32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.
38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
- Luke 12:32-40
Good morning. Few moments produce more anxiety or trepidation than those moments we find ourselves unprepared. Some feel such worry when they wonder if they need to study more for a test or exam. Others experience such apprehension when they doubt their project or presentation will be complete before a deadline. In Luke 12, we read about a similar fear taking hold in servants should they hear the Master's call to service and find themselves unprepared.
So what should one do to prepare himself or herself to prepare for the master's return and His call to service? According to Luke 12, we must first accept the kingdom that God has to offer us. However, Luke 12 makes it clear that to receive God's kingdom requires us to exchange our love for possessions with a heart for the poor. While such a trade appears difficult, the believer needs nothing else when he or she takes possession of God's kingdom.
Unlike shiny trinkets that vanish and glimmering trophies that corrode, Luke 12 describe God's kingdom as a treasure that cannot be stolen or damaged. And if it be true that one cannot bear being separated from their treasure, then the believer would do well to receive God's kingdom as that treasure he or she cannot give up.
Having taking possession of the kingdom, Luke 12 advises the believer to ready themselves for their duties as a servant in God's kingdom. I absolutely love the imagery Luke 12 uses to portray the meaning of readiness. In Luke 12, the master knows his servants are ready for his arrival when he returns to find the lamps burning.
While most would wish to answer God's call to service during normal business hours, Luke 12 declares that believers must prepare themselves to serve in times of darkness. Whether it be the caring for a sick relative late into the night or addressing the grief in dark recesses of the heart, there will be moments when believers will need their lamps to serve.
Finally, Luke 12 encourages believers to prepare themselves for unexpected attacks and unanticipated arrivals. Though it is preferable to believe that sin tricks or defrauds us, Luke 12 seems to argue that sin most often breaks into our hearts in the same manner which thieves break into houses. Like the thief catching the master of the house by surprise, sin break into our hearts because we are not ready.
There is no denying that all believers yearn for Christ's return and the kingdom coming in its fullness. Yet Luke 12 assures us that this magnificent moment will take us all by surprise. It's true the idea that judgment can come at any moment makes us anxious for those who have rejected God's kingdom offer and life-resurrecting grace. However, I would contend God's salvation proves just as capable of appearing at any time and in any place.
So this week allow the capacity of God's salvation to suddenly reveal itself make us ready for service in a world teetering on the brink of madness. Let the indestructible gift of God's kingdom equip us for giving in a world saturated with poverty. And no matter how late the hour, no matter how deep the suffering; may all believers make preparations to keep the lamps burning.
CJE