape the wrath of God is none other than the accomplished work of Jesus Christ in dying for our sins and rising for our justification. We are prepared for that Day of Judgment not with our own strength but by the promises and strength of God Himself Who continues to work in His holy Church of saints who receive the precious Word and Sacraments as the revealed means God uses to save.