The Second Sunday in Advent – Pr. Anderson sermon
St. Luke 21:25-36 “Straighten Up, Raise Your Heads, Your Redemption Draws Near”
December 7, 2025 | Christ Lutheran Church
In Nomine Iesu
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Lord God, heavenly Father, by Your Son You have revealed to us that heaven and earth shall pass away, that our bodies shall rise again, and that we all shall appear before the judgment seat: We beseech You to keep us in Your Word by Your Holy Spirit; establish us in the true faith, graciously defend us from sin and preserve us in all temptations, that our hearts may not be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, but that we may ever watch and pray and, trusting fully in Your grace, await with joy the glorious coming of Your Son, and at last obtain eternal salvation; through the same, Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one true God, now and forever. Amen. (Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, by Veit Dietrich, p. 147)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Rom. 1:7, etc.)
The sermon text for today is taken from the 21st chapter of the Gospel according to St. Luke. We read selected verses in Jesus’ name:
[Jesus said:] “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
These are Your words, heavenly Father. Sanctify us by Your truth, Your Word is truth. Amen. (Joh. 17:17)
In Christ Jesus, who tells us to watch for Him because we do not know the day or the hour, who teaches us the signs and gives us comfort as He tells us to not be afraid, dear fellow redeemed:
Have you ever watched those videos that have the eerie music as it reveals how big the waves can be out in the ocean. You have people filming on a barge and the ocean waves break over the bow of the ship. You have guys filming up on top of an oil rig filming the waves and open ocean below them. My father, who served in the Navy for five years, said when the waves broke the bow of the aircraft carrier, you knew that it was bad. It is videos like that where I wonder if I would ever want to go out on a cruise on the open ocean. Well, we know that there are plenty of natural dangers all around us, even on dry land, and as the end draws near, we will continue to see these dangers. Jesus says, “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” There will be great movement with the natural forces of the earth as it dies, and there is no reason to fear it. In the same breath Jesus says, straighten up, raise your heads, your redemption draws near.
You might be asking the question, is it possible to be this calm when the end comes? We live in an age where many are already worked up by what is happening. Even now, we are in a drought, and the mountains need snow, is this the sign of the end? As history has been recorded, there have been natural disasters. In 79 AD, a little after Jesus’ time, Mount Vesuvius famously erupted, burying the city of Pompeii. Natural disasters are nothing new. As they come through in their various forms, it is easy for us to wonder if this is it, is the end almost here? From ancient days until now however, it is easy to forget about a covenant that God made to His people. When this covenant was made, the world was already caked in sin. It was so full of it, a supernatural disaster took place and everyone but eight people were claimed by the disaster in death. When that disaster was over, the eight people who stepped off the ark were told by God, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). God continues to use natural forces to keep everything in place and they will only end when “The End” is here.
The End is going to arrive, eventually. Jesus was telling the people around Him all about it. The temple was going to be destroyed, wars and rumors of wars would happen, the holy city would be destroyed, and then seeing all this done, the Son of Man will come. The disciples witnessed all of this, so the Son of Man was on His way, right? They wrote the Gospels, some wrote the epistles, and John wrote Revelation. They prayed that Jesus would come soon as they watched all these disasters of the end times. It certainly was viewed that Jesus was going to come at any moment. For those who didn’t have this hope, they were only seeing despair all around them. For the disciples and those who believed, listening to Jesus is why they have hope. They knew even as everything was falling around them, it would end. “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” What an ending it will be! And after two thousand years, we continue to wait.
As we wait, Satan is craftily trying to get us to fall into these worries of the world. Jesus tries to warn us. He says, “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.” Due to our own stubbornness, we can also fall into the traps ourselves. What will happen when the famine, pestilence, and wars hit close to home? So, we can put our confidence in the powerful people of the world. Or we try to find help and comfort in worldly things that cannot save us. The temptations of the world will not go away quietly; the world shows us how noisy it is. It wants us to tune out the signs and the promises that Jesus has given us. It wants to distract us from what really matters and get us to focus on what is passing away.
As we get ready to celebrate and rejoice in the first coming of Christ, we also look forward to what is to come because Christ will come again in glory to take us to our heavenly home for all eternity! This terrible evil world will come to an end, and we won’t have to stay in it. Because God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth give way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, through its waters roar and foam, through the mountains tremble at its swelling (Psalm 46:1-3). Christ takes away our fears of what is to come because He is Lord over all creation. To then be Lord over even death itself and to have all raise their heads, He died on the cross, so we don’t have to suffer the pains of hell. He will call us to our eternal home. Knowing where our protection and home truly is, as we wait and experience the natural disasters, “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Advent is the season of drawing near and looking ahead. We see how Christ came humbly into the world, yet, we “will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” We needed him to come the first time because we needed a Savior for our sins. Jesus redeemed us from our sins of worrying. He takes away our sins that have distracted us from His coming. He gives us comfort that his Word will never pass away. This is the message of the Gospel, what Christ has done for us. When we fail and get worried about our future, Jesus gives us comfort that He has not left us and that He is coming soon.
Christians also look ahead to when Christ comes to us in the Means of Grace. This is Christ giving you the assurance that He is trustworthy. Every week you hear the Word preached, the blessing of the Gospel of Christ in his Word. There is so much comfort in the Word of God. It tells you how Jesus redeemed you. You are a sinner who could not save yourself, and the Son of God took on flesh to sacrifice Himself for you. He died in your place, so that your sin and death would be overcome forever. He gives you these blessings of His redemption in the mysteries of Holy Communion. You look forward to this sacrament because here is the true body and blood of your Savior given to you for the forgiveness of your sins. This is the assurance that you have forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation because of what Christ has done for you.
Verse 27 and 28 again say, “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” This is a glory that you will not have to fear. You can rest assured that when Christ comes on the last day you will rejoice in His return. There will be no pain or suffering. All the trials and temptations of this world will be gone. Your tears will be gone. Your bodies will be glorified where Christ is the light of the world. This is the comfort that you have in His message. Jesus is telling you that believers will not have to worry. This is your eternal reward. Your heads will be raised high and your fulfilled redemption will finally arrive as Jesus’ kingdom will have no end.
It is unknown how much longer the wait will be for this glorious return and perfect kingdom. As the storms gather and the waves churn, Christ keeps the focus on Him. This is where your focus needs to be. He wants you prepared for His second coming because you don’t know when it will come. If you allow yourselves to get swamped, you can forget the date entirely. Christ keeps you sure of what is to come. Though life will get difficult, Christ is your comfort because of what He has done. Because of Jesus’ first coming, you can rejoice when the second coming is here. The world will try to distract you from Christ. It will try to convince you that His Words have no meaning. Jesus however says, “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Amen.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, forevermore. Amen.
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