Last Sunday Jesus told the repentant thief: "Today you will be with me in Paradise." Today’s lesson we are told to be ready: "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
The domain of time belongs to the sovereignty of God. Who are we to question or judge? That does not mean we don’t have expectations or we don’t anticipate Jesus’ coming. But during the season of Advent the question of when and how Jesus returns is on our minds. Therefore be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
Do not look to me to be the model of the Boy Scout motto - Be prepared. I have a tendency to put off until the last moment; I have a tendency to get distracted; I have a tendency to avoid my duties and I procrastinate. Every once and while I am able to get ahead of the curve and wrap up a responsibility or assignment ahead of time. But it takes a lot of intentionality on my part to do this.
So how do we live intentionally? How are we to be ready for Jesus’ return? Our Gospel lesson does not offer any proactive ways for us to live. It basically says don’t be surprised if you are working with someone and one of them is taken away and the other is left. We are not told who is better off - the taken away or the one left; or what happens to either of them. We are told: "Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming."
Paul gives us some instruction in his letter to the Romans: "Let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy." In this epistle we know what not to do and Paul tells us what to do: "Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ."
Paul calls these newly minted Christians to live honorably, to put on Christ. Paul in his letters, never really tells us about Jesus, so how does this translate to the Gentiles? Greco-Roman society did hold morality and social order in high esteem. They also could live rather depraved lives at times. The more things change, the more they stay the same. As contemporary Americans, we seek to have an orderly society, we have high moral expectations. But all you have to do is read a newspaper and realize just how far we are from such ideals. Paul uses the Hebrew scriptures a lot in his teaching and preaching. He is knowledgeable and familiar with Hebrew Scripture. Christian morality has its genesis in Hebrew scripture. Jesus preached and taught from it as well. If you want to put on the armor of Light - just look to the Ten Commandments as a starting point. Paul wants us to live as an uplifted community; a community working for the coming of the Kingdom of God. This is how we prepare, this is how we are ready for Jesus return.
There is a bumper sticker that says: Jesus is coming - Look busy. Yes, Jesus is coming. But rather than be engaged in busy work, it is just as easy to be engaged in uplifting work, productive work, kingdom building work. Such work is not busy work, it is the work Paul and Jesus calls us to do - care for each other, build each other up, proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in our lives. This is how we put on the armor of Light, this is how we wear the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes we wait for Jesus to come, we wait with hope, promise and anticipation. Jesus is coming, let us prepare, put on your armor and shine. Amen.
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