December 2, 2007
Sermon by Rev. Jeffrey Bell
Providence Presbyterian Church

"Be Ready"
Matthew 24: 36  - 44

Mr. Smith is riding through Manhattan with a reckless cab driver. At the first intersection they come to, the cab driver runs a red light.   “Hey, what’s the big idea?” Mr. Smith yells. “That was a red light!” “Don’t worry, fella,” the cabbie replies, “My brother drives a cab too, and he does that all the time.”

 Mr. Smith grits his teeth and tries to remain calm, but he loses his cool when the driver runs a second red light.  “Are you insane? You’re just asking for trouble,” he yells.  “I know what I’m doing, man,” says the cabbie. “My brother runs red lights all the time, and nothing’s ever happened to him.”

 At the third intersection, the cabbie slows down and stops at a green light.

“What’s your problem?” the passenger asks. “The light’s green!” “Yeah,” says the cabbie, “but you never know when my brother might be coming through.”

 Dumb joke, but at least that taxi driver was prepared. After all, he never knew when his brother might be coming through, running another traffic light.

 The First Sunday of Advent is our opportunity to make ourselves ready--watching and waiting for the coming of our King.

 Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come . . . be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

 We need to take this summons to be ready more seriously than we do. My guess is that many will spend more time in the next few weeks preparing for Christmas than they’ll spend in a lifetime preparing ourselves for Christ’s return.

 A few years ago, the B.C. comic strip had a Christmas cartoon that read like this:

One small ant said to his father, “Dad, who is Jesus?”  The father ant replied, “He’s the reason for the season.”

In the next panel the small ant says, “But Dad, I thought Santa Claus was the reason.”   And the father ant replies, “He is--if you prefer Nintendo to everlasting life.”

 That’s the problem in a nutshell, isn’t it? We’re focused on the things of this world. The promise of a better world seems too distant, too remote.

 In 1845, a group of British explorers led by John Franklin set out for the North Pole. The men estimated that their trip would take two or more years. Yet they didn’t prepare properly for the time they anticipated being away.  They packed only the bare minimum of necessary items, like coal, but filled the holds of the boat with luxuries like books, fine china, and silver utensils.

 It’s no surprise, then, to learn that the men on Franklin ’s expedition never returned.  Years later their ship was discovered, surrounded by the frozen bodies of the explorers.  These sailors were unprepared for the world that awaited them.

 The same is true of us. This morning I want to suggest a few ways we all can prepare for the coming of Christ as we prepare for Christmas.

 First of all, focus on your relationships. Relationships are what life is all about.

You’re thinking about gifts you can buy for those who are significant in your life. That’s good. Gifts bring joy to both the receiver and the giver. It’s a wonderful part of the Christmas season.

 But the Advent season gives us the opportunity to do more than merely give gifts. It provides us with an opportunity to restore relationships that have been broken, strengthen relationships that have been weakened and make stronger relationships that are vital to our emotional and spiritual well-being.

 Dr. Mickey Anders tells about twin girls who had been born twelve weeks premature in the Medical Center Hospital in Worcester , Massachusetts . They weighed about two pounds each, and had been placed in separate bassinets. One started to do just fine while the other began to fade slowly. Her heart‑beat was rapid, she was visibly anxious, and nothing the nurses could do seemed to be able to stop what they saw as her inevitable death.

 Then one nurse remembered something she’d read about treatment of premature infants. As a last resort the nurses put the weaker twin (Brielle) in the bassinet with her “big sister” (Kyrie) who was doing better.

 In the words of one of the nurses on duty, the results were both immediate and dramatic. Little Brielle snuggled up to her sister, and her heart rate immediately slowed to normal. Her color came back. The baby visibly relaxed. She accepted nourishment. She began to grow.  

What our children need this Christmas is not more things. What they need is time with people who love them, who will affirm them.  What our spouses need this Christmas is not a new electronic toy or accessory. That may be what they want!  But what they need is you.

 Our whole world was spun into existence out of a desire for relationship--God’s desire to share creation with Him. When He wanted to redeem this world God did it through a child. It’s all about relationships. To prepare for Christ’s coming, begin by focusing on your relationships.

 Second, focus on your responsibilities - specifically your responsibility to Christ. too often He’s the forgotten guest at his own birthday party. This is the best time of the year to consider how devoted we are to Christ’s kingdom.

 Pastor Barry Dawson tells of an amazing woman named Helen – born to a German family who had made their home in Russia . During Stalin’s reign, German citizens were the targets of persecution and attacks. Fortunately, Helen and a small group of girls escaped Russia .

 They traveled on foot over rough terrain, with no resources but the clothes on their back, until they reached Germany . Helen’s parents weren’t so lucky; they died in a labor camp in Siberia .

 Once in Germany , Helen found work as a maid. Her employer was a cruel woman who threatened to kill her if she ever left. Eventually, Helen sneaked out of Germany and emigrated to Canada , where she had a cousin.

 He offered to let Helen work as a maid in his household which seemed like the perfect situation for her. Except that Helen’s cousin was an evil man who raped her repeatedly.

 When Helen became pregnant with her cousin’s child, he and his church forced her to leave town. She moved to another town in Canada , eventually married and raised a family.

 Pastor Dawson met Helen in her later years, after her husband had died. She was a woman of modest means, but rich in faith and love.  Helen’s church was debating the need for hiring a youth pastor. Like most churches, they operated on a tight budget and weren’t sure where the money would come from.

 Until Helen spoke up. She talked about being a child and dreaming of playing the piano. Of course, her troubled childhood in Russia , and her exile to Germany , put that dream on hold. After her marriage, Helen and her husband bought a piano.

 But the demands of working and raising a family left little time for Helen to pursue her own dreams. For the last few months, she’d had been saving up her money so that she could begin piano lessons.

 But what was more important than telling young people about the love of Jesus? Helen pledged that night to give up her piano lessons and donate the $60 each month to the youth fund. The church council members, moved by Helen’s generosity, voted unanimously to hire a youth pastor.  1

I believe Helen was ready for Christmas and for Christ’s coming. We get so caught up in the superficial busy-ness of Christmas that we forget the essential business of Christ.  Focus on your relationships. Focus on your responsibilities.

 And finally, focus on the Redeemer.  A church in a small Swiss town was renowned for its pipe organ. The music from that organ was so moving, so resonant, so rich that those who heard it swore that they could see visions of God. Worshipers left church each Sunday inspired to live lives that reflected the glory and reverence of God, because the awesome music of the pipe organ drew their hearts closer to their Creator.

 But over time, the organ pipes began to lose their rich sound. The music became thin and mediocre. The church’s pastor brought in repairmen from all over Switzerland to examine the organ. None of them knew how to restore its wonderful sound.

 One night, a shabby-looking stranger entered the town. He went to the church and asked the caretaker to be allowed to stay the night. The caretaker was suspicious of the stranger, but the caretaker’s young daughter was moved by the glow of the stranger’s eyes. She convinced her father to let him in.

 Later, the caretaker awakened to hear the church sanctuary filled with music. The music was not thin and ordinary. It was the rich, resonant, soaring tones that once filled the hearts of the worshipers.

 He ran to the sanctuary, where other townspeople had assembled. They sat in reverent awe, praising God for the beauty of the music they were hearing. At the organ sat the shabby stranger.

 When the music stopped, the caretaker asked the stranger, “Who are you?”  “My name is Gott,” the stranger replied.  “But who are you that you could restore the beautiful music of the organ?” The stranger smiled and wiped some dust from the mantle of the organ. Underneath the dust, in gilt letters, was the name “Gott.”

“Many years ago, I built this organ with my own hands,” he explained. “Now, I have come, to make it sing again."  2

 Advent and Christmas are times of reaffirming our relationships and our responsibilities. But more than anything else it’s a time to focus on our Redeemer, for only the One who created us can heal us of our broken-ness. Be ready. Come to God this day.

1.  http://www.acparis.org/sermons/2005_01_30_Dawson.html.
2.  http://ministries.cc-ob.org/ sermons/2000/1200ce.htm.