The End of Days at the Beginning of the New Year

This week is the first Sunday of Advent so Julia and Josh take us into Matthew 24:36-44. They reflect on the way it seems odd to begin a new lectionary calendar with a passage that seems to be talking about the end. Julia talks about the cyclical nature of the rise and fall of empires and societies. Josh talks about how for every beginning or new thing, an old thing has to end. They both find hope in that while this passage talks about the end, it also makes way for a new beginning. 

 

• Julia Nielsen is the executive organizer of the Leaven Land and Housing Coalition in Portland, Oregon.
• Josh Kingsley is Pastor at King of Kings Lutheran Church in Milwaukie, Oregon.