Matthew 24:36-44 — To be ready for the Lord’s Great Day is a “must.” Not to be ready is to be lost just as the people in Noah’s day were not ready with boats for the flood. Jesus is not waiting for us to be ready. Whether we are ready or not, He is coming. Not to be ready spells eternal disaster. What does it mean to be “ready”? To be ready for the end is to live daily in a state of grace. If we are always reconciled to God by faith in Christ, it does not matter when Christ will return.
Remember back to your childhood when you played, “Hide
and Seek.” When he finished his count, the child called, “Ready or not, here I come!” The truth behind the game is the same
as our reading for this Sunday’s Gospel. As the count-down, which no one knows,
Jesus is returning and woe to those who are not ready! Jesus says to us, “Ready or not, here I come!”
There is certainty of his coming. Jesus says, “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the
coming of the Son of Man. For as in
those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving
in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware
until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son
of Man.” Vv. 37-39 And yes, he will
come, whether we are ready or not. “Therefore
you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not
expect.” V. 44[1]
Collect for the first Sunday in
Advent: Stir
up Your power, O lord and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from
the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance; for
You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and
forever. Amen[2]
-25 November 2022
[1] Lectionary Preaching Workbook Series A, John Brokhoff © 1980 CSS Publishing, Lima OH
[2] Collect for the First Sunday in Advent, Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
Advent image copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
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