Advent resources to share with your worship community for use at home through the week

Keep watching,’ said Jesus. ‘Nobody knows when the Son of Man will come back to earth. Not even the angels, or the Son. The Father knows, though, and he will send clues.

‘Keep watching. There will be days of suffering; after that the sun will be darkened; the moon will stop shining; stars will fall and the powers in heaven will be shaken. Then the Son of Man will come in the clouds. He’ll gather his chosen people from everywhere on earth.

‘Keep watching,’ Jesus said. ‘I’m telling you all this so you’ll be ready. When you see new shoots growing on the trees, you know summer is coming. When you see the things I’ve described, you’ll know that the Son of Man is coming. Heaven and earth will come to an end, but my words will last for ever.

‘Keep watching. Be ready. Imagine a man going on a trip and leaving his servants in charge of his house. They don’t know when he’s coming back, but they know when he gets home he’ll want something to eat and expect the house to be in order. The doorkeeper will have to stay awake because the man may return in the evening, or at midnight, or when the cock crows in the morning. If the servants doze off, he’ll come home and find them asleep.

‘That’s why I say keep watching,’ Jesus repeated. ‘Keep awake.’