This week, our clergy encounter the Bible passage that has everyone so worried about the rapture! Peter Walsh, Elizabeth Garnsey, and John Kennedy discuss the shocking scenarios Jesus illustrates, explain how to keep awake and keep hope alive during trying times, and teach how to live as people of God's kingdom.
Questions for Further Discussion:
Themes and Application
1. What does it mean to “live with the end in mind” without becoming fearful or fixated on predictions?
2. One theme is living awake amid distraction, consumer culture, and sleepwalking through life. What are the most common “sleepwalkers” in your week—habits or forces that dull your spiritual awareness?
3. Advent is portrayed as strength-building through hope → peace → joy → love. What spiritual “muscle” feels most in need of attention for you right now?
Personal Reflection
1. When you hear “keep awake,” what emotions come up first—comfort, pressure, curiosity, anxiety, resistance?
2. The clergy discuss endings that arrive unexpectedly—death, loss, doors closing, sudden change. What “unexpected hour” have you lived through, and how did it shape you?
3. John mentions the tension of embarrassment around future-oriented eschatology. Are there parts of Christian belief that you feel hesitant to talk about? Why?
Broader Spiritual Considerations
1. John brings in Augustine’s idea that history is opaque—we can’t read God’s timetable through current events. What are the dangers of assuming our era is uniquely “the end,” and what are the dangers of ignoring real crisis?
2. The podcast holds two truths together: the world is broken, and God keeps coming into it. How do you keep those both alive without collapsing into cynicism or denial?
3. Advent begins by naming chaos, violence, and instability—and yet it’s a season of hope. What does it mean spiritually to begin hopeful waiting in a world that feels unsteady?
Learn more about St. Mark's at https://www.stmarksnewcanaan.org
Want to have your question or comment featured on the podcast? Leave a voicemail on our Rev'd Up hotline! Call (203) 442-5002.
Learn more about St. Mark's at https://www.stmarksnewcanaan.org
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