Getting Things Ready

Malachi 3:1-4; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6

As I have said before, the season of Advent is a time for us to prepare for the coming of our Lord. And, yet, there is a mystery in such a preparation as this. For we know that Jesus has already come: He was, after all, born in a manger in Bethlehem about 2000 years ago. And we also believe that by the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ is with us every day, offering us strength to minister, love, and care, and redemption when we have failed to measure up.

So, if Jesus has already come, the question is, "What are we preparing for?" Perhaps the answer to that question lies in this story: Just before President Eisenhower died, Billy Graham was invited to visit him at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. He was told that he could stay thirty minutes. When he went in, the general was wearing his usual big smile, even though he knew he didn't have long to live.

Later Billy Graham told what happened:

"When the thirty minutes were up, he asked me to stay longer and said to me, 'Billy, I want you to tell me again how can I be sure my sins were forgiven and that I am going to heaven, because nothing else matters, now.'

"I took my New Testament and read him Scriptures. I pointed out that we are not going to heaven because of our good works, or because of money we've given to the church. We are going to heaven totally and completely on the basis of the merits of what Christ did on the cross. Therefore he could rest in the comfort that Jesus paid it all!

"After prayer, the president said, 'Thank you. I'm ready.'"

So, in many ways perhaps that is what we are preparing for as we study this season of Advent. For, Christ has already been born. And Christ is present in our lives, even now. But the question we need to be dealing with is this: Are we ready for the end, in whatever way that end should come? Are we ready for the consummation of God's judgment on this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, and for the return of Christ in glory to reign? And, if not that, are we truly prepared for our own personal end? For everyone will meet Jesus in glory, whether in death in the world to come, or in life at the end of this world that we now know.

A story from the Antarctic explorations of Sir Ernest Shackleton talks about being ready:

While on one of his expeditions to the Antarctic, Shackleton was once compelled to leave some of his men on a small island with the intention of returning for them and carrying them back to England. But he was unavoidably delayed, and by the time he could go for them he found to his dismay that the sea had frozen over and his men were cut off. Three times he tried to reach them, but his efforts ended in failure. Finally, in his last effort, he found a narrow channel through the ice.

Guiding his small ship back to the island, he was delighted to find his men not only alive and well, but all prepared to get aboard. They were soon on their way to safety and home. After the excitement ended, Sir Ernest inquired how it was that they were ready to get aboard so promptly. They told him that every morning their leader rolled up his sleeping bag, saying, "Get your things ready, boys, the boss may come today."

The glorious return of the Lord Jesus to this earth is much more certain that Sir Shackleton's return to Elephant Island. And Christ's return to take each of us to heaven at the end of our days is certain, as well.

And, so, the question is: What preparations have we made? How are we getting ready to meet the Lord?

There is the fable of a certain king who kept a fool, a court jester, in his employment. One day the king gave the fool a staff – a kind of a fancy walking stick – and told him to keep the staff until the day came that he ever met a fool that was greater than himself. And, so, the fool faithfully kept the staff until the day ever came that he met a greater fool than he was.

Years went by until one day a message was sent to the fool telling him to go to visit the king. For the king was deathly ill and wanted to be entertained.

When the fool went in to see the king the king said, "I must shortly leave you."

"And where are you going," asked the fool.

"Into another world," answered the king.

"And when will you return? Within a month?"

"No," was the answer.

"Within a year?" asked the fool.

"No," answered the king.

"When, then?" asked the fool.

"Never!" replied the king.

"Never?" said the fool. "And what preparations have you made for your entertainment in that place where you are going?" he asked.

"None at all," replied the king.

"No?" said the fool, "None at all?" Then, taking the staff the king had given him years earlier, the fool said, "Here, then, take my staff; for even with all my foolishness I am not guilty of such foolishness as this."

Our gospel lesson for this morning reminds us of the importance of getting ready. For, as John the Baptist stood out in the wilderness he cried out, "Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him; every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all humanity will see God's salvation.'"

But, there is more to being prepared for the coming of the Lord than simply being ready to meet God at the end of time, or at the moment of our death. For being prepared for the coming of Christ means getting ready to live. It means doing what it takes to be fully alive!

Over the years I have been a pastor I have meant many Christians who were using this time to be fully alive for Jesus. And, at the same time, I have encountered many Christians who were simply spending their time getting ready for death.

I heard the story, a while back, about a guy named Mike who, two years before his death, began to make preparation for his dimise . He bought a lot in the cemetery. Weekly, he visited the site where his mortal remains would be interred. He planted grass there and mowed it regularly. On Memorial Day, he placed flowers on the grave site, for he said, "I want to see flowers there now. I know I won't be able to see them when I'm gone!"

A while later Mike went into a funeral home. "I want to buy the casket which will be my new home," he said. Whenever he passed the funeral home he would go in. Standing beside the casket he would say, "That's where I'm going to live someday!"

One day Mike invited a nephew and the rest of his family to come to see him. After a big meal, Mike began to dispense some canned goods and personal effects among his visitors. Then he handed his nephew his will. And has he did this, he dropped dead of heart failure!

So far as we know, Mike had made every provision for his body but none for his soul.

How important it is for us to be getting ready, not for death, but for life! And the only way we can do that is by taking care of the things of the soul. Do we read and study the scriptures on a regular basis? Do we have a prayer life? Do we care about the physical and spiritual needs of others? Are we in some kind of a personal mission to the world, to share God's love in some way? When we do these things we get ready for life – eternal life! And that, not death, is what God has in store for us!

Retirement can be a good thing. Let's face it, after working at earning a living for 40 years, or so, it is nice to be freed from that in order to do other things. Unfortunately, there are those who retire and just start using that time as a time to get ready to die. They go and sit somewhere, and start to mold, not realizing that the years ahead may be the most productive years they ever had. After all, how many years are people retired? Some make it or only a few years, of course. But there are many, many persons who upon retiring at 65 can look forward to a retirement that is 20 or even 30 years long! And who wants to spend 20 to 30 years getting ready to die? I'd much rather spend those years getting ready to live by being active in the community, active in the church, busy helping the poor in missions organizations, doing things that are creative and helpful and caring.

Getting ready for the day of the Lord is as simple as that. And, yet, there are those who have gone off the deep end, trying to prepare. One group out in Weed, California, has built a mountain retreat as a refuge from future nuclear attacks or other catastrophes that could bring on the end of the world. Anyone who wants to join has to pay over $12,000 for membership with dues of $300 per year. What they get for all that money is a small A-frame hut and access to a big old barn full of dehydrated food. In the event of a world disaster, they'd all head to the retreat and await for the Lord's arrival.

Of course, that's not what God wants us to do when the scriptures talk about preparing the way for the Lord. For, as Jesus said, man can not live by bread, alone. We can't even survive on dehydrated food! But, it is only by the Word of God, by following the Way of Jesus, by studying scripture, through prayer, and by caring for one another, that we may get ready to live.

Amen.