Be Prepared
We’re in the season of Advent. If any of you were in the Scouts or the Guides, you’ll know the theme of this season – “Be Prepared.” What are we preparing for? The arrival of Jesus.
Hasn’t he already come? Yes, he has, and that’s what we celebrate every Christmas, the birth of Jesus over two thousand years ago. But, at the end of Jesus’ earthly life, when he returned to heaven, an angel said to his closest friends, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
Christians have been waiting for that day ever since. However, given that it hasn’t happened in the last two thousand years, the chance of it happening in our lifetime is very small. So, is this something we need to worry about. Do we actually need to prepare ourselves now? My answer to that is, “Yes!” The bible says this…
But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father… Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matthew 24:36, 42-44).
When Jesus comes, it will be sudden, but sudden doesn’t mean the same thing as unexpected. That why the fire brigade does hazard reduction. That’s the reason behind flood mitigation works like raising dam walls and building levee banks. Disasters may happen suddenly, but they are not unexpected. We may not know when, but we do know that one day disaster will strike, and so we prepare for that day. Once disaster happens, it’s too late to prepare. When Jesus arrives, it will be too late to get ready.
What can we do? The story of the homeowner and the thief give us a clue - keep watch. That can’t mean that we should literally stay awake until Jesus comes. That’s physically impossible. It simply means taking appropriate steps in advance so that it doesn’t matter when it happens. In the case of the thief, we could put decent locks on the doors and windows, maybe install a burglar alarm, or buy a guard dog. But what’s an appropriate level of advance preparation for the return of Jesus. In Titus 2:12-13, it says…
“Say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and ‘Yes’ to living self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:12-13).
Life is fragile and fleeting. One day life as we know it will come to an end with the return of Jesus. At that moment, we’ll see the true value of all the things we invested so much time and effort in during our lives. We’ll see that many had no lasting value at all and did nothing to prepare us to stand before Jesus. The key is to invest in what has eternal value, to maximize the precious moments of life that God has given us in ways that make a difference for his kingdom. That is how we can be prepared.
Neil Percival
Hasn’t he already come? Yes, he has, and that’s what we celebrate every Christmas, the birth of Jesus over two thousand years ago. But, at the end of Jesus’ earthly life, when he returned to heaven, an angel said to his closest friends, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
Christians have been waiting for that day ever since. However, given that it hasn’t happened in the last two thousand years, the chance of it happening in our lifetime is very small. So, is this something we need to worry about. Do we actually need to prepare ourselves now? My answer to that is, “Yes!” The bible says this…
But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father… Therefore, keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matthew 24:36, 42-44).
When Jesus comes, it will be sudden, but sudden doesn’t mean the same thing as unexpected. That why the fire brigade does hazard reduction. That’s the reason behind flood mitigation works like raising dam walls and building levee banks. Disasters may happen suddenly, but they are not unexpected. We may not know when, but we do know that one day disaster will strike, and so we prepare for that day. Once disaster happens, it’s too late to prepare. When Jesus arrives, it will be too late to get ready.
What can we do? The story of the homeowner and the thief give us a clue - keep watch. That can’t mean that we should literally stay awake until Jesus comes. That’s physically impossible. It simply means taking appropriate steps in advance so that it doesn’t matter when it happens. In the case of the thief, we could put decent locks on the doors and windows, maybe install a burglar alarm, or buy a guard dog. But what’s an appropriate level of advance preparation for the return of Jesus. In Titus 2:12-13, it says…
“Say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and ‘Yes’ to living self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:12-13).
Life is fragile and fleeting. One day life as we know it will come to an end with the return of Jesus. At that moment, we’ll see the true value of all the things we invested so much time and effort in during our lives. We’ll see that many had no lasting value at all and did nothing to prepare us to stand before Jesus. The key is to invest in what has eternal value, to maximize the precious moments of life that God has given us in ways that make a difference for his kingdom. That is how we can be prepared.
Neil Percival