1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 25:1-13
Be Prepared
Many of us have to be prepared to act at short notice. An ambulance crew has to be ready to attend an emergency when it occurs, so does a doctor on call. A Boy Scout is prepared for all manner of eventualities. Noe of these know when they will have to respond; they just have to be ready at any time.
In Matthew 25, Jesus was talking abut being prepared, ready for when he comes back.
That sounds easy but the problem is no one knows when – what day, what time – he’s going to arrive. The only one who knows is God the Father and he hasn’t told anyone else. Jesus doesn’t know and we certainly don’t know. But Jesus didn’t want his disciples to be caught napping when he returned, like the five foolish girls in the story in Matthew. And he doesn’t want us to be napping either. He wants us to be ready.
That’s not so bad. Plenty of people have to handle not knowing when things are going to happen.
Some of us will go away on holiday this summer. What do we need to do before we go? Quite a bit to do like cancel the paper, get someone to collect the mail and look after the pets, pack a suitcase, buy tickets, book accommodation and so on. When we go on holiday we prepare, often weeks or months in advance. The same is true for weddings, parties and Christmas. How many of you have already started on Christmas preparations?
Being prepared when you don’t know the date
It is easier to prepare for something when we know exactly when it is going to happen. We know Christmas is on 25 December. But what about the time when Jesus comes back? We don’t know when that will be, but he still urges us to be on the alert.
Be prepared for Jesus’ return
One day Jesus will come back. We should be prepared and alert, ready and expecting. Jesus does not want us to be taken by surprise and frightened. Although the actual event of his return sounds scary (trumpet blasts, shouts of command), Christians have nothing to fear and plenty to look forward to. Otherwise why would Paul tell us to encourage each other about it? Paul wanted the Christians in Thessalonica to be sure about what they believed and to know that it is all about having faith in Jesus. Jesus’ return will be a wonderful event for us because then we will be with the Lord forever.
Be prepared for the wonderful event of Jesus’ return.
Be prepared by trusting Jesus and by living good lives.
Be prepared to be with the Lord forever.