Wednesday, December 8 – ADVENT THREE
“Be dressed for
action and have your lamps lit…”
(Luke 12:38, New Revised Standard Version)
You don’t get ready to bake a Christmas cake and not prepare by making
sure that you have all the ingredients you need beforehand.
You don’t get ready to go on a
long trip and not prepare what you will need to pack and take with you.
You don’t get ready to do your
Christmas shopping and not prepare to do it before December 25th.
(Although my Dad was an expert on getting Mom’s gift on December 24th
and he always nailed it.)
If one wants to be ready for something,
it usually pays off to prepare in advance for it to be a successful venture. I have
never been much of a list maker, but these days I will make lists so as not to
forget something.
Jesus tells many a story about
the need to be prepared and ready as a follower of Jesus. We may not know exactly
when he will need us but we need to be ready, prepared and set to go once he calls
upon us. Yes, there is a cue here regarding his Second Coming but there are
also the expectations of what we need to be doing here and now. “Be dressed
for action and have your lamps lit.”
Jesus had a wry sense of humour which
showed up in his parables. I imagine that people were smiling as he told his parable
of the ten bridesmaids (Matthew 25:1-13). Five were foolish and five were wise.
The wedding was late in getting started and the five foolish bridesmaids had not
brought enough oil with them to get them through the night. The smart ones had.
Smiling to ourselves, we all know people like them both; maybe we are one of them.
Some are of are always late, always
leaving things to the last minute, always procrastinating, always putting
things off until it’s too late. Others of us don’t move unless we are sure we have
everything we need, keep meticulous lists and spreadsheets, planning ahead for
just about any contingency. Amusing, isn’t it?
Then comes the punch line - a wry but pointed twist. When the groom was
arriving, the foolish ones had to go buy some more oil and when they got back
to the wedding, the doors were shut and they couldn’t get in. The “joke” is on
us or some of us. We get left out of the party. Our intentions may have been good,
but while we are out, last-minute shopping, the party has already started.
Perhaps this parable inspired Jesus’ words in Luke, too. “Keep your
shirts on; keep the lights on! Be like house servants waiting for their master
to come back from his honeymoon, awake and ready to open the door when he
arrives and knocks. Lucky the servants whom the master finds on watch! He’ll
put on an apron, sit them at the table, and serve them a meal, sharing his
wedding feast with them. It doesn’t matter what time of the night he arrives;
they’re awake—and so blessed!” (Luke 12: 35-38, The Message Bible)
Our Christian service is expressed in our readiness to serve Christ as
soon as we may be needed. We stay alert for the opportunities and occasions when
we will need to be prepared to show his love and compassion when the moment
arrives. There are no excuses not to be ready. We need to be dressed and prepared
for action – right now. Today. Maybe right this moment, there is some need,
some help, some work which is right under our noses and only you or I can stand
up and serve Christ by paying attention to that need as soon as possible. Love
and compassion shouldn’t be put off or delayed for another day.
“But friends, you’re not in the dark, so how could you be taken off
guard by any of this? You’re sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under
wide open skies and know where we stand. So let’s not sleepwalk through life
like those others. Let’s keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night
and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we’re creatures of Day, let’s act
like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the
hope of salvation.” (1
Thessalonians 5: 4 – 8, The Message Bible)
Get ready! Get set! Go!
Dale
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