EDITOR'S NOTE: In October 2017 I began a new venture as a synodically authorized minister at Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. The ride over the past 2.5 years has been an amazing journey of learning, growing and a deepening of my theological mind. Here is the first sermon that I ever preached at FLC. It took place on Nov. 19, 2017.
As you will note on the front of your bulletin, all of today’s readings deal with the end times.
Zephaniah … good ol’ Zephaniah … proclaims that the coming day of the Lord will be filled with wrath and distress.
And then Paul … our good buddy Paul whom we are so familiar with, says the end days … or Jesus’s coming, if you will … will come like a thief in the night …
And Jesus himself tells the parable of the talents, calling us to use our gifts, while we still have time here on earth!
Now that’s not necessarily the cheery stuff of the New Testament that we’re used to … is it?
In theology, they refer to this eschatology. … Now there’s an answer that will win you some trivia points at the Thanksgiving table!
So, as you probably well know, we Lutherans live in the hope of Christ’s resurrection. ... It’s a core tenet of our faith…. Built into our creeds, as a matter of fact. … And it’s the focal point of most our sermons. But whether we forget this little fact or not, Jesus is coming. … In fact, he’s coming, to judge the living and the dead.
That can get a little weighty right? … But, today, my brothers and sisters in Christ, take heart.
Because even though Zephaniah’s words might sound a little ominous, let’s harken back to Paul’s message, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11. ... While he certainly is writing some important words of warning to the people of Ephesus, his message doesn’t have the overtones of doom we find in other passages about the end times …
Listen to his opening words, “Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you.” In other words … people of Christ, you already know this drill, right? … I don’t have to write to tell you that Jesus is coming one day, and he’s going to take his righteous people home with him. … You already know this!
He goes on to write, “For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” Boom. Just like that. No warning. Jesus is going to slide on in here, and judgement day will be nigh.
But here in the text is where Paul turns his message on its head. Just a couple of lines later he writes, “But you, beloved …” --- he’s talking to you and I here … and all of our other brothers and sisters in Christ --- “are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.”
So, wait, back up here a minute … First he tells us that Christ will sneak in like a thief in the night, but that won’t be the case for you and I, because we are beloved children of God … and as beloved children of God, we are fully aware that Christ is coming back. … Back to earth to take his righteous people home.
Ahhhh … aha! There it is. … So what Paul is saying is that only those who are not our brothers and sisters in Christ are going to be caught off guard by Christ’s coming. … It makes sense, right? How could they know? There’s no one reading them the Scripture. They aren’t gathering each week to hear God’s message. So how could they possibly know? … So, OK, Paul is writing to tell those “others” that they are in trouble ….
Well, that might partly be the case, but let’s read just a little bit further …
“So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.”
And that, brothers and sisters in Christ is our payoff. … Finally, Paul gets to the point that he was sharing with us all along: Do not sleep at night, or get drunk at night, but instead live in the daylight with the protection of your breastplate of faith and love and your helmet of the hope of salvation. … In other words, this entire passage really isn’t about the doom and gloom of the end times or a worrisome warning to us that Jesus is coming and with him are coming wrath and distress. … No, not at all. In fact, he’s writing to us to give us a prescription for how we children of God can live in the light.
And so how do we live in the light? … It’s all right there. … Don’t sleep at night. Or in other words, do not sleep on God’s words. … Don’t get drunk at night. Or in other words, don’t lose sight of the Gospel. Don’t get drunk on your earthly possessions or desires. … And lastly build up each other. Or in other words, take care of one another. Feed the poor. Clothe the naked. Heal the sick. And house the homeless. … Build up each other.
I like to think of this as Paul’s Boy Scout speech to us. … Who are my former Boy Scouts in here? Anyone? … What is the Boy Scout’s motto? … Just shout it out.
Be prepared! … That’s right, be prepared! … That’s what Paul is telling us to do by living our earthly lives in the footsteps of Christ. He’s telling us to be prepared! … And he lays out the steps right there for us. This shouldn’t be that hard for us. … I mean we do this every single day of our life … we prepare.
At night, before we go to bed, we maybe lay out our clothes for the next day. … Or we make school lunches or own work lunches the night before. … Or we lineup the kids’ backpacks, and shoes and coats by the door. … We’re getting prepared for the next day, right? That’s a simple way to help us have a successful day. It helps remove some of the stress in our lives.
Or how about those folks that remember the old adage that if you leave your dishes in the sink unwashed, it’s bound to mean that you are going to get company who will see those dirty dishes and think to themselves, “Mmmm hmmm … mighty, mighty, look at that unsightly site. These must be some terrible people.” … My mom swore by this adage when I was growing up. She prepared her kitchen in the event that company showed up.
Or how about the fact that we believe -- and rightfully so -- that we should put money away for retirement … or for that rainy day … or for emergencies.
Finally, in a few minutes, you all will be witness to young Brayden’s baptism. You will take part in it as members of our congregation. … And what else is a baptism but being prepared, right? We baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit so that we are all washed in the water in preparation of the day Christ comes back. … We prepare.
And the list goes on. … Just think for a moment to yourself the many, many ways that you prepare for the earthly events in your life, the day-to-day preparations that make your day more orderly or even the much harder preparation for the bigger milestones in life.
We do all of that preparation so willingly … and without fuss, with the understanding that the payback will be worth it.
Then why is it so hard for us to heed Paul’s words in regard to how we prepare ourselves for Jesus’ coming? … Man, if we can get ourselves all squared away at night so that we can attack the day tomorrow with confidence … then, why is it so difficult to manager our earthly lives in preparation for Jesus’ coming?
We all know it’s not hard … after all, Paul tells us it isn’t hard! … Right? … Don’t fall asleep on God’s words. And don’t get drunk at night and lose your way. … And lastly build up each other. … That’s it. Right there. That is how we prepare for Christ’s coming. … As simple as that. ...
And what is the payoff to our being prepared? … Paul answers that question too in today’s reading: “For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him.”
For eternity, we get to live in him! … That, brothers and sisters in Christ, is not a bad payoff!
And so, as we march out of this Sanctuary this spectacular Sunday, I urge you to ask yourself, “Am I prepared to go forth and live in the light of Christ’s path? … Am I sleeping? Or am I awake? … Am I drunk in the night? Or am I sober? … And finally, am I building others up? …
Simply put: Am I preparing for Christ’s return?
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