12^th Sunday after Pentecost

August 18 & 19, 2007

“ARE YOU READY TO GIRD YOUR LOINS?”

TEXT: Luke 12:32-40

Rev. Chad E. Hoover

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

How many of you remembered to eat breakfast today?  How many of you remembered to brush your teeth today?   How many of you remembered to shower today?

How many of you remembered that today is picture day at Trinity?  How many of you, had you remembered that today was picture day would have spent an extra 5 minutes (or more) and your hair and made sure that you’re nicest clothes were not laying in the bottom of the clothes basket or on the laundry room floor so that you could wear it to church today for this very special occasion?  Or, How many of you figured nobody would take your picture anyway, so it really didn’t matter?  (Pull out camera). 

Well, I don’t want anyone to feel left out.  So smile everyone, etc.  “Are you ready?”  I’ll give you a warning, etc.  *(snap picture)*

Now, I’m going to put this camera right here.  You never know when I might decide to use it again and snap another picture or two.  So, be ready.  No slouching in the pews, no popping your gum, no blowing your nose, and no falling asleep (Actually, I’d really enjoy snapping a picture of that, and then of course, I’d tease you relentlessly for years).

So be ready!  Just as we heard in our Gospel reading this morning, “Be dressed and ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet.”

Jesus is, of course, referring to Himself and His second coming.  He further instructs the disciples, “You must also be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”  And this charge applies you as well, and to me, and to all of God’s people on earth. 

GOD’S PEOPLE MUST BE READY FOR

CHRIST’S RETURN BECAUSE WE DO NOT

KNOW WHEN THAT TIME WILL COME.

*(snap picture)*

If we’re to be ready, we must know what readiness entails, right?  Our text simply says, “Be dressed and ready for service.”  But what does that mean.  It goes without saying that it means much more than just throwing on any old clothes you find in your dresser drawer.  The Greek text can be translated more literally as Let your loins be girded.  So, now that we’ve cleared that up . . .

Jesus is speaking figuratively here, but in order to understand the metaphor, we must understand the literal meaning of Let your loins be girded.  To gird your loins during the Roman Era meant to pull the fabric from your tunic between your legs and tie it up around your waist in the front.  This increased mobility and agility and prevented the loose ends of the tunic from becoming snagged on something or entangled with your feet. 

But, this is precisely what the Lord instructed the Israelites to do for that first Passover in Egypt.  “This is how you are to eat it:” the Lord told Moses, “with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand.  Eat it in haste; it is the Lord's Passover” (Exodus 12:11). By instructing the Israelites to gird their loins, put sandals on their feet, a staff in their hands, and eat quickly the Lord was promising them an exodus from slavery.  They were to ready themselves for departure.  They needed to be ready to roll when the time came for them to leave.  They couldn’t waste precious time looking for their sandals and they couldn’t risk being slowed down by their long, flowing robes.  What if Pharaoh changed his mind and chased after them (which he did), and they couldn’t move fast enough because they weren’t prepared and ready for action?  *(snap picture)*

So, that’s the literal meaning, but what truth is Jesus revealing to us through His Word here.  Peter echoes this same teaching in his first epistle, “prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”  Again, the Greek here translates more literally to “girding up the loins of your mind.”  This is very clearly a metaphor!  But Jesus is saying the same thing, “girding your loins/being ready” means our minds are focused not upon ourselves or the things of this world, but upon the revelation of Christ and grace which ours because of Him.  

Now this notion that Jesus is coming and you’d better be ready, can strike fear in a person’s heart.  It can be rather frightening.  After all, what are the consequences if we’re not ready?

Later in Luke 12, in this same dialogue with His disciples, Jesus tells the consequences for someone who is not ready for the master to return, “The master will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers” (Luke 12:46).  How do you know that you’ll be ready, when Jesus returns?  *(okay, everyone look fearful snap picture)*  Keep those fearful faces on, because this is the major Law portion of today’s sermon. 

And if that didn’t trouble your hearts, maybe this will.  Are you sweating and fretting about Christ’s return because you just don’t know if the scales will tip in your favor on Judgment Day.  Or you’re just not sure that you’ve done everything that you could to be ready for His return.  What if you missed something?  What if it’s too late to make up for your lifetime of mistakes and sinful behavior? 

Or perhaps you simply don’t care.  You’ve grown to love this world too much.  You’ve stored up treasures in this life and have begun to lose sight of the true prize.  I like to call this nearsighted selfishness.  Nearsighted selfishness is always a temptation for the Church and her members.  It’s principles like this that are taught in many of the best-selling, pop-Christianity books of today.  Joel Osteen’s Your Best Life Now is guilty of this sin.  The author of this book preaches the falsehood that (and this is a direct quote from his book), “God wants to pour out ‘His far and beyond favor.’  God wants this to be the best time of your life.  But if you are going to receive this favor, you must enlarge your vision” (p. 5).  In other words, just the opposite of what Jesus teaches us. 

Our nearsighted selfishness says, “I better take what I can get when I can get it because you only live once, you know, and I want to make the most of this life before I die.  And I want it now!”

We’re fooling ourselves if we think God wants to give us the desires of our heart.  Christ tells us that “out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matt. 15).

Unlike those false teachers of today, who in Jesus’ name, promise health, wealth, and prosperity, the real Jesus declares, “Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” 

It is good and proper for us to appreciate God’s creation and His provision for our needs, but in our sinfulness, we often forget that this world is not our permanent home and that our Heavenly Father has given us His kingdom – a far greater and everlasting treasure.  We can become so attached to the things of this world that we can’t see the forest through the trees.  Guess what, folks.  The lumberjack is coming and pretty soon it’ll all be gone! 

Or, perhaps we can’t wait for Christ’s return.  We’re simply exhausted by the hard hitting trials and tribulations of life.  There are some days when we’re just ready to throw in the towel.  We may be wondering what’s taking Jesus so long.  But we wait, faithfully, for His return – living each day under His grace, knowing that we have a sure a certain hope that Christ will return.

But you know, in the midst of weary hearts and minds, Jesus proclaims, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” -  that will not be exhausted.”  That is to say, it will not fail because it’s been sealed by the blood of Christ.  He’s done all the work for you and for your eternal salvation.  He’s even given us the clothes and the tools that we need to get the job done.  *(Okay, this is the major Gospel portion of the sermon, so big smiles from here on out – snap picture)*

Christ will return unexpectedly, but even if He should return in the second of the third watch of the night, we’ll be ready.  Not because we’ve made ourselves ready or because we’ve built ourselves up to be perfect servants of Christ, but because Christ Himself prepares us for His second coming.  In Baptism He’s clothed you with His righteousness and by the work of the Holy Spirit in your life, you are continually equipped for service. 

Jesus is the master who in today’s Gospel dresses Himself to serve.  Jesus invites you to recline at the table and comes to you to serve you with His very Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper and strengthen your faith - girding up the loins of your mind, protecting the faith which the Holy Spirit has established in you.

Christ is coming.  It could happen right now, quicker than the click of the shutter *(snap picture) * or it may not even be in our lifetime.  Nonetheless, as God’s faithful children, we are dressed and ready for service, waiting for our master, Christ Jesus, our Lord to return.  Until that Day, He serves us, His people, just as He’s served the church throughout the ages.  “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’  Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you, God's people. Amen.  (Rev. 22:21)