Are You Ready?

Are You Ready?
Matthew 24:36-44
December is usually a month to get ready for the Christmas holiday. That is often true even for people who are not Christians, because the holiday season is a very big part of our culture. Preparation can involve shopping for presents, hanging decorations, and making plans for getting together with family and friends. It is a busy time of the year that can include joy, excitement, stress, and exhaustion.

In churches, the season of preparation for the Christmas celebration is known as Advent. The word advent means coming. The season of Advent is a time to prepare to celebrate the first coming of Jesus Christ as a baby in a manger, and to anticipate the Second Coming of Christ. The themes for preparing for both of these events are very similar. The word from Jesus in the reading from Matthew’s Gospel calls for our attention. Jesus says to be on guard, to be ready, because we don’t know when the Second Coming will happen. But it can help us to prepare for it when we know that getting ready to celebrate the first coming of Christ can also be a way to prepare and be ready for him to come again.

One of the themes for Advent preparation is worship. It involves acknowledging and believing that ultimately God is and always will be in control. It means that we know that we are not the ones who are in control and that there is a power greater than we are that is at work in all of creation. One of the great pieces of music that we may hear during Advent is Handel’s Messiah. We may hear the words “King of kings, and Lord of lords, and he shall reign forever and ever.” These words from the Messiah remind us that when all is said and done, that God will rule and reign over all things. If we believe this, then it makes sense that we also believe that God is deserving and worthy of our worship.

Our worship during the Advent season can be expressed in many ways. One may be in listening to Christmas music. Now I’ll admit that I like all Christmas music, including songs about Rudolph, chestnuts roasting, and Santa Clause. But the songs that really give a spiritual emphasis in December are the songs and hymns about the birth of Christ. Those are the ones that lead me and help me to worship. Another way that we may be led to worship can be through hearing and seeing the Christmas story about the birth of Jesus. There may be a picture on a Christmas card, a live manger scene, or a Christmas play that leads us to worship. Or there may be a TV program, such as the one about Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang, that leads us to worship when we hear the Christmas story. Another way that we may worship during Advent and Christmas can be in attending church services, or watching a service on television. The services may be especially powerful on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Any or all of these can be ways to worship and be ready for the celebration of the first coming of Christ and to be ready for the Second Coming as well.

A second theme for Advent preparation is learning. Folk wisdom tells us that we never get too old to learn something new. And when I think about learning, it is not so much about getting new information, as it is about having new experiences and learning from them. Our circumstances are always changing and we are different people this year than we were last year. There are new chapters in our lives, and new ways to express our faith. Our lives are always changing, sometimes in subtle ways, and at others in dramatic ways. Our faith is also something that is dynamic, flexible and challenging. With change, we learn and grow and hopefully, our faith grows as well.

December can be a time for us to reflect on our current life situations, experiences, successes, and failures. We can use all of those as opportunities to learn and grow. Our lives and faith can be expressed in the way we celebrate the holidays, including decorations, gifts, cards, and use of time. It will help us to remember that there is always something that we can learn from our experiences and that there is always room for us to grow. As we get ready for another Christmas and even for the Second Coming, hopefully we are learning and growing in our faith.

A third theme for Advent preparation is peace. At the birth of Jesus, the angels announced “Peace on earth and good will toward men.” The peace that Jesus brings includes peace in all areas of life. That includes peace within ourselves, in our relationships, and throughout the world. Granted, we do not experience complete peace in any of those areas, but the promise and the gift of peace are still very real. We can experience a measure of the complete peace that God promises us and look forward to the time when we will enjoy the full peace that God can give to us and the world. In the meantime, we can do our best to receive God’s gift of peace in our lives, and do our best to make peace with everyone around us.

I heard a counselor say that the holidays, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, are not the time to try to resolve conflicts when we get together with family members. It is best to simply do what we can to enjoy being together without attempting to address conflicts and pain. Even though the holidays are a time to celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace, they can also be a time that is stressful and exhausting. On the other hand, it can also be a time to reach out to people who need our support. That includes those who need some encouragement, or just to know that somebody cares. It may also include concrete gifts for those in need, such as food and clothing. As we receive the gift of God’s peace and share it with others around us, it can help us to prepare to celebrate the first coming of Jesus Christ, and it can help us to be ready for His Second Coming.

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Savior, may we do our best to be ready to celebrate. The sights and sounds of December can remind us to worship God. We can also continue to learn and grow in faith as we look forward to Christmas. And we can embrace the gift of God’s peace, and do our best to share it with others. If we do these things, we can be ready to celebrate Christmas. And it will also help us to be ready for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.