Scripture: Luke 12:35-40
Journal: What is the difference between getting ready and being ready? What does it look like to be ready for
Christ’s return? How is God inviting you
to live in readiness during this season?
What does that look like?
Reflection:
Ready [red-ee]: completely prepared or in fit
condition for immediate action or use; in such a condition as to be imminent,
likely at any moment.
In Luke 12:35-40, Jesus urges
his followers to be ready for his coming, like men waiting for their master
to return from a wedding banquet. This
readiness involves watching and waiting and keeping our lamps burning. It involves staying dressed and ready for
action. The time for action has not yet
arrived, but once it does we must be prepared for it.
And notice, he does say get
ready, but be ready—there’s a big difference. Getting ready involves a lot of
activity, but being ready involves a state of mind and heart and soul
that is always prepared for Jesus to come.
Being ready means we have already done the hard work of getting
ready and now we must simply stay on our toes, awake and alert and attentive. Being ready is a continual state of
preparedness for immediate action.
When the children of Israel
were being led by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night,
they had to live their lives in a certain way.
They had to always be awake and attentive and alert and prepare for the
movement of God, lest they get left behind whenever he decided it was time to
go. They had to eat and sleep and watch
and wait, all the while being dressed and ready.
Thus, as we begin Advent, it
is the same for each of us. Advent is
not the season for getting ready, it is a season for being ready. All of the getting ready must be complete,
because once our master returns there will be no time to grab extra oil for our
lamps, or change our clothes, or make one last check of all of our
supplies. It is time for immediate
action—opening the door and letting the master in. Thus, Advent is a season of watching and
waiting. It is a season of being
awake and alert. It is a season of being
dressed and ready and keeping our lamps burning. For the master will return from the wedding
banquet, and when he does, will he find us ready?
Prayer
Closing
Prayer: Show me, Lord Jesus, how to live at
attention. Help me, by your grace and
your strength, to live in a continual state of preparedness. Come, Lord Jesus!
No comments:
Post a Comment