Right On Time
To remain alert and vigilant in times of waiting and to trust in God at all times
Scripture Mark 13: 5-8, 28-37
Have you heard the cliche “It does not matter what someone believes as long as she or he is sincere.” This definitely is not true. What we think and believe matters, and because it matters what we say about Our Father is of utmost importance. Our scripture today begins with Jesus giving sage advice, “Watch out that no one deceives you”.
Many experts call Mark 13 a “Little Apocalypse” (uh-pok-uh-lips). An apocalyptic (uh-pok-uh lip-tik) literature puts people into two groups - God’s people and their enemies. For the enemies of God’s people this is a word of horror, and for God’s people a word that assures and encourages. When Hebrew prophets wanted to get the people’s attention they often reminded the hearers of God’s power of wrath. We hear the same today. In the teacher's book it gave this example: a church member ask another member to attend her brother’s funeral to support her. She said “They don’t believe as I believe.” It was held at a small country church and the pastor was a firebrand preacher. He yelled, screamed, shouted and cried. He said it was too late for Joe. Joe could only get to heaven if God made a rare exemption. This went on for 2 hours. My daddy’s brother was that type of preacher. As a child I thought of him as a Holy Roller preacher. He wasn’t entirely wrong but he took all hope away.
We have to prepare for every facet of life. One might ask, “will I ever be ready? The answer is no. Life requires that we move from situation to situation, relationship to relationship, job to job. Everytime we think we are fully ready and become complacent, life throws us a curveball and we find ourselves lost. We need to always be watchful and make preparations because we don’t know what life will bring our way.
Watchfulness in our relationship with our Father is of the greatest importance. If we slack off and fail to prepare ourselves in a relationship or job we may lose a friend or position , but if we fail to be alert, make preparations and watch for the Lord, then we may miss our Father and lose salvation in the process. Let us always be watchful for His coming. We will never know the day or the hour.
Imagine you picked up the paper, or turned the news on the TV. The headline in bold letters said Jesus Christ Will Return on December 25! What would you do? How would you react to this astonishing information? I think there would be 2 reactions: 1) some would change their lives immediately, out of fear. Our Father is coming and I am not ready. I need to get back in church, pray more, seek reconciliation with family, neighbor, co-worker, and certainly with God. 2) others wouldn’t do anything differently. It is too late to change now. God has already decided my fate. My hope is we would say, “Isn’t this the event for which the world has been waiting? Isn’t this the reason for which he came into the world? If we are living righteously we can be confident that our preparations have been sound. The advent season is a time to reevaluate our lives and see how we have been doing with the invitations extended by our Father.
As individuals and a community we are constantly waiting. We wait in lines in the market, the banks, and stores. We wait for events: the big game to start on tv, or a movie in the theater, or the arrival of a family member or a friend. Most of the time as we wait we know something will happen at a prescribed time. We wait for birthdays, three day weekends, Christmas and holidays. And yes we celebrate Jesus arriving on December 25.
Sometimes we wait for things that eventually will happen but we don’t know when they will occur such as farmers waiting for rain for the crops they have planted into fields. After a long winter we all look forward to spring, blooming flowers, budding trees. Jesus first coming allows us time to prepare for his second coming. Our scripture today challenges us to be watchful and prepare now, for we do not know the day or the hour. Jesus gives us three commands: Don’t be deceived , Take heed to yourselves, and Be Alert. What does it mean to be deceived? Think about these sayings that some so called Christian churches say:
Jesus was a good man. He gave a wonderful lesson. His morality is exemplary. If only we could live up to his commandments!
Jesus came as an example to us, showing us how to love each other. Now all who sincerely try to live a life of love belong to him, no matter what they believe.
Jesus is a Savior, believing in him offers us one way to God. Surely, however, God will honor all those sincere believers in other religions by bringing them to himself.
It is very important to be careful about our language. Each of these claims includes some truth, then twist that truth.It may look minor, but the difference is the difference between heaven and hell.
Of course Jesus was a good man. But He also is God incarnate, and to leave that out is to miss the central message of the New Testament.
Of course Jesus provides us with an example, but the Jesus of the Bible is an indwelling Savior, not external glorified role model.
Jesus is not only Savior, He is the Savior. “I am the Way, the Truth, and the LIfe, no one comes to the Father but through Me”.
Jesus tells us not to be led astray by false claims about himself. How do we guard ourselves against the false teachings? In Revelations we are told what to watch for, the method of His return, and to depend upon His word.
In verse 28 when Jesus talked about the fig three, is to remind us that as trees leaf out each spring, that Jesus will come again. That He is always with us.
What changes must we make and actions we must take in order to stay more alert and watchful as a disciple? Mark is telling us that our Father will stand by the believers to the end and beyond. That through Jesus, our Father rescues us from this turbulent world.
In the life of faith, there are times in which our faithfulness seems to exact a great personal cost. The doctrine of the end times assures faithful people that God will be there for us at the end, just as God was there at the beginning. What other people fear, the faithful see as the final redemption of the steadfast by God.
Will you pray with me: Father keep us alert and vigilant especially in times of waiting; In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen
