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Matthew 24:36-44
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• Reading the Text:
  • NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
  • Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
  • The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
  • The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
  • The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary & sermons.
• Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
  • The Five Gospels Parallels, John W. Marshall, University of Toronto.
  • Comparative texts about New Covenant Eschatology and Apocalyptic Speculation from  Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, Targum, proto-Kabbala, Mishnah, Babylonian Talmud, and Midrash. At Rutgers University, Mahlon H. Smith's Into His Own: Perspective on the World of Jesus.
  • "Knowing the Danger (Thief in the Night)," "The Unknown Time," "Within This Generation," The Jesus Database, an online annotated inventory of the traditions concerning the life and teachings of Jesus. Dr. Gregory C. Jenks, FaithFutures Foundation.
  • IV.XXXVI.3, V.X.1, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
  • III.6, V.14, Stromata, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
  • Chapter XXVI, Against Praxeas, Tertullian (c. 213)
  • Part 56, On the Incarnation of the Word, Athanasius of Alexandria, c. 318.
  • From the Catena Aurea, Patristic Commentary by St Thomas Aquinas.
  • From the Geneva Notes.
    • "It is sufficient for us to know that God has appointed a latter day for the restoring of all things; but when it will be is hidden from us all for our sake, so that we may be all the more watchful, so that we are not taken as those were taken in the flood years ago."
  • From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
    • "To watch for Christ's coming, is to maintain that temper of mind which we would be willing that our Lord should find us in."
  • Section VIII, Evidences of the Christian Religion, Joseph Addison,
  • From Wesley's Notes.
    • "Our Lord speaks as having the whole transaction present before his eyes."
  • From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
  • From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
    • "The duty enjoined is not to watch for Christ, but to watch ourselves to see that we are ready."
• Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
  • Commentary, Ron Allen, Matthew 24:36-44, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2016.
    • "Today's congregation is sometimes perplexed as to why the Gospel reading for the First Sunday of Advent focuses on the second coming."
  • Pulpit Fiction, plus podcast. Reflections of lectionary text, pop culture, current events, etc. Robb Mc Coy and Eric Fistler, 2016.
  • "Watchful," Melissa Bane Sevier, Contemplative Viewfinder, 2016.
  • Commentary, Matthew 24:36-44 | Jason Robertson | Professor, Olivet Nazarene University | A Plain Account, 2016.
    • "Just as a physical vertigo leads one to grasp for anything that feels like a solid foundation, this cultural vertigo has left the church doing the same. As students we were challenged to think through the different foundations onto which people were grasping in an attempt to reorient their space."
  • The Center for Excellence in Preaching, resources from Calvin Theological Seminary: Comments & Observations, Textual Points, Illustration Ideas, 2016.
  • "Ready or Not, Here I Come," Glenn Monson, Law & Gospel Everywhere, 2016.
  • Exegesis, Advent A1, Timothy P. Schehr, Mount St Mary's Seminary, 2016.
  • Commentary, Arland J. Hultgren, Matthew 24:36-44, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2013.
    • "The hope we have is not personal only, and it certainly is not simply private. It is a communal hope."
  • "A Sure and Certain Promise," David Lose, Dear Working Preacher, 2013.
    • "As the days grow shorter and the darkness grows, we light Advent candles each week to remind us that we do not face the darkness alone but that, indeed, the light of the world has come, shining on in the darkness to illumine our lives and lead us forth not in fear but courage…and even joy."
  • "Like a Flood; Or a Thief; Or Both," D. Mark Davis, Left Behind and Loving It, 2013.
    • "Talking about the parousia is like a secret handshake among theologians and bible scholars, whereby we can talk about the 'coming of Christ' without sounding like those big-haired kooks on television.."
  • "Make Your Own Snow Globe," Alyce M McKenzie, Edgy Exegesis, 2013.
    • "This week's text challenges us with the question: What does the plaque read on the snow globe of your life this Advent?"
  • Pulpit Fiction, plus podcast. Reflections of lectionary text, pop culture, current events, etc. Robb Mc Coy and Eric Fistler, 2013.
  • "Last Days," Janet H. Hunt, Dancing with the Word, 2013.
    • "How does this 'warning' make a difference for how you live your life? Where and how have you already learned this lesson? What has that meant for you?"
  • "Advent," sermon discussion from Frederick Buechner, Frederick Buechner Blog.
    • "The extraordinary thing that is about to happen is matched only by the extraordinary moment just before it happens. Advent is the name of that moment."
  • "Let's All Get Left Behind," Danielle Shroyer, The Hardest Question, 2013.
    • "Where do you think you're going?"
  • "Like a Thief," Rick Morley, 2013.
  • "Meet the Coming Christ," Andrew Prior, 2013.
  • Comentario del San Mateo 24:36-44, Pablo R. Andinach, Working Preacher, 2013.
  • Commentary, Ben Witherington, Matthew 24:36-44, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2010.
    • "...God reveals enough about the future to give us hope, but not so much that we do not have to live and walk by faith day after day."
  • Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Advent 1A, Chris Haslam, Diocese of Montreal.
  • "First Thoughts on Year A Gospel Passages in the Lectionary: Advent 1," William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
    • "The watching is a dramatic way of speaking about God-connectedness...It is about developing an awareness of what the God of the future is saying and doing in the present, to take a God perspective on the issues of the day and the future and to let that happen at all levels of our reality, from our personal lives to our international community, including our co-reality in creation."
    • See also: The Gospel of Matthew: An Introduction for Preachers, by Dr. William R.G. Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
  • Holy Textures, David Ewart, 2010.
    • "This is what Advent is. In anticipation of Jesus arriving, we practice now how we expect to live then."
  • "The Undomesticated God," David Lose, Dear Working Preacher, 2010.
    • "Thank you for proclaiming the wild grace of this frighteningly merciful God, Working Preacher. Because sometimes I need to be startled out of the comfortable daydream in which I have unintentionally trapped the biblical God."
  • The Need to Watch, audio telling, story in episodes, graphic, audio and written commentaries. Go Tell Communications, Biblical Storytelling for the Global Village, 2010.
  • "The Fear of Abandonment," Alyce McKenzie, Patheos, 2010.
    • "We should fear, not God's abandonment, but our not being alert and ready, not living in expectation of the return of the Son of Man. We should fear the possibility that we might abandon God."
  • Exegetical Notes by Brian Stoffregen at CrossMarks Christian Resources.
    • "As congregations may be looking at their budgets, we might ask, 'How are we being faithful and wise in caring for others while waiting for Christ's return?'"
  • Lectionary Blogging, John Petty, Progressive Involvement, 2010.
    • "He's not going to come with trumpets blaring, in other words.  If he did that, we'd protect ourselves.  He's going to come when he's least expected, when our guard is down, and he's going to come quietly, with stealth and subtlety."
  • Waiting on the Felonies of Jesus, Russell Rathbun, The Hardest Question, 2010.
    • "Can we keep preaching these texts, year after year, and expect people to believe he is coming?"
  • Evangelio, San Mateo 24:36-44, Osvaldo Vena, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2010.
    • "El objetivo de este pasaje es apaciguar las especulaciones escatológicas sobre el tiempo del fin, incentivadas por 24:26-35, pero a la misma vez exhortar a la comunidad a estar preparada, pues nadie sabe el día y la hora de la venida del Hijo del hombre."
  • Commentary, Matthew 24:36-44, James Boyce, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2007.
  • Dylan's Lectionary Blog, Advent 1A, 2004. (Episcopal Lectionary) Biblical Scholar Sarah Dylan Breuer looks at readings for the coming Sunday in the lectionary of the Episcopal Church.
    • "The Ruthless Masters do NOT have the last word; Jesus does. The completion of Jesus' vision for the world, in which 'the least of these' and those who worked for justice for them are finally vindicated, is coming!"
  • "Eschatological Discourse," Gospel Analysis, Sermons from Seattle, Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington. Detailed background and exegesis.
  • "The Element of Surprise," Mary Hinkle, Pilgrim Preaching.
    • "Maybe the surprise, when Christ returns, will be that he was here all along. Maybe the surprise will be that, ahead of time himself, he has been calling, gathering, enlightening and sanctifying the meek and all the rest of those who bear his name."
  • "First Sunday in Advent: Matthew 24:37-44 or Matthew 21:1-11," The Matthean Advent Gospels, James Arne Nestingen, Word & World: Theology for Christian Ministry, Luther Northwestern Theological School, 1992.
    • "Forgiveness of sin is not merely therapeutic accommodation to the inevitable disappointments of a selfhood running out of control, it is the current form of the resurrection, opening both self and community tot he freedom of life lived beyond condemnation, in grace."
  • Matthew in the Margins, by Brian McGowan, Anglican priest in Western Australia.
  • Wellspring of the Gospel, Advent 1A, Catherine McElhinney and Kathryn Turner, Weekly Wellsprings.
    • "If the Son of Man appeared while I was busy at work - would I be prepared to drop everything and go to Him?"
  • "Watch!" Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies & Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources.
  • "Matthew in Minneapolis and in Israel," Sarah Henrich, Word & World, 1999.
  • "Waiting Joyfully," Advent 1, Fr. Gerry Pierse, C.Ss.R., from Sundays Into Silence: Reflections on the Sunday Gospels in the Light of Christian Meditation. Claretian Publications.
    • "Meditation is a way of being alert and ready for the Lord."
  • "Gospel for the First Sunday in Advent: Matthew 24:36-44," from Exegesis for the Christian Year, Henry Gustafson, 1998. At Religion Online.
    • "Believing that the future as well as the present belong to God, the minister of these Advent texts might find it well to listen to Hans Kung’s admonition: to take care lest she preach judgment too loudly and insistently before the small and defenseless and too softly and half-heartedly before the powerful of this world."
  • "The Big Surprise," Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Catholic Resource for This Sunday's Gospel. Adult Study, Children's Story, Family Activity, Support Materials.
    • "What recent turn of events has taken you by surprise? Why were you caught off guard?"
  • Environmental & earth-centered reflections from the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota Environmental Stewardship Commission.
  • "Olivet Discourse," wikipedia.
• Recommended articles from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are linked below. ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices. Annotated list of "starting place" articles at ATLAS for this week's texts (includes direct links).
  • Alison, James, "Punctured," The Christian Century, 2007.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Burghardt, "Advent: Remember, Repent, Rehearse," The Living Pulpit, 1997.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Cousar, Charles B., "Disruptive Hope: New Testament Texts for Advent," Journal for Preachers, 2001.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Henrich, Sarah, "Matthew in Minneapolis and in Israel," Word & World, 1999.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • "Homiletical Helps," Concordia Journal, 2010. (Section on this text begins on page 361)
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Johnson, Stephen C., "The 'Future' of Preaching: Apocalyptic Eschatology and Christian Proclamation," Restoration Quarterly, 2007.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Long, Kimberly Bracken, "Holy Waiting," Journal for Preachers, 2005. Sermon.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Long, Thomas G., "Imagine There's No Heaven: The Loss of Eschatology in American Preaching," Journal for Preachers, 2006.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Lowry, James, "A Christmas Memory: A Christmas Hope," Journal for Preachers, 1999. Sermon.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Nestingen, James Arne, "The Matthean Advent Gospels," Word & World, 1992.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Pettegrew, Larry D., "Interpretive Flaws in the Olivet Discourse," Master's Seminary Journal, 2002.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Richter, Kimberly Clayton, "The Advent Texts: Glorious Visions, Dogged Discipleship," Journal for Preachers, 2004.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Toussaint, Stanley D., "A Critique of the Preterist View of the Olivet Discourse," Bibliotheca Sacra, 2004.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Van Reken, Calvin P., "As in the Days of Noah: A Sermon on Matthew 24:37," Calvin Theological Journal, 2008.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Varner, William C., "The Didache 'Apocalypse' and Matthew 24," Bibliotheca Sacra, 2008.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Wardlaw, Theodore J., "Preaching the Advent Texts," Journal for Preachers, 2007.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
• Sermons:
  • "Ethics and Eschatology," Theodore J. Wardlaw, President, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 2004. Covenant Network of Presbyterians.
  • "It's Coming!" 2 December 2007, Walter W. Harms, Göttinger Predigten im Internet: Every Sunday Sermons based on the RCL by a team of Lutheran theologians/ pastors.
  • "Expect the Unexpected," 28 November 2004, Hugh Beck, Göttinger Predigten im Internet: Every Sunday Sermons based on the RCL by a team of Lutheran theologians/ pastors.
  • "Suddenly," "Wake Up! Don't Fall Asleep!" Rev. Edward F. Markquart, Sermons from Seattle.
  • Father Andrew M. Greeley, "Priest, Author, Sociologist," Commentary and Homily
    • Advent 1, 2010
    • Advent 1, 2007
    • Advent 1, 2004
    • Advent 1, 2001
    • Advent 1, 1998
    • Advent 1, 1995
• With Children:
  • "Storypath Lectionary Links: Connecting Children's Literature with our Faith Story," December 1, 2013, Union Presbyterian Seminary. Connections: Matthew 24:36-44 and Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson. 2010.
  • Worshiping with Children, Advent 1A, Including children in the congregation's worship, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Carolyn C. Brown, 2013. 2010.
  • Anna's Hosannas, Children's Lesson for Advent 1A, 2010.
  • "No One Knows the Day or the Hour of Jesus' Coming," Sunday School Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc.
  • "Coming Suddenly," Jim Kerlin, childrensermons.com.
• Drama:
  • "A New Heaven and Earth," from A Certain Jesus by Jose Ignacio and Maria Lopez Vigil. Ideal for catechetical and liturgical dramatization of today's gospel. Claretian Publications.
• Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
  • Clip Art, Matthew 24:43, Fr. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators.
  • Clip Art Images: Matthew 24:36-44, Misioneros Del Sagrado Corazón en el Perú.
  • Matthew 24:36-44 at Cerezo Barredo's weekly gospel illustration. Liberation emphasis.
• Hymns and Music:
  • "No One Knows the Day or Hour," Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, Tune: IRBY 8.7.8.7.7.7 ("Once in Royal David's City")
  • "There Is a Mighty Question," Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, Tune: ANGEL'S STORY 7.6.7.6 D ("O Jesus, I Have Promised").
  • 'God, You Alone Know What You've Planned," Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, Tune: CAROL 8.6.8.6 D ("It Came Upon the Midnight Clear").
  • Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
  • Hymns with Scripture Allusions: Matthew 24:42-44. The Cyber Hymnal.
  • Hymn Selections, The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship.
  • At Digital Hymnal (midi files, guitar chords, karaoke files, projection text):
    • "Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine!"
• Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
• Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
• Study Links and Resources for the Book of Matthew

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