The Already/Not Yet

We’re taking a break from our series in 1 & 2 Peter to join millions of our sisters and brothers in the faith in celebrating the Advent Season — something the Church has done for centuries. Advent comes from the Latin word adventus which comes from the Greek word parousia. Parousia in the Scripture references Christ’s second coming (cf. Matthew 24:3, 27, 37, 39; 1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:1,8,9; James 5:7,8; 2 Peter 1:16; 3:4,12; 1 John 2:28). This is why — to many evangelical protestants surprise — the Church has always celebrated Advent with a dual focus on both the celebration of Christ’s first Advent and the anticipation of his second.

This Sunday we focused on the duality of an Already/Not Yet Kingdom that we read about in Isaiah 11:1-9. This Peaceable Kingdom comes under the reign and rule of Jesus. Why, then, does it seem that this Peaceable Kingdom is nowhere to be found? Why, if Christ has defeated sin, death, and evil through his own life, death, and resurrection do we still see the effects of sin, death, and evil?

These are the questions we tried to tackle in this week’s Sunday Gathering. Give the sermon, ‘The Already/Not Yet,’ a listen and we hope to see you this week at a Family Meal and/or a DNA group to dive even deeper.