Immanuel Lutheran Church Weekly Devotion + Monday 29 November 2010

NRSV Matthew 24:44  Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

RSV Romans 13:11-12  Besides this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; the night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

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        The season of Advent is upon us. This season of the church year is eclipsed by Christmas and is lost in the shuffle of our business of getting ready for Christmas. But the message of the season does not take us away from our expectation, of the arrival of our ultimate gift from God - the Christ child, Jesus. During Advent, we await with hope, anticipation and expectation, the arrival of our Messiah. The lesson from Matthew says we are to be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an unexpected hour. In the letter Paul writes to the Romans, he tells us how we should prepare. Paul is telling us salvation is at hand, the light of day will soon dawn. Paul tells us to put on the “armor of light.” So just what is our armor of light?
     Our armor is everything Jesus and Paul calls us to do as followers of the most high God. Jesus and Paul knew and used Hebrew scripture as a guide for moral living. Following the Ten Commandments is a good start in getting armored up. Following the admonition of the prophets and of the Psalms to care for the widow, orphan and resident alien in our midst is added armor we wear. Caring for those who need help, those who are lost in the shuffle of life, those who are on the margins, who are ignored and left behind, those who are hurting - as we care and help them, our armor of light shines. This is what it means to put on Christ. Jesus Christ is our armor of light. We lift up, we build up our community and not ourselves - this is kingdom building - getting ready and prepared for Jesus to come.

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    We pray: O Lord God, we wait with hope and anticipation the return of Jesus. We fall short of your glory, we are your lost sheep. We humbly repent and seek your forgiveness, your mercy, your steadfast love. Help us to be prepared for the coming of your son, who lives and dwells among us. Help us to recognize your message he gives to us of your love and life eternal in your kingdom. In your Holy Name we pray. Amen.