Preparing for the Unexpected
Scripture Psalm 122 and Matthew 24:36-44
INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 122
Identified as "A Song of Ascents," this psalm describes the pilgrim throng entering the Temple. As we begin a new church year we, too, herald the glad tidings and invitation to all people: "Let us go the house of the Lord." In this season of Advent we, too, are called into the sanctuary of the Lord.
1I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
2Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together.
4To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David.
6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.
7Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.”
8For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.
Matthew 24:36-44
How can we really prepare for the unexpected? Jesus cautions us against speculation. It is the same speculation through which people try to get control of their future. Not knowing is to face one’s vulnerability. Jesus is telling his disciples that no one, not even he, knows when he will return. Yet he still encourages us to prepare for it.
“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
SERMON
Many of you have been involved in the Girl or Boys Scouts associations. What is their motto? “Be Prepared!” We prepare for the unexpected by considering what has surprised us or others in the past and extrapolating what that means for the future. So we buy all sorts of insurance to protect us against loss. Some of us may have disaster plans such as where to meet family members to check on them in case of a disaster. Many of us store a certain portion of food and water; have a generator set aside for power outages.
Anyone who has experienced a disaster in their life knows there is no preparation that will cover all possibilities. Some have watched their life savings flow away or their very homes float away. Two lay pastors in our Presbytery have lost their homes to fire. An elder in another congregation who has worked hard all his life now has so many medical bills for his wife and himself they have used up all their savings. Many can no longer keep up premiums on insurance. The unexpected has arrived at their doorstep and there was no way to prepare for it. So how can we ever prepare for the return of the King, the final judgment, a new heaven and a new earth?
David Lose writes:
As foreign or even frightening, as the coming judgment of the Son of God might be, it is an inescapable element of the biblical witness and for good reason. The flip side of judgment is justice. The dominant rationale for judgment in both Old and New Testaments is how well we accord with God's concern for how we treat one another and especially those who are most vulnerable. So give up any notion of God's judgment and you've also abandoned any meaningful sense of God's justice, of God's determination to hold us accountable for how we treat each other and creation.
The trick, of course, is holding these two together; justice and judgment.
Rather disturbing news reached us last week just before Thanksgiving. North Korea had bombed South Korea. Since North Korea has nuclear weapons the old images of mass destruction loomed over the world. For the people of Yeonpyeong Island the unexpected had arrived.
The whole point is that there is no preparation we can make for the unexpected except a close and loving relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is our guide. Sandy Sanchez lent me a book the other day called The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven . It is about Alex Malarkey whose spine is severed at the base of his skull. Very few ever survive this injury. The story recounts the amazing journey and faith of his family, friends, church, community and strangers who sustained him in prayer. But there was no way anyone could have prepared for this disaster. Jesus says:
If the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
A life of prayer takes work and time and commitment. Prayer builds a safety net that no insurance can buy. Prayer weaves other believers into our lives. Prayer is the life blood of our faith. Prayer opens our eyes to seek justice. The unexpected will come. The only preparation is prayer. The good news is that our faith and prayer life can sustain us and prepare us for the most unexpected events of our lives. Will Jesus return? Will he bring judgment and justice to our world? May faith tells me yes. Can I know when this will happen? No! But my prayer life teaches be to trust that when that day comes I will be surprised by the glory of God but sustained by the embrace of Jesus when we come face to face! Amen.
Resources:
http://www.workingpreacher.org/. Commentary by Paul S. Berge, Emeritus Professor of New Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN and David Lose, Marbury E. Anderson Biblical PreachingChair Luther Seminary St. Paul, MN
Kevin and Alex Malarkey, Tyndale Press, Carol Stream, IL 2010
Preached by Linda Jo Peters ~ November 28, 2010
First Sunday of Advent
INTRODUCTION TO SCRIPTURE
Psalm 122
Identified as "A Song of Ascents," this psalm describes the pilgrim throng entering the Temple. As we begin a new church year we, too, herald the glad tidings and invitation to all people: "Let us go the house of the Lord." In this season of Advent we, too, are called into the sanctuary of the Lord.
1I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
2Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together.
4To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David.
6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.
7Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers.”
8For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.
Matthew 24:36-44
How can we really prepare for the unexpected? Jesus cautions us against speculation. It is the same speculation through which people try to get control of their future. Not knowing is to face one’s vulnerability. Jesus is telling his disciples that no one, not even he, knows when he will return. Yet he still encourages us to prepare for it.
“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
SERMON
Many of you have been involved in the Girl or Boys Scouts associations. What is their motto? “Be Prepared!” We prepare for the unexpected by considering what has surprised us or others in the past and extrapolating what that means for the future. So we buy all sorts of insurance to protect us against loss. Some of us may have disaster plans such as where to meet family members to check on them in case of a disaster. Many of us store a certain portion of food and water; have a generator set aside for power outages.
Anyone who has experienced a disaster in their life knows there is no preparation that will cover all possibilities. Some have watched their life savings flow away or their very homes float away. Two lay pastors in our Presbytery have lost their homes to fire. An elder in another congregation who has worked hard all his life now has so many medical bills for his wife and himself they have used up all their savings. Many can no longer keep up premiums on insurance. The unexpected has arrived at their doorstep and there was no way to prepare for it. So how can we ever prepare for the return of the King, the final judgment, a new heaven and a new earth?
David Lose writes:
As foreign or even frightening, as the coming judgment of the Son of God might be, it is an inescapable element of the biblical witness and for good reason. The flip side of judgment is justice. The dominant rationale for judgment in both Old and New Testaments is how well we accord with God's concern for how we treat one another and especially those who are most vulnerable. So give up any notion of God's judgment and you've also abandoned any meaningful sense of God's justice, of God's determination to hold us accountable for how we treat each other and creation.
The trick, of course, is holding these two together; justice and judgment.
Rather disturbing news reached us last week just before Thanksgiving. North Korea had bombed South Korea. Since North Korea has nuclear weapons the old images of mass destruction loomed over the world. For the people of Yeonpyeong Island the unexpected had arrived.
The whole point is that there is no preparation we can make for the unexpected except a close and loving relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is our guide. Sandy Sanchez lent me a book the other day called The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven . It is about Alex Malarkey whose spine is severed at the base of his skull. Very few ever survive this injury. The story recounts the amazing journey and faith of his family, friends, church, community and strangers who sustained him in prayer. But there was no way anyone could have prepared for this disaster. Jesus says:
If the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
A life of prayer takes work and time and commitment. Prayer builds a safety net that no insurance can buy. Prayer weaves other believers into our lives. Prayer is the life blood of our faith. Prayer opens our eyes to seek justice. The unexpected will come. The only preparation is prayer. The good news is that our faith and prayer life can sustain us and prepare us for the most unexpected events of our lives. Will Jesus return? Will he bring judgment and justice to our world? May faith tells me yes. Can I know when this will happen? No! But my prayer life teaches be to trust that when that day comes I will be surprised by the glory of God but sustained by the embrace of Jesus when we come face to face! Amen.
Resources:
http://www.workingpreacher.org/. Commentary by Paul S. Berge, Emeritus Professor of New Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN and David Lose, Marbury E. Anderson Biblical Preaching
Kevin and Alex Malarkey, Tyndale Press, Carol Stream, IL 2010
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