Waiting Is Hard

Luke 12:35-40

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.”

Waiting Is Hard

Waiting is hard.

I have this vivid memory from when I was about 6-7 years old. My sister was coming for a visit. When she lived at home, she was just my sister. But she’s 14 years older than I am, so by the time I was 5-6 years old, she was out of the house, which made her a celebrity. She had her own car, her own apartment. She was enrolled in college. She had a boyfriend. She’d stop by on weekends to spend time with family and maybe play with her little brother.

It was one such weekend. I was so excited for her to come, I started playing outside in the front yard hours before she was supposed to arrive. Not because I expected her to come early. I just wanted to be ready and in the right spot for when she did come.

Fast forward an hour (or two) to the time when she was supposed to arrive. I put on my rollerblades, grabbed my hockey stick and pretended to be a sentry at the end of our driveway. She wasn’t going to get past without my permission.

Fast forward another hour. She’s late. It’s getting dark. I was getting tired. So, I kicked off my rollerblades, threw my stick in the garage, and trudged into the house. Of course, lo and behold, no sooner do I close the front door than what do I hear? The sound of her car pulling into the driveway. I had waited for hours. And seconds after I gave up, she showed up.

Waiting is hard. Especially when you’re waiting for something you’re looking forward to. Especially when you have no idea when it’s going to happen. Jesus tells us a mini-parable today about something that checks both those boxes:

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 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.”[1]

Our Master is returning. Jesus is coming back. That’s something worth looking forward to. Because he’s coming from something even better than a wedding banquet. He’s coming from heaven. And he’s coming to do something better than to serve you food. He’s coming to take you home to be with him in heaven. The only problem is we don’t know when.

Christians have been waiting now for 2,000 years. That’s a long time! That first generation of disciples was convinced that they’d see Jesus return in their lifetime, but that was many moons ago. And here we are – the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandkids of that first generation of disciples, and we’re still waiting.

Vicar preached last week about some of the signs that his return is near – wars and rumours of war, false prophecy and fierce persecution – signs that we see all around us, and, frankly, signs that we’ve seen for a long time. Still no Jesus. On the one hand, it feels like he could come at any moment. On the other, it’s hard to believe that anyone will ever live long enough to see his return.

So, what do we do? “Wait” is the easy answer. It’s also the inevitable answer – something you don’t have a choice but to do, whether you want to or not. Worse, waiting is something that can be an entirely passive and thoughtless endeavour. But that’s hardly what Jesus tells us to do here. He doesn’t say, “Wait.” He says,

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning.”

I was dressed. I was wearing rollerblades while I was waiting for my sister. I didn’t tell you this before, but as it got dark, I grabbed a flashlight so that I could see. I was even waiting in the right spot. But as overactive as my imagination was, I was not dressed ready for service. And do you know who reminded me of that as soon as I walked back into the house? My mom.

Can you imagine what she would have rather had me do for the previous 2 or 3 hours while I was waiting for my sister? Clean the house. Set the table. Walk the dog. Make my bed. You name it. There was a list of things for me to do. There was a pile of stuff on the stairs for me to take care of. I may not have been passively waiting in a lawn chair on the front yard – I may have been active – but I certainly wasn’t ready for service.

And that’s the challenge for you and me as we await Jesus’ return, isn’t it? It’s not hard to be active. We can fill our time and our days in an instant. We can complain about how busy we are. But “dressed ready for service” and “lamps burning” is another matter altogether.

What is it that we’re filling our time with? Is it mindless doomscrolling for an embarrassing number of hours every week that leaves you numb to the world and the real life you could live in it? What is it that we’re filling our time with? Is it hyperactivity at school or work that is advancing your career prospects and putting food on the table, but leaving you hungering and thirsting for that one thing that will fill the hole in your heart? Are we so busy spending time with each other – our families, our friends – that we let our relationship with our God wither on the vine?

That’s what Jesus means when he talks about keeping your lamps burning. This isn’t just consciousness. It’s not just wakefulness. It’s vigilance. It’s an alertness and an eager expectation of the return of our Master. That’s where Jesus is telling us to spend our mental energy – thinking about him and preparing for that time when we will see him again.

It has been 2,000 years since Jesus was last seen on earth. It may be another 2,000 years before he comes again. But you won’t have to wait that long to see his face. For each of us, it’s 70 or 80 years, if we have the strength. You may not have to wait until Judgement Day to see your Master; you might go to him before he comes back to earth. But the hard thing about waiting is what makes it worth it – when it’s something you’re looking forward to. And I can’t think of a single thing better than what Jesus promises us here.

Jesus is coming to serve you:

“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.”[2]

This isn’t your typical master/servant relationship – and not because the servants are so good that master and servant are on the same level. It’s because our Master is so good that he condescends to our level – and lower – to serve us in our need. We may not always spend our mental (or physical) energy on the right things – we may not always have a laser focus on our Lord – but, worthy or not, we are the apple of his eye and have always had his undivided attention.

And it showed on the night before he died. Jesus did this very thing for his disciples. In the last, fleeting hours that he would spend with his friends before he was forcibly taken from them – at a time above any other in his earthly life when he deserved to be taken care of – he served them. He dressed himself ready for service. He wrapped a towel around his waist, got down on his hands and knees and washed their feet. The least desirable of all the jobs of a household servant Jesus did unprompted for his disciples to show them the kind of Master he is.

Jesus isn’t on par with us. He is infinitely better, immeasurably more glorious. And yet, he doesn’t lord his mastery over us. He used it to serve us in our greatest need – to come to this world and be forgotten and mistreated and rejected, to be crucified and buried, so that he could give us this promise and this hope for the future – that our God loves us despite our unworthiness of him, that our sins are forgiven through his sacrifice on the cross, that our future is certain because of his impending return to come and take us home to be with him forever in heaven.

We have no idea when that day will come. And that can be hard. But we don’t have to wonder what to do in the meantime. Jesus lays it out for us:

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning.”[3]

Keep your lamp burning. Be vigilant. It’s not enough just to be conscious. It’s not enough to coast through life in a daze. Fix your gaze firmly on Jesus. Build meditation on his Word and promises into your daily life and routine, so that you don’t take your faith for granted or forget about it entirely for long stretches at a time. Carve out time to read your Bible, to come to church, to study and pray with your fellow servants, so that when you look out at this world you’re not distracted by all the many things that can so quickly fill up our calendars and agendas, but so that you can always keep your eyes open to the signs of Jesus’ return and have hearts ready and watchful for his coming again.

Be dressed ready for service. It’s not enough just to be active. It’s not enough to be busy. Busy yourself in service – to each other, but ultimately to your Master. Work hard at your school work or office work, not just to put food on the table or advance your career, but to make good use of the gifts God has given you with thankfulness to him in your heart and service to him in your mind. Help each other. Visit the sick in the hospital. Give to the hungry and cold. There are people God has placed in your life right now, who can use your time and attention while you wait for Jesus to come again. What better thing could you do to demonstrate your readiness for his return than to dedicate your life in service to him through your service others?

Waiting is hard. But it’s worth it because your Master and Saviour is coming to take you home, and because he’s given you good work to do in the meantime. Get to it. Amen.

[1] Luke 12:35,36

[2] Luke 12:37

[3] Luke 12:35

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Stand Firm In Jesus To The End

Luke 21:5-19

5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”

7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”

8 He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. 9 When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”

10 Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life.

Stand Firm In Jesus To The End

The temple in Jerusalem was truly a marvel of the Roman world. The complex spanned an impressive 36 acres, roughly a third the size of the West Edmonton Mall and triple the size of Rogers Place. The walls surrounding it were constructed with colossal stones, the largest of which measured 45 feet long and 11 feet high. And the temple itself: dazzling gold accents atop polished white limestone and marble. All its majesty sat at the highest point of the city, where all of Jerusalem could goggle at this magnificent structure. It’s no wonder the disciples were awestruck—and maybe filled with a little patriotic pride.

Only, none of it would last. The cool pictures you can find online are only models based on descriptions from the time. About forty years after Jesus foretold it, the temple and much of Jerusalem was invaded and destroyed by Roman armies. Stones from the temple’s roof were thrown down from the Temple Mount onto the streets below, and many of them still lie there to this day.

That wasn’t even the only disaster Jesus foretold that day. He warned his disciples of false prophets who would try to deceive them in his name. He warned them of wars and uprisings, of catastrophes like earthquakes and plagues and terrifying events that would cause them to think the world was ending. He warned them that they would be hated and betrayed because of their faith in him.

I’m guessing that’s not how the disciples thought this conversation would go. You can imagine their smiles turning to looks of horror as they learned that their beautiful house of worship would be obliterated, and things would only get worse from there. How could they stand firm when their worst fears were realized? When everything they held dear was stripped away from them?

Just over a week ago, at our WELS-Canada AGM, I heard multiple people comment that St. Peter has one of the most beautiful buildings of all our Canadian churches. And what a blessing this space has been! But it wouldn’t take an invading army to reduce this beautiful building to little more than memories. How would we stand firm as a congregation, if our place of rest became a pile of dust?

We don’t even have to use our imaginations to see the rest of what Jesus prophesied. Every time we turn on the news, we hear about wars and uprisings, earthquakes and famines, fearful events and ominous indications that even harder times are on the way.

When we realize how fragile things really are, we start to hear whispers of “What if?” What if these tariffs don’t go away and prices keep going up, or I even lose my job? What if the “wrong” people get elected and turn this city or province or country into everything I despise? What if sickness knocks on my family’s door and takes me—or worse, leaves me behind?

How do we stand firm, when life as we know it could fall apart in a matter of moments?

We can try to predict the future, asking endless “What ifs,” but we won’t find any comfort—only more fear.

But Jesus doesn’t just offer predictions. He gives us promises. He knew even 2000 years ago that these disasters would happen—that they must happen—before the end of the world. They’re the telltale symptoms of a world infected with sin, and they only get worse as the disease spreads. But as conditions deteriorate and our fears grow to a galactic scale, Jesus zooms in on the microscopic: “Not a hair of your head will perish.”[1]

If that promise came from a commercial for hair loss treatment, I wouldn’t blame you for being skeptical. But this comes from the one who knows the exact number of hairs on your head, and the number of cells in your body—just as well as he knows the number of stars in the night sky. Nothing in this universe happens outside of Jesus’ control, from the day he created it to the day he will bring it to an end. Nations may rise and fall, economies may boom and bust; disasters may bring changes and challenges we never could have imagined. But nothing can catch our Lord Jesus off guard; not even the end of the world will come without his decree. So don’t be frightened; Jesus knows what comes next, and he’s got you safely in his hands.

But fear isn’t the only threat Jesus has to warn us about. If the devil can’t scare us, he often tries to distract us. Sometimes when we watch the news, instead of being afraid of what might happen, we get frustrated because we know what should happen. Or at least, we think we do. And suddenly, our focus turns to what we have to do to set things right.

We hear about the threats to our planet’s ecosystems, and the damage that humans cause. And so we argue that if we don’t take better care of our home, none of us will be around by the time Jesus comes back. We just need to save our environment, and then things will be okay.

We hear about the horrible violence and injustice in the world, even in our own communities. And so we argue that even if we can’t force everyone to be Christian, we can at least force them to act like one if we pass the right laws. We just need to fix our society’s morality problem, and then things will be okay.

We hear about the ways Christians are restricted in how they can practice their faith, sometimes with legal repercussions. And so we argue that the only way to make sure the church survives is if we fight for the right of religious freedom, no matter the cost. We just need to make the government bow to the church, and then things will be okay.

We think up new secret solutions all the time. “If only everyone understood this, or did that, or followed this plan, then the world would be better. Maybe then we could at least wait for Jesus in comfort.”

Watch out. Don’t be deceived into thinking there’s a secret way to bring God’s kingdom to earth. The solution to the problems we see is not found in what we can do, but in what Jesus did—and what he promises he will do.

When Jesus came to earth and destroyed the power of sin, death, and the devil, he didn’t keep it a secret—he reveals it to you clearly in his Word. He speaks freely the lifechanging truth that you have been set apart for eternal life by his grace. And he doesn’t hide his plan to make sure you make it safely to the end.

This planet is dying, and it hurts to see God’s creation corrupted by the effects of sinful ambition and carelessness. But in Jesus all things were made, and he will be the one to end it, not us. But once he has purged this ruined creation of all sin, he will also be the one to restore it to perfection, a new Paradise where he will dwell among his people forever.

Violence and injustice run rampant, and so often it seems like the devil has free rein. But Jesus has been seated on his mighty throne, and he will be the one to deliver perfect justice—not one of his enemies will remain free, so that his people will never have to fear again.

Believers everywhere face threats for their faith and are told to keep silent or be silenced. But Jesus watches over his flock with perfect care, and he will be the one to preserve and nourish it until he gathers all believers in the banquet halls of heaven.

You don’t need any secret solutions. You can stand firm in the knowledge that Jesus already has a better one. Not only will he preserve every last hair under his care, he promises you victory—“Stand firm, and you will win life.”[2]

There’s one more threat Jesus warns us of. Even though the battle is already won, even though Jesus reigns over all creation, we will still be ridiculed and persecuted on account of his name. We will find ourselves in positions where we are called to stand trial, even literally, for our faith.

A coworker hears that you go to church, and suddenly they demand how you can possibly support an institution that has caused so much pain and hatred.

Your agnostic friend tells you they just can’t see how you can believe those children’s stories about miracles and creation when the evidence for evolution is so obvious.

A client accuses you of discrimination, and now a committee is the only thing standing between you and a hefty fine, maybe even the loss of your business.

When accusations are made against us, our instinct is often to get defensive. Or we may try to compromise so we can avoid conflict and consequences. But Jesus helps us put things in the right perspective. We aren’t just helpless defendants; we’re witnesses. This is an opportunity to testify. To win souls to the truth.

And then, Jesus gives us some unusual legal counsel. He doesn’t instruct us to prepare ourselves with the most compelling arguments from history and science and philosophy, so that we can confidently denounce our opponents. Instead, he says, “But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.”[3]

I can’t imagine many judges or juries would look very favorably on someone who clearly didn’t prepare for trial. But Jesus follows that with a promise so bold that no one else would dare to make it: “I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.”[4]

You don’t need to become an academic to stand firm in the truth. Books on apologetics can make for interesting conversation, but there’s only one book that has the divine power to change hearts and plant the seed of faith. You don’t need a degree in theology to share the simple Scriptural truths of God’s grace, of his power, and of his righteousness. So make up your mind not to worry about how you’ll defend yourself; you have the unflinching Word of God to fight for you.

No argument of man, not the devil himself can ever debunk the invincible words of Jesus. Yet even when they came from Jesus’ own mouth, the Pharisees refused to accept them. You may face the same stubborn rejection when you testify. But stand firm, because their judgment of you is nothing compared to the verdict Jesus will pronounce on you when he returns: victory is yours forever.

That is why we can have confidence, despite the threats of fear and deception and persecution that try to tear us from our Saviour’s hands. When the world falls apart around us, Jesus promises there is nothing he can’t protect us from. When deceivers point to secret solutions, Jesus points to the ultimate solution he already provides. When persecutors put us on trial for our faith, Jesus gives us words that will never fail.

So stand firm in Jesus. Because in him, you win life. Amen.

[1] Luke 21:18

[2] Luke 21:19

[3] Luke 21:14

[4] Luke 21:15