Life in Christ Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, MN;
“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and
be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding
feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I
say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table,
and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the
third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if
the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would
not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son
of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”” (Luke 12:35–40, ESV)
Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ.
Well… what are you looking forward to? What happened to you
last year? Was it good for you? I’ll have to admit there’s a good bunch of last
few years that I might just as well skip. Some times of our lives are like
that. Good and bad. It is difficult to live in the world the way it is, but
don’t think you are alone. This has how it has always been, since Adam and Eve
decided it should be this way. And that’s exactly what they did.
“We should know better than God what’s good for us,” Eve
thought as she plunged her teeth into the fruit God told them to stay away
from.
“We should know better than God how our relationship should
be,” thought Adam as he watched his wife.
There is no way around it. He should have listened to God
and protected both of them from death. He wanted to have what God didn’t give
them to have. And so, we have it. Sin and death and all the trouble that leads
up to it; selfishness, greed, pride, deceit, coveting, false religion, and
plague, war, bad government, failing economies and divorce, child abuse,
abortion, murder, and cancer, heart disease and… the list goes on. We’ve seen
them all, and we will see them all again. They lead to the big one, the mother
of all trouble… anxiety. What is going to happen to me? How will I protect my
family? What happens if I get cancer? Is my job secure? There’s a quote that a
pastor I know uses:
"Anxiety
is the liturgy with which we serve our idols." Unknown
That’s exactly what anxiety is, worshipping and serving our
idols. Our work, our families, our money, our security, and then there is the
biggest one, our big god is ourselves. Me. I wonder what’s going to happen to me.
I worry, how I will feel if that bad thing I’m worried about actually happens. Anxiety
is not placing our trust in the hands of God where it belongs.
And then we have our text for this today. “Stay dressed for
action…” The original expression is “gird up your loins.” (http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/10/02/how-to-gird-up-your-loins-an-illustrated-guide/)
You see, in the days when Jesus said these words, men wore long tunics that
inhibited free movement. You ladies know about these things. Long narrow skirts
and dresses. You can’t run. You can’t squat down to pay attention to something
on the ground. To gird up your loins was a very specific thing for men in those
days. You had to hike up your tunic above your knees, gather all the excess in
front, push it between your knees like a diaper, separate it in back and tie
the two ends together at the front. It was the only way to free up your legs
for movement, to be prepared for battle or serious work. “Gird up your loins…”
Jesus says. Be prepared.
I have a good friend that uses the term “Cowboy up!” or “Man
up.” He means you’ve got this stuff to deal with, just do it! Jesus isn’t
exactly saying that to us. But he is saying, be prepared for what’s coming.
Specifically, be prepared because He is coming, and you don’t know when. It could
be before we meet again for another Sunday. But whenever it happens, all of
this trouble, all that you are anxious about, will come to an end. But Jesus
isn’t saying, look into yourself and find your own strength to deal. It’s in
the section right before the words “Gird up your loins”, back in verse 22.
And [Jesus] said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you,
do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what
you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.
Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor
barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!
And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If
then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about
the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I
tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But
if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is
thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried.
For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows
that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added
to you.” (Luke
12:22–31, ESV)
Seek the Kingdom of God, Jesus says. Don’t be anxious about
anything. You can’t change the length of your life. You have no control over so
many of these things you worry about. Instead focus on God’s Kingdom. He’ll
take care of the rest. And then he says, “Gird up your loins.” Be prepared for
action. Be prepared for battle. Do what needs to be done in light of the fact
that God is taking care of you, and not just you but the whole world. Jesus’
Kingdom is coming. His death on the cross is the fix, and his resurrection is
the proof. Your sin is forgiven. Your neighbor’s sin is forgiven. That’s a whole
new light to live in. Jesus takes care of your great need, forgiveness. He, in
a sense, girded up his loins, and did the necessary work. His life, death and
resurrection are that work for you. You have no worries about what is coming in
the end. You’ve read the last page of the book; you know how it comes out. Jesus
goes to prepare a place for you. He returns in glory to take you there. You
have no real worries about tomorrow. God provides everything you need. You know
it because he has taken care of your greatest need. And in the end, you will
see it.
Now, the world itself is looking forward to its own
redemption. From Romans 8:
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly,
but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be
set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of
the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning
together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but
we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait
eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” (Romans 8:20–23, ESV)
It is going to happen, the fix is in, be ready, the Kingdom
of God is at hand. Jesus is coming, soon…
So, what do we do? What actions do we take? How do we gird
up our loins? What to do whilst we wait for our master to return? Scripture is
full of action:
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he
is thirsty, give him water to drink,” (Proverbs 25:21, ESV)
If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably
with all.” (Romans
12:18, ESV)
…in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being
prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope
that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:15, ESV)
Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show
hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who
are mistreated, since you also are in the body. Let marriage be held in honor
among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the
sexually immoral and adulterous. Keep your life free from love of money, and be
content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor
forsake you.””
(Hebrews 13:1–5, ESV)
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities,
to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good. Titus 3:1
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers,
intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in
authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and
holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior. 1 Tim. 2:1–3
Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your
parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your
children, lest they become discouraged. Bondservants, obey in everything those
who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers,
but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily,
as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive
the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:18–24,
ESV)
The commandments … are summed up in this one rule: “Love
your neighbor as yourself.” Rom. 13:9
Gird up your loins. Be ready. Do the work you have been
given to do while you wait. Serve in your many vocations. Do what you have been
given to do in the place you have been given to do it, for the people God has
given you to serve. Be prepared because he is coming soon. Amen.
The peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your
hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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