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Today is the first Sunday of Advent. And today’s Gospel reading may sound disturbing to some.

Jesus said, “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. . . .”

This is not what one expects to hear in church when, in Nordstrom, happy shoppers browse in the atmosphere of Christmas jingles and holiday cheer.

The readings we use on Sunday mornings come from the Lectionary found in the Book of Common Prayer. A lectionary is a schedule of readings to be used in worship.

One reason to remain faithful to a lectionary discipline is that the lectionary directs our thoughts in the way of God’s purposes that do not always coincide with the push of popular culture.

Contemporary interests can distract us from the larger context of the human experience. To hear a surprising reading from the lectionary may cause us to stop and lift our eyes up and away from the short-lived affair to the eternal moment that endures.

The Advent Season reminds us of what is probably the most common of spiritual experiences, that of human longing. The human heart reaches forward continually to the something more that seems to lie always beyond our reach. This longing is heightened during times of chaos, conflict and war.

When nations are distressed, where people faint from fear and foreboding, when even the powers of heaven are shaken, human hearts cry out. And yet, it doesn’t take cosmic chaos to awaken the human heart.

Individuals experience personal disruptions in the secret places of their souls from time to time that cause them to faint from fear and foreboding. In the midst of a holiday season when others appear so full of cheer, a personal crisis feels particularly injurious. The heart cries out.

And then, even when all goes well, when the cosmos is well-ordered, and when the personal moment is quiet, there remains a muted yearning of the human heart. Although it may not cry out, nevertheless it longs for something more.

Advent Season gives us permission to acknowledge the yearning of the human heart. A disturbing lection -- people will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world – is enough to remind us all that in all things and at all times, we dream of the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. We dream of that moment when our redemption draws near and the longing of our heart fi nds its rest in him.