Mark 13:24-37                        You’d better Watch Out!!                              27/11/11

  "But in those days, following that distress, "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; {25} the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' {26} "At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. {27} And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. {28} "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. {29} Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. {30} I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. {31} Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. {32} "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. {33} Be on guard! Be alert ! You do not know when that time will come. {34} It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. {35} "Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back--whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. {36} If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. {37} What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'"

 Here today we begin another Advent season, which is a reminder that Christmas is just around the corner. Not that we need too much reminding that this is so. The shopping centres are well and truly geared up to make sure that we are ready and prepared for this coming event. They are out to make sure that we do not get caught short, by having too few or too little in the gifts we give. Because after all; how embarrassing would that be?

 So as we begin our lead up to Christmas the message is clearly out there. And that message is summed up with the popular song: ‘You’d better watch out. You’d better not cry. Santa Claus is coming to town.’ Now sadly how true is that, when it comes to our Christmas preparations? We all are being encouraged to, and are in a greater or lesser degree, looking more for Santa to come at Christmas than we are for Jesus. We are far more looking to and spending our time and our efforts with the material things of Christmas, than for that which Christmas is truly all about.

 Now here in this reading Jesus gives us a sober warning. Watch out! Watch out that you don’t get caught napping. Watch out that you don’t lose your focus on that which is all important. Watch out that you don’t miss out when Jesus returns in all his glory. Because; "At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect. Be on guard! Be alert ! You do not know when that time will come.”

Here Jesus makes one thing quite clear to us: The timing of his second coming will be unexpected. As much as he says we can know that this time is coming and that it will come sooner than we might like to think; nobody except the Father knows when it will actually be. Just as we know that with the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near; so the signs are all there that end is drawing close for our end. The signs are there for us all to see that it is not far off; it will come, nothing is surer. So we had better be ready and prepared.

 However Jesus also makes the point that we are to avoid speculating when this might be. If we think about it, we can understand that. Because what happens if we know when it will take place? It is bit like a lot of my mate’s years ago, when it came to talk about going to church and taking the Christian faith seriously: ‘Yes look I’m busy at the moment. I’ve got plenty of time yet. I’ll wait until later in life.’ I’m sure you have all heard that sort of thing. They speculate that they will be around for many, many more years yet, and so they will leave it till later on. We all know that most of those people with that attitude end up dying before they think their time us up, and before they have taken seriously God and what he has to say to them.

 As well as that, when Jesus says no one knows about that day or hour, he is warning us to be wary of those who claim to have some superior knowledge as to when and how it will take place. They are really con men and women. Instead of spending time seeking an exact time for his appearance, he is saying that we are to get on with being and doing what we are called to do. We are to be ready and prepared for whenever the bridegroom comes; whether it is sooner or later.

 Instead of speculation about these things he is encouraging us to look forward with watchful and joyful anticipation. Just as young children look forward eagerly to Christmas morn, so too should we be anticipating Jesus’ coming: eager, alert and watchful. These children already know that there are good things in store for them in a few weeks time. So even though they play and do their chores and all kinds of other things, they have clearly in their minds what is to come. We often hear them talking about what they might receive and what they would like. And as the days get nearer so does the anticipation and the excitement; they are counting down the days; they are alert to all that is happening around them which might give them clues.

 Surely now we as Christians would have a similar attitude toward our Lord’s coming. Surely we have something to look forward to that is infinitely greater than the toys that our children get. Surely eternal life in heaven is the greatest and most important things that we could ever hope to attain. Surely being in the presence of Jesus is something that we would eagerly and joyfully look forward to with great anticipation.

 But sadly of course that is not the case. We think that what we have here, and what we achieve for ourselves, is what life is all about. We look forward in anticipation to making more money and having more material possessions. We seek more the presence of sports stars and influential people, than Jesus’ presence. We have become overly preoccupied with our daily lives, and our here and now. This world around is where we place our emphasis.

So when it comes to things spiritual and more importantly Christ and his presence with us, we more often than not have become drowsy and are even in danger of falling asleep altogether. Though we have been called to keep watch for the benefit of others, we are just keeping ourselves awake.

 That being the case we need to take note of Jesus’ little parable, where he says: “It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. "Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back--whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.  What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'"

So in a few moments time as you come forward and kneel at the Altar rail, be strengthened for this task, as Jesus comes to you in a very real way. There he comes to you to forgive you and also strengthen you so that you can stay awake and alert. There he comes to you so that he can go with you as you go about your daily life.

 Also through his Word he comes to you so that you may not be distracted by the busyness of life and the desires of the things that the world around us sees as important. There he continues to remind you of the great gift of eternal life that he has won for you. That Jesus and his death on the cross is what has made it all possible for us.

Then also as Christmas approaches be reminded again that God has come into our world in the person of baby Jesus. He came as one of us so that he might help us in our great need. He came to die on the cross so that we might have the forgiveness of sins and the assurance of life and salvation. He came to be with us so that we can know that he loves and cares about us and that he wants us to be with him in eternity.

Then as you are continually being reminded of these things, he will keep you awake and alert. He will be continually kept before you so that you may know that you are ready and prepared, because he has done all that is necessary for you and your salvation. Then your anticipation, joy and hope will continue to be increased, so that you will not be distracted or fall asleep. Your focus will be shifted to Jesus and all that he has done for you, so that you will long to be with him and give him all glory, now and always.

So What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' AMEN.

 Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish