Fear Not and Be Ready

August 12, 2007
11th Sunday after Pentecost

Text: Luke 12:32-40

Preacher: The Rev. R. Bruce Todd

A few years ago Curtis Mayfield passed away. In the 60's at the height of the Civil Rights movement, Curtis Mayfield, the lead singer of “The Impressions,” wrote his most memorable lyrics. “People get ready. There's a train, a comin'. You don't need no baggage, you just get on board. All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'. Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord.

Curtis Mayfield was calling people to a higher purpose. The chaos of the 60’s left our nation in much confusion --from the Six-Day War to Viet Nam, from the assassination of JFK to Martin Luther King. There were many reasons to be afraid during the 60's. But Mayfield, like many others, understood that something great was on the horizon. He could hear it like the distant hummin’ of a diesel engine. You don’t need no baggage; all you need is faith; don’t need no ticket; you just get on board.

This is the message that Jesus is giving to his disciples. They are to be ready. They are not to be afraid; they are to sell their possessions—don’t need no baggage. They are to be dressed for service and ready to open the door when the master returns. The train is coming.

One day Jesus will return and we must be ready. But how are we to prepare ourselves?
For the answer to that question we must look closely at our text this morning. First we are to get ready by watching for the Master’s return. The Second Coming of Jesus is such a touchy subject for the church. We wonder why he is taking so long. Many have tried to figure out when he is coming back, and everyone of the them have been disappointed.

William Miller, who lived between 1782-1849, studying the books of Daniel and Revelation, predicted that March 21, 1844 was the precise date when Christ would return to earth. When this day came and went without the promised appearance of Christ, Miller changed his prediction to October 22, 1844. That date came and went. Many of his followers deserted him but many stuck around and today you know them as 7th Day Adventist.

Hal Lindsey, in his book “The Late Great Planet Earth,” which has sold over 30 million copies, predicted in his book that 40 years after the establishment of the country of Israel Jesus would return to earth and 7 years after that return the church would be raptured to heaven. The problem is this: Israel was established in 1948. Christ should have returned in 1988 and the church raptured in 1995. I have a little news for us all. If this is heaven - we’re all in a lot of trouble.

In 1997 Lindsey was forced to change his predictions. Harold Camping, president of Family Radio, predicted the world would end in September of 1994. Grant R. Jeffrey wrote a popular book called Armageddon, stating that the year 2000 was the most likely date of the world’s end. Now that we are moving way past the year 2000, hopefully most of these doom and gloomers will give it a rest, but I'm not holding my breath.

The question raised is: What did Jesus mean when he told us to watch? If charting and planning and dating is not his meaning, then what is? This question brings us to the second way the people of God are to get ready. We are to get ready not by predicting a date - but by getting rid of our fears. Jesus knows just as well as any of us that there is plenty wrong with the world, and much of it is never going to get better. He is not suggesting that Christians will be immune to suffering. Instead, he is asking his followers to adopt a way of life that is not rooted in the securities of this world.

Last week we dealt with the potion of the Gospel that just preceded today’s lesson. Jesus had just finished dealing with a young man who was jealous because his brother was getting their father’s estate. This jealous young man wanted Jesus to preside over his case and resolve the matter. He wanted half. He wanted a secure future. He wanted Jesus to turn the tables of Jewish custom in his favor. Jesus said, I am not your lawyer young man but I will give you a piece of advice: “Watch out! Be Alert! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed.” Now to us it seems fair that this young man should receive half of his father’s inheritance, but Jesus doesn’t see it that way. He turns to this fellow and tells him a parable about a rich man who had a great crop and stored it all for himself but that night his soul was required of him. On the very night he got his barns built and secured his future he died. He never ate a single grain of corn.

It is better, Jesus says, to be rich toward God. Jesus then turns away from this young man and addresses his disciples. He said, “This fellow is worried about his life and how it will all turn out. I don’t want you to worry about your life. I don’t want you to worry about what you will eat. I don’t worry about what you are going to drink and I don’t want you to worry about what you are going to wear. Consider the ravens and the lilies, he said. Doesn’t God take care of these, how much more valuable are you?”

Most of our life we spend worrying about our security. But what would happen to those insecurities if we suddenly sold everything we owned and gave it to the poor? I am convinced that we would view life from the perspective of needs of others and we would come to depend on God, really depend on him, for our most basic daily necessities.

I don’t think that God is asking us to sell everything we have and give it to the poor. That’s one of the struggles I have as a pastor. As I read scripture I come upon these very difficult sayings, “Sell all you have and give it to the poor.” Measuring my life against that standard, I would have to admit that I have failed. I like having a car to drive - a house to live in - and I don’t know if you know - I like vacations and traveling.

“Sell all you have and give it to the poor.” I would suspect that measuring any of our lives against that standard, we all have failed. None of us fulfill this command. But I don’t think that this is the standard for all Christians. I think it is a standard for the disciples. God does ask certain people to sell everything because they have been called into Christian mission. But I don’t find Jesus making this a standard with everyone he meets.

We all remember Zacchaeus for his small stature and climbing the Sycamore Tree. Few of us remember him for the tall stature of his attitude and what happened in his home. Out of the blue, during the meal, he says to Jesus, I will sell half of everything I own give it to the poor, and if I have wronged anyone I will pay them back fourfold. Do you remember Jesus’ response? He did not say, no, you must sell everything Zacchaeus. He said - no greater faith exists in all of Israel. There is a standard - but it is not selling everything you have. The standard is: How much time do you spend worrying - - worrying about storing up treasures on earth and how much time do you spend storing up treasures in heaven? If the scales are titling toward heaven then I think we are meeting Jesus’ standard.

And that brings us to the third way the people of God are to get ready. We are to get ready through service. For all the words that we use to describe Christian behavior there is none better than servant. Look at this rather short parable. The master has left to go to a wedding banquet and there is no way for the servants of that master to know when he will return. It could be that very night. It could be the next night. It could be three days before he returns home. Because weddings in Jewish culture were week long events, one never knew how long they would last. If the wine held out and the celebration was lively enough, he could be there all week. But the servants are not privy to the master’s plans. They are simply to be ready when he knocks on the door.

On the surface, this is a routine story. But there is a remarkable twist at the end. It involves a role reversal. Jesus says, it will be good for those servants who are watching and meet their master at the door. That makes sense. The master will have certain needs that must be met when he arrives. They must feed him if he is hungry. The must help him unpack. They must give him an accounting—what they have done since he has been gone. If they are not ready they’ll be in big trouble.

This makes sense - but this is not how the story ends. Look at the end in verse 37.
It is not the servants who wait on the master. It is the master who waits on the servants.
That’s odd! It will be good for those servants who are ready for the master not because there is the threat of punishment for un-alert behavior but because there is the promise of a lavish master who upon his return graciously gives to his servants. He Set them down and serves them!

This is a different picture of a master and a servant. One where the rewards are beyond measure and grace is abundant. That’s the kind of promise that our Lord has given us upon his return. He will sit us down at his banquet table, and satisfy the needs of us—his servants. Is this normal? No! But this is Jesus! It was Jesus who said, In order to be Master of all, you must be servant of all. So should we really be surprised that our Master, would serve us - his servants? Sometimes it takes these surprising events to get our attention.

Donald Trump, the famous businessman, has a net worth of 2 billion dollars. Wouldn't it be nice to have him as a personal friend? Some people think he’s a great guy while others think he is a bit arrogant. But there is a story about Trump's generosity with a stranger.

It is said that Donald Trump's limousine broke down on the Garden State Parkway on the way home from Atlantic City during a weekend excursion. An unemployed auto mechanic stopped to help, succeeded in getting the limo running and then refused to accept any payment for his services. Trump was so impressed that the next day he sent flowers to the mechanic's wife and a certified letter stating that the man's mortgage had been paid in full. Trump was asked about the incident and refused to confirm or deny the story or say exactly what he did for
the Good Samaritan mechanic. "I don't do those kinds of things for publicity," he said.

Sometimes those who are served - serve others! What a deal it would be to have someone really rich taking care of us. If we knew that with their vast wealth they would gladly help us, we could be free from many worries. We would have financial security. No fear! But that kind of security is hard to come by.

How good it will be, when, out of the vast wealth of our Heavenly Father’s grace, the Lord returns and we, his servants, are asked to sit down and be served by the master.

People get ready, there's a train, a comin'. You don't need no baggage. You just get on
board. All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin'. Don't need no ticket, you just thank the Lord.

We need to be ready! The Lord is coming again and there’s going to be a party! He’s going to greet us and say: Have no fear little flock! For the Father has chosen to give you the kingdom. Have no fear little flock! Amen!