THE SECOND COMING

Lectionary passage: Luke 12:35-40 (NRSV) -  "Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; 36 be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. 39 "But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."

Greek icon of Second Coming, c. 1700
(Wikipedia)

About the parousia we                                              
do not know how or when,
but Christ has given us his word
that he will come again.

Be dressed for action with lamps lit.
Live in the Spirit’s power.
The Son of Man is coming at
an unexpected hour.

We don’t know when the Lord will come;
  it may be soon or late.
The Master wants his servants to
be ready while they wait.

And since the Second Coming may
be not too soon but late,
the Lord expects his servants to
be faithful while they wait.