Be On Guard

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BE ON GUARD

I read a story of a stewardess who became quite frustrated by the inattentiveness of her passengers while sharing her safety demonstration. She decided to change the wording of the prepared announcement and said, “When the mask drops down in front of you, place it over your navel and continue to breathe normally.” Not one person noticed; no one was paying attention.

Having served as a police chaplain for years I have been privy to stories of officers who have had embarrassing situations because they were not paying attention. I am amazed when I hear of men and women who are so professional in their jobs and behavior yet accidentally firing their weapon while in the locker room at the station. Fortunately all the stories that I heard ended with read faces and not tragic results.

Jesus warned his disciples that “keeping their head in the game” was going to be of extreme importance after he left them. In the Gospel of Mark as Jesus speaks of his return he made it clear that he did not know the exact point in time of his return. He left no doubt that his followers should not take this as reason to lose hope, but to be filled with hope of his return.

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do no know when the owner of the house will come back-whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” Mark 13:32-37

I find it quite easy to become complacent and unconcerned about the return of King Jesus. This passage once again informs me that I am too often tied to this world and kingdom U.S.A. instead of the Kingdom of God. The final words of Jesus in this discourse touch me deeply because they are not just given to those standing around him 2,000 years ago. “What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!” I am included in the word “everyone” and so are you.

Jesus gives us his word that he is going to return to earth and he tells us what to do until that time. He admonishes each of us to “Be on guard, be alert, watch.” Those words do not mean that we should be standing around idle, being unproductive citizens nor uncaring Christians. He has already told us that our lives should be about spreading the message of salvation while being a neighbor to those in need.

Alertness means that we should be active morally and spiritually. We should not be people of laxity or laziness regarding the things that truly have meaning and measure in the Kingdom of our King. When Jesus returns he should find us doing what he was doing while he was here on earth. We should be watching for his return while doing all that we can to partner with Holy Spirit to reclaim God’s people.

The sometimes controversial scholar William Barclay wrote concerning this passage: “We live in the shadow of eternity. That is no reason for fearful and hysterical expectation. But it means that day by day our work must be completed. It means that we must so live that it does not matter when he comes. It gives us the great task of making everyday fit for him to see and being at any moment ready to meet him face to face. All life becomes a preparation to meet the King.”

For the most part I think we will be ashamed to the point of nausea at the return of our Lord. I believe that in an instant we will be amazed at how far we really were from what he called us to become. I sense that we will be horrified when we finally come to grips with how much we loved the American lifestyle more than we loved him.

How will we feel I wonder when none of our excuses are heard and all of our arguments for spiritual laziness hit his wall of his truth? When I read the Book of Acts and writings of the early church fathers I feel my stomach churn because I realize I am only a fraction of what God expects me to be.

Capitol One Credit has humorous commercials on television that always end with the question, “What’s in your wallet?” The Holy Spirit of God and of Christ may well be asking the question, “What’s in your heart?”

Let’s pay attention to the things that Jesus Christ says are important: love, faith, honesty, good works and good words just to name a few.

Peace to you,

Dan

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