For the week of the 1st Sunday in Advent, pastors are welcome to utilize this homily for church members on hospice, adding and subtracting what they desire. A sermon hymn is added if the pastor wishes to sing to the dear saint.
Festival: 1st Sunday in Advent
Text: Matthew 24:36-44
Sermon Hymn: LSB #331 The Advent of Our King
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dearly beloved, our Lord Jesus says, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of Heaven, but My Father only” [v. 36]. These words speak honestly about the uncertainty that surrounds both the end of the world and the end of our earthly life. None of us chooses the moment when our time here is finished. None of us can look at the calendar and predict the hour. That lack of control humbles us. It exposes the truth that our lives are not our own to command. For you, lying here in weakness, this uncertainty is not a surprise. You feel it every day. Hospice is a daily reminder that life is fragile, fleeting, and ultimately in God’s hands.
Jesus continues, reminding us of the days of Noah, how people lived, ate, drank, and planned as though their days would stretch on without interruption [vv. 37-39]. They weren’t wicked because they married or worked or lived their lives, but because they lived in rebellion against God. They believed tomorrow would always come despite their rebellion. But then the Flood arrived, and the illusion of endless tomorrows vanished. These words warn us against the same illusion. They show us no one is immune to the suddenness of the final hour, whether for the world or for our own bodies. As someone on hospice, you understand this better than most. Each day becomes a reminder that our times are not guaranteed, our plans are temporary, and our strength is borrowed.
Yet into this sobering truth, Jesus speaks comfort beyond all measure: “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming” [v. 42]. Notice what He says: your Lord. Not a distant Judge, not an unknown stranger, but your Lord—the One who took on flesh, who carried the cross, who atoned for your sins, who died your death and rose in your place. The One who comes at the hour you do not know is the same One who’s already carried all your sins into His own body and left them in the grave. His coming is not a threat to you but a promise. The world hears warnings in His words; the Christian hears reassurance. You’re not being asked to hold yourself ready by your own strength. You’re being reminded that the One who’s coming for you again is the One who already loves you.
Jesus ends this passage with an image of a thief who comes at an unexpected hour, so you must be ready [vv. 43-44]. [Name], readiness in Jesus’ eyes is not measured by your mobility or your clarity of mind or the strength of your prayers. Readiness is to be found in Him. And you are in Him—baptized into His death, joined to His resurrection, and claimed as His own [Romans 6:3-5]. Even now, as your body grows weaker, Christ’s promise grows stronger. You don’t keep watch alone; He keeps watch over you, for He who watches over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps [Psalm 121:4].
So let your heart rest. The hour is unknown, but the One who meets you in that hour is not. He’s your Lord—the Lord who forgives, saves, and keeps vigil at your bedside, never sleeping. When your final moment comes, it won’t be darkness that greets you, but Christ, the Sun of Righteousness [Malachi 4:2]. He will gather you from this world into the life He’s prepared. You need not fear the unexpected hour, for the One who comes is the One who’s loved you from the beginning and will love you into eternity.
May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
The Lutheran Column 