Predictions are pointless, Jesus tells his disciples. What they wanted to know, he says, neither angels nor even the Son could tell them. Upon their first hearing, these words of Jesus may whistle by, their sharp edge of warning falling on the dull side of awareness. In our attempts to manage the unknown, we miss the unexpectedness of the Son of Man’s coming.

Jesus’ coming to us is beyond our attempts to manage, exempt from schedules, and unaffected by our pleas.

Yet, we are still prompted to be ready for the unknown. How can that puzzle be solved? Only fools and charlatans compute the hours that even angels cannot assign. The answer to the divine riddle will not be revealed by asking “When?” Perhaps the question is “How?” Or, better yet, we may begin with “Where?” The rough and ragged chill of a Bethlehem stable is a good place to begin . . . a clue for the mystery ahead.

Excerpt from sundaysandseasons.com. Copyright © 2019 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.