Be Prepared

Jesus said to his disciples, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

"Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour." Luke 12:32-40

The Boy Scouts motto is "be prepared!" As a young girl scout we were taught all sorts of preparations and readiness for any challenges, especially when camping in the woods. We learned practical things like first aid and CPR as well. I took the red cross life saving course and have always hoped I would never have to rescue anyone - even though I have. We like to be prepared and secure but we cannot necessarily be prepared for what God has in store for us.

Jesus is talking to his disciples about readiness. We can interpret that is the coming end times and judgment, but I would rather that we hear Jesus talking about possibilities. Are our hearts open and ready for the blessings God has in store for us, or would we rather hunker down and hide from the world? When we have enough are we hoarding and hiding or are we sharing the blessings we have with others? We are being called by God from our safe, secure places, to adventures beyond our imagining.
Do we dare follow?

Today I ask God to give me the courage to chose service over safety and love over security. May we use the blessings we have been given for the rebuilding of our world. May God call us from our hiding places in order to bring light and love to our world today.

The Collect

Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.