MATTHEW 13:32-37
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back – whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

Tribulation: trial; suffering; something that causes great suffering; catastrophic event; a problem or difficulty; distress or suffering resulting from oppression or persecution; a trying experience.

In the following pages you will read of much tribulation. People sometimes talk of their tribulation and then stop right there: “Trials? Suffering? Well, grin and bear it, for such is life…” But, looking through the lens of Scripture, tribulation never stands alone. There is always another sentence, one that contains hope. Tribulation is granted its due; it’s a terrible place to be. But it exists in a bigger picture, in the context of hope.

Whether we think of The Great Tribulation or our own personal or family tribulations, the Word of God offers hope. This hope is related specifically to the Coming of Christ and the Return of Christ, both of which are called The Advent of Christ.

It’s only because of that First Advent – not just Jesus’ birth, but especially his life, suffering (tribulation), death and resurrection – that we can look forward to the Second Advent. Take away the mercy of God toward us at the cross and the Second Advent brings not hope, but terror.

When is the Second Advent? Jesus says, “No one knows… but only the Father.” But we must realize that even though that specific point in time is unknowable, it nevertheless is a specific point in time. It is already fixed. It will be the same exact moment for all of us who live. But whether we live to experience it, or whether some of us are called home sooner, this one thing is true for us all: Our tribulation gives way to hope realized. We shall see our Savior face-to-face.

Not knowing how we’ll meet him or when the Second Advent happens, we wait. Maybe we wait in tribulation. How do we wait? Jesus compared it to a man going on a trip. His servants are instructed to be ready, waiting, alert, prepared when the master returns – even if it’s at night, even if it’s a time of darkness, of tribulation. Jesus bookends his warning story with imperatives: “Be on guard! Be alert!... Watch!”

I ask again, how do we wait? We can’t stay awake and alert all the time. Notice in the story that the servant at the door was assigned to keep watch, but the other servants in the household were each assigned their own tasks. Today, we keep watch by faithfully doing what the Lord has called us to do – bringing the good news of Christ to all people, building up the body of believers, exercising the gifts God has given to us individually and corporately. The story raises the question: Can we still do this even if it is a dark time for us or for our family or for our church or for our nation? Will we be awake and ready at his Advent?

So, what’s wrong with sleeping at night? Nothing at all, unless we have allowed the darkness to rob us of the hope that we have in Christ. God give us grace to stay awake!

By Brent Juliot

Rev. Brent Juliot is Editor of Faith & Fellowship Magazine, teaches math at Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, and serves as senior pastor at Stavanger Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls, MN.