Be Ready

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Scripture: Luke 12:35-38 (NRSV)

35 “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; 36 be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

Devotion:

            Being ready. There are many things that we get ready for in life. For example, your first date, the first time you get to drive the family car all by yourself. Your first day of school. Your wedding day. This is the kind of first thing common to all humans everywhere.

            Jesus is not saying that his believers never get to sleep at all. That is not what he means when he says to be constantly ready. Rather he is telling his servants to be ready when he returns again. All through Jesus ministry he likens himself to a bridegroom who will return when his followers leas expect it. Will any be ready for his return? The Lord seems to predict that there will be some ready for his return and what joy for those servants who he finds ready for his coming.

            Woe be those he does not find ready for his return. They will be punished and shamed before the Lord. All the good things he promises for the servants who are ready for his return will be taken away from those servants who are not ready for his return in glory

            So how to be ready when Jesus come knocking on the door? First, be dressed and ready for action. It is important to be dressed appropriately for the activity in which one is to be engaged. For example, my daughter-in-law just competed in a triathlon to celebrate one year since giving birth to my grandson. She dressed appropriately for the competition. In Roman culture at the time of Jesus men wore long robes. Nice to look at but lousy for performing any kind of labor. Therefore, they tucked the robes into their belts when they had work to do. Such as in the parable above.

            Today, being ready for Jesus’s return will be awake and ready to follow his commands at once. Our whole being must be ready to follow Jesus, body, mind, and spirit. We must be people of prayer and full of good deeds toward those around us. We must learn to obey Christ’s every command so that we can be effective soldiers in the war that will come upon us.

Prayer:

            Lord Jesus ready us to fight the battle laid out before us. Help us to be brave and courageous in the battle. Ready to sacrifice everything for your cause dear Lord. Raise up more soldiers for your battle. May we be willing to do whatever needs to be done to assure your victory. Amen.

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