Ready for the Dawning of the Day

Wollaston Church of the Nazarene

November 29, 1998 AM

Matthew 24:36-44 36 "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 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', 39 and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. 41 Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. 42 Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 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. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

INTRODUCTION

This prophetic passage from Matthew 24 about the Lord's coming 'as a thief in the night' suggests a totally unexpected way of meeting God. It seems to indicate a discovery that things are changed; far different from what was assumed before:

FINDING THE REALITY OF GOD THE HARD WAY

An atheist was spending a quiet day fishing when suddenly his boat was attacked by the Loch Ness monster. In one easy flip, the beast tossed him and his boat high into the air then opened its mouth to swallow both. As the man sailed head over heels, he cried out, "Oh, my God! Help me!"

At once, the ferocious attack scene froze in place and, as the atheist hung in mid air, a booming voice came down from the clouds. "I thought you didn't believe in Me!"

"Come on God, give me a break!," the man pleaded. "Two minutes ago I didn't believe in the Loch Ness monster either!"

The Atheist continued, "God, please let the Loch Ness Monster be a Christian."

God replied, "So be it." The scene starts up, atheist falling.

And so the Loch Ness Monster folded his claws together and said, "Lord, bless this food you have so graciously provided." —Many thanks to Hal Hancock

1. BEGINNINGS - THE CHURCH YEAR - Happy New Year! This is the first Sunday in the Christian Year. The Christian Year is divided into two seasons, the "sacred seasons" and "ordinary time". The first part of the Christian Year is divided into "sacred seasons" in which we remind ourselves of who we are, and who's we are. The second part of the Christian Year is "ordinary time" during which we remind ourselves of what we are to do.
2. THE LECTIONARY - The Lectionary for Sundays is a three year series of Bible readings for each Sunday of the Christian Year. The New Testament breaks down to five stories, twenty-one letters, and one epic poem. Each year we take one of the first three stories and use it as a "key" to the rest of the year. This year "Matthew." Today begins the first of the "sacred seasons": Advent
3. THE ADVENT - This first Sunday of the Christian Year is the beginning of the Advent Season. "Advent" means "coming". One aspect of this "coming" is past tense, Christ came then. A second aspect of this Advent season of "coming" is present tense, Christ comes now. The third aspect of the "coming" that we celebrate at Advent is future tense, Christ will come again.

Christ came at Christmas in a particular time and place. It was a coming that in just about every way was what might be least expected. And yet it was 'in the fullness of time' that Jesus came. He emptied Himself of the glory of heaven, and came and lived and taught and died and rose again to be our Champion, our Second Adam, our Lord and Savior.

Christ comes in our everyday lives as the power, wisdom, and model of God's perfect servant. By the Presence of his living Holy Spirit, Jesus is present in this world as he is present in your heart and mine. "How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is giv'n; So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven. No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin, Where meek souls will receive him still, the dear Christ enters in." It is a miracle of grace, but it is reality: Jesus COMES! He is present with us even now as we

Christ will come at the end of history like a thief in the night to accomplish the completion of his will and purpose. Whatever and whenever the Great Return will be, it is a fact that EVERY ONE OF US WILL MEET THIS 'THIEF IN THE NIGHT!' He comes, he strikes at a time and in a way that is least expected.

LIVING IN ANTICIPATION / PRACTICING THE PRESENCE

(The Sermon)

I . It is never a "detour" to follow the way of loving God through service to others:

[WAKING UP TO THE REALITY OF LIFE THROUGH FOCUSING ON THE TRULY IMPORTANT (and nothing is more important than loving service!) ]

Pulitzer Prize winning author Anna Quindlen was nineteen when her mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and given only a few months to live.

Anna had just finished her freshman year of college, but being the oldest of five children, she left school and returned home to "make meatloaf and administer doses of morphine in a house in the suburbs." Ann returned home that September; her mother died in January.

Ms. Quindlen, now a parent herself, writes about that difficult time:

"It is amazing how much you can learn in one year. "I went back to college and I looked around at all the kids who found life kind of a drag. and I knew I had undergone a sea change. Because I was never going to be able to see life as anything except a gift.

"Oh I've lost the feeling from time to time. Bad days and good days. Life cycles and dark moods....We've lived through a period in which pessimism was the fashionable mode, when the express purpose of fiction and films seemed to make you feel as terrible as possible...Our children die from neglect, abuse, sometimes simple ignorance and lack of interest. We live knowing that it would take a matter of seconds to wipe out the whole complicated mess.

"And yet...and yet. It's all so terrific the conversation and the relationships and the scenery in the midst of all our troubles. That's why we feel so deeply when it's endangered because, if we really think about life, we know how quietly wonderful it can be. We know that if we had only six months left, we'd hold on as tight as we could with both hands to every day, every hour...

"Sometimes we lose that wonder. And sometimes we regain it through hard lessons, the way I did. And sometimes it just comes to us slowly steadily, until we realize that, for all its horrors and injustices, the world is wonderful place.

"The year my mother died, I learned something enduring about life: that it is glorious, and we have no business taking it for granted." [1]

LIVING "READY" INVOLVES LOVING. Anna Quindlen took a risk in putting her life on hold to take care of her mother till death. Yet Anna speaks of how much richer her life is because she did so.

II. A relationship with God through Jesus Christ is far more important than all the prophecy in the Bible. (When we have Christ we have everything. We are ready.)

[FINDING EVERYTHING IN THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST]

There is a popular story about a wealthy man who found great joy in collecting fine art from all over the world. This man had a son. The son also grew to enjoy great art, and father and son spent many pleasant years collecting famous paintings for their mansion.

But one day, war broke out in their country, and the son went off to fight. A few weeks before Christmas, the young man was reported missing in action. The old man was filled with anxiety as he waited to hear of his son's fate. And then it came. Only days before Christmas, the news arrived that the art collector's son was dead. His son had died a hero. He had been trying to help a fallen comrade when he himself had been shot.

The old man didn't think he would survive his grief. He had loved his son more than life itself. He couldn't bring himself to celebrate Christmas. He barely felt alive. But a knock on the door roused him from his grief. The young soldier in the doorway introduced himself as the one whose life had been saved by the old man's son. He had come to express his appreciation and to give him a gift. The soldier explained that he, too, was an artist, and he had painted a picture of the man's son. The father was amazed by the life like quality of the painting. He hung it on the mantel of his study, and there it brought him great comfort. It became his most prized work of art.

A season passed, and the father died. Other art collectors around the world were excited to learn of the old man's death, for it meant that his collection would be up for sale. The day of the auction, people crowded into the mansion, eagerly waiting the chance to bid. A sigh of disappointment escaped the crowd when they realized that, per the old man's will, the picture of his son would be the first piece to be auctioned. The other collectors called out impatiently that they had come there to bid on the real art, not some sentimental piece. No one would make a bid. Finally, a friend of the family bid ten dollars for the painting. He had been fond of the son, and he knew how much that piece meant to the father.

When his bid was accepted, all the other collectors cheered. Finally, they would get to bid for the important stuff. But the auctioneer put away his gavel and announced the bidding closed. The collectors were furious. Was he crazy? All they'd sold was a worthless picture of the old man's son. What about the rest of the art? The auctioneer pulled out a draft of the old man's will and said, "It's very simple. According to the will of the father, whoever takes the son gets it all." [2]

When we have a know-so relationship with God through Jesus Christ we have it all! When we have anything and everything else BUT salvation we are still "sitting in the dark."

CONCLUSION

The silly joke about the atheist and the Loch Ness Monster may seem pretty remote from the "sophisticated understanding" of salvation we are so sure we have. But the fact is that without warning we could be face to face with the utter reality of God! "Like a thief in the night!" is how Jesus said it. (Shall we pray:)

PRAYER

O Lord, Hear the cry of our hearts this day! We think we know so much, and really we know so very little! So- above all else, help us to know You, and seek You, and belong to You, and be like You. We ask this in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

HYMN #490 O to Be Like Thee

1) Family Circle, July 14, 1998, as quoted in "In defense of happiness," Connections, November 29, 1998, First Sunday of Advent (7 Lantern Lane, Londonderry, N.H. 03053 3905), Nov 1998.

2) Source unknown, "Rushing and realizing," Dynamic Preaching, 13 (4): 57 58, (Seven Worlds, 310F Simmons Road, Knoxville TN 37922), Nov 1998.