Luke 24: 37-44

More than once I remember.  I came home from a trip late at night.  I had been away a few days.    Karen was asleep.  I came in quiet so I wouldn’t disturb her.  Then the next morning I heard.  I was trying to stay awake for you, but I fell asleep.  She missed my coming in.  No harm done.

But what about Jesus’ advent?  What about Jesus coming?  We don’t want to miss the joy in celebrating his first coming to us as the child of Mary.  So we ready our hearts for that celebration this season.  We remember the darkness which once darkened our hearts and lives , the darkness of sin and death.  We remember the light brought by that Child to shine in our darkness.  That Child come to bear a cross for us all.  How blessed we are to celebrate Jesus first coming at Bethlehem .

But there is another advent, a second advent of our Lord Jesus.  This coming we don’t look back to.  This advent Christians look forward to.  But do we?  Here Jesus was talking to his disciples about that day when the world will see him again.  Jesus is urgent.  It makes me think of someone standing before me and saying some time ago.  He pauses then says: Listen people, this is important.  What is important?

You must be ready for Jesus’ coming
I.    Don’t go with the flow

³⁷ As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹ and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.  We just heard about the days of Noah before God sent the flood on the world.  Remember what was going on?  The world had become a place full of evil and ripe for judgment.  God told Noah to do something that must have seemed very odd.  He was to build a big barge like thing called an ark right out in the middle of dry land.  Well while Noah slowly but surely assembled that ark, the project served to warn the people.  It warned them of what was to come. It warned them of their need to repent and return to the Lord.

But no one paid attention.  No one took to heart what Noah said about his project. Instead they kept doing what they had always done, just like our world today: eating and drinking, looking for bargains on Black Friday, marrying and being given in marriage.  Don’t misunderstand.  There was and is nothing wrong with such things. The problem is so many let themselves be consumed by the things of this life.   It happened in Noah’s day.   It’s happening right now as we get closer to Jesus’ coming.  People going with the flow.    In their unbelief, they did not know.  They refused to know what was coming on the world.  They just kept going with the flow which finally swept them away in a flood.

What about you?  Here we are in the season of Advent, a time to  prepare. Yet there are so many things that come with this holiday season, so many other things we think we just have to do.  What happens?   The spiritual prep easily gets sacrificed.   Don’t go with that flow.  Take the time to do your devotions.  Take the time to read your Bible.  Make worship a priority and pray.   You and I must be ready for Jesus coming.

I’ve never watched this show. Is it still on?  Something about a bachelor who gets to pick the young woman for him.  Finally there’s the scene where he makes his choice.  He gives a rose to one and the rest are left behind.

There’s a big divide there.  On one side is great joy but on the other side is sadness and disappointment.  Yet those ladies left behind without the rose or the bachelor get to move on with their lives.

Not so the day when Jesus comes.  There will also a big divide.  But no moving on.  No second chances.  You must be ready…for Jesus’ coming. One way we do that is this.  Remember.

II. Remember what his coming means.

I once sat down to talk with a lady.  She told me she had been a Lutheran in Minnesota.  I thought that’s great.  We should find a lot in common.   But as we talked I began to realize how different we were in what we believed. She told me that as far as she was concerned everyone is going to be in heaven.  It doesn’t matter.  No one left out.

I could almost hear the devil applauding in the background.  Why do I say that?  The devil would love to have us go right along thinking like those people in Noah’s day  Or  like some who say there is no God and if there is well, everything will be just fine.

There is someone who suffered and died for those folks too.  His name is Jesus and some day we will all see his coming.  He paints a much different picture.   That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

Did you hear what Jesus said.  The other left, left behind.  Don’t misunderstand. Not left behind to finish the work.  Rather left behind to be separated from God, left behind in a place that Jesus describes this way just a few verses from here.  . There will be weeping and gnashing of  teeth (51)

But there’s another side to Jesus’ coming. For those taken. Taken, taken by the Lord, taken to be in his blessed presence. Remember how Jesus said:  I am going to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place I will come back to take you to be with me….

But who will be taken?  Can I know?  How do I know I’ll be taken.  Listen closely to Hebrews 9:28:  Christ will come a second time not to bear sin. but to bring salvation for those who are waiting for him.  That’s what it means to be ready.  It means to be waiting, expecting, looking forward to Jesus coming.

But we can get careless in our waiting.  I remember standing bow lookout on a ship in the middle of a night.  The watch was four hours.  You knew it was important. You knew your shipmates were depending on you.  But it was cold and dark and I was tired.  So every now and then I would catch myself  not really paying attention. Well just imagine if I fell asleep and stopped watching.  Another ship could have crossed our path with no warning.  A terrible collision.

We too need to keep  watching. We must be ready for Jesus’ coming.    I don’t mean sitting up in the middle of the night.  I mean watching in faith for him who won our forgiveness.  I mean waiting for the rescue that Jesus will bring.    I mean:

III. Semper paratus.

Semper paratus?  Semper paratus is the motto of the Coast Guard and no I won’t sing it for you.  But I will tell you what it means.  Always ready. You see, when your mission is search and rescue you don’t have the luxury of saying, I’ll get ready tomorrow.  The call could come at any time.  You needed always to be ready.

It’s the same with us as we look forward to that day.  That trumpet call could sound at any time.  Suddenly the Lord will come.  It will be too late for those not prepared.  So think about Jesus’ words.    ⁴² “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

One last thing.  If you want to be fit, go to the gym.  If you want to be ready for Jesus’ coming ,  go where others are here to help you.  Go where God’s Word and God’s people will encourage you to look forward to that day.   Look forward to Jesus’ coming.  Amen.