St. Mark 4: 21-29

Dec. 10, 2021

21And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?

22For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.

23If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

24And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.

25For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

26And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

27And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.

28For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

29But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

Advent, like Lent, is a time of preparation. In Advent, we’re to be preparing a place for the coming Christ; you could think of it this way – just before we hear the Gospel read in church, we make the sign of the cross on our foreheads, lips, and hearts. This act seals the words of the Gospel in our being – our thoughts, our speech, and the very heart of our being. Our job in Advent is to make sure those places (mind, speech, heart) are dusted and swept clean of those things that don’t align with what Jesus calls us to be.

The verses in today’s reading are about the kingdom of God and seeds growing to maturity so that “… he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” The ‘he’ referred to here is God, of course. Revelation 14:15 tells us, “And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.“

In Advent we prepare now for that ‘harvest’ in the time to come. We are what God will harvest.

Advent; looking forward, looking back.

Advertisement