Reading
“Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into. You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”
Peter asked, “Lord, is that illustration just for us or for everyone?”
And the Lord replied, “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.”
Luke 12:39-44 (NLT)
Reflection
Perhaps it’s my millennial upbringing, but the song that popped into my head during Pastor Robert’s sermon on Sunday was “Be Prepared” from the Lion King. For those unfamiliar, it’s a dramatic but catchy song sung by the villain of the movie to his lackeys—reinforcing their need to “stick with him” in order to be rewarded when he overthrows his brother, the king. The message of the song is dark and sinister.
In reflecting upon Jesus’ message of “be prepared” against the backdrop of the lyrics from the Lion King, I was struck by the stark contrast of the meaning behind the two uses of the phrase. As Pastor Robert pointed out on Sunday, Jesus’ message was one of warning—not a promise of a quick escape to glory or the reward of riches (like in the Lion King), but a warning of hardship, commitment, and responsibility in regards to His return.
Throughout the New Testament, we are reminded that being about Jesus’ business on earth requires a commitment from each of us to devote ourselves to the things that Jesus devoted himself to—and sometimes those things are messy.
On Sunday, Pastor Robert used Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” to help illustrate his point that it’s never too late to become prepared for the coming of Christ. In one scene, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, who is lamenting how he wasted his life. Marley says “…any Christian spirit working kindly in its little sphere, whatever it may be, will find its mortal life too short for its vast means of usefulness. Not to know that no space of regret can make amends for one life’s opportunity misused! Yet such was I! Oh! Such was I!”
Scrooge tries to lessen Marley’s anguish (and his own) by reminding him that he had been such a good businessman. But Marley was quick to remind Scrooge of what his priorities ought to have been: “…mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”
An Invitation
So, as we move into this Advent season of preparation, I invite you to spend some time in prayer, reflecting on the following prompts:
- What is your business?
- What are the things that God is calling you to attend to?
- How has God been preparing you for the things he has for you?
- How can you be watchful for the opportunities that will come before you in this season of preparation?
