Luke 12:32-40

It’s been too long, we’ve been waiting too long. We haven’t forgotten, but we’re not expecting Him anymore. It’s been 1974 years since Jesus ascended into heaven. When the disciples watched Him go up, they naturally were a little shook. He was gone. Now what? That’s when the angels told them not to be afraid, that He would be coming back soon.

But it’s been so long. "Soon", I guess, is a relative term, because I wouldn’t call 2000 years "soon". And something has happened over the years. We’ve stopped expecting. We’ve stopped looking out the window wondering if today is the day He’s returning. We know He’s coming back. Just ask us, "Is Jesus going to come back?" and we’d answer with a confident "yes". But we really didn’t expect Him today, did we? This was just an ordinary day. We went through our routine, and we really didn’t watch for Him.

And this has had an effect on us. Instead of looking for Jesus, we look at ourselves. And when we’re watching ourselves, we get discouraged. We see our own weaknesses, our own failures. We see our inability to change the world, to make a difference, which makes us a little afraid. Look at what’s happening in this world. War, murder, falling bridges, drug abuse, starving people, strange theology, false religions, people throwing out the Bible left and right. It’s all so overwhelming. We know Jesus is coming back, we just don’t think it will be this evening, and that is frightening.

Which is why Jesus tells us, in verse 32:

This evenings text comes from something called the Revised Common Lectionary. It’s a tool that helps us learn from the whole Bible, rather than just little parts of it. It’s a tool that follows the church year, beginning with Advent and Christmas, going through Lent and Good Friday and Easter, and then through Pentecost. Right now, August 12, we are at the 11^th Sunday after Pentecost, which probably seems very unimportant to know.

But here’s what we need to remember. We are living in the shadow of Pentecost. We are living in the power of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost was a wonderful Sunday to remember what the Holy Spirit does in our lives. But that didn’t end back there, 11 weeks ago. Right here, right now, we live under the influence of the Spirit.

And that drives away our fear:

It’s His kingdom, but He’s given it to you, you who have given over your lives to Jesus and have trusted in Him for your salvation. It’s the kingdom of God, but He’s given it to you. This kingdom that is unshakeable. This kingdom that is coming, and nothing can stop it. This kingdom where truth and beauty and justice and joy are the norm. That’s your kingdom, the kingdom of your Father. Don’t be afraid, little flock. You don’t live in the middle of murder and war and lies. You live in the kingdom of God.

This gives us such comfort. We’re safe, here in the kingdom. We’re home. And yet, the kingdom is not complete. There is suffering in the kingdom. You don’t need me to tell you this. You see it every day. So, while the kingdom gives us comfort and security, it also requires something of us. Something a little risky. Verse 33:

Jesus says this so quick, so direct, it’s hard to take it in. Our minds do little tricks. "Well, He couldn’t really mean to sell our stuff and just give it to poor people. That’s ridiculous. That’s for radical Christians living in communes. That’s for 13^th century monks. Jesus is just making a point."

Well, that’s true, Jesus is making a point, but we won’t get the point unless we take this seriously. If we dodge this, explain this away, we’ll miss the point. Living in the kingdom means letting go of everything else. We either live in the kingdom or we live outside the kingdom. There’s no way to live with one foot in both, enjoy the comfort and security of the kingdom, and enjoy the stuff of the world. We may not have to get rid of all of our possessions, but we better be ready to. Verse 34:

We want to be in the kingdom, right? That sounds a whole lot better than being in the world, right? Then what we value has to be in the kingdom and not in the world. Living in the kingdom, where there is no fear, means holding the same values as God holds. It means having the same compassion for hurting people as He has. It means searching for the lost, the same way Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. It means that when people move into our neighborhood who do bad things, who use nasty language, who have drug and alcohol addictions, it means that we don’t shy away from them. We don’t complain, "There’s goes the neighborhood." It means we see them as people to care for, to reach out to.

It means we’re ready to serve. Verse 35:

We’re ready when a need comes up. That’s why we have deacons, so that we’re ready. That’s why we have Ron as a diaconal assistant, so that we’re ready. That’s why we did those service inventories, that some of us haven’t filled out yet. So that we’re ready.

This isn’t going to come naturally. There will be a lot of people who are not dressed for service. They are dressed for themselves. There are even a lot of churches that dressed to feel good rather than dressed for service. Going to church makes us feel good. We enjoy the singing, we want to hear nice words, it’s great for fellowship. But that’s it. The church is to feed the well-fed.

That’s not going to be us. Jesus says, "Don’t be like everyone else. YOU be ready. YOU be dressed. YOU be serving. Because, when we’re ready for service in the kingdom, when our hearts and treasure are in the right place, then we’re ready for Jesus to return.

If it’s been too long since Jesus left, then we’re not acting like He’s about to return. If He’s not coming back today, then we don’t act like He might come back today. This is how our priorities get messed up. This is how we don’t trust Him for our financial security. This is how we think we’re on our own in this messed up world. Because we don’t think He’s coming back anytime soon.

So Jesus urges us to watch. This isn’t so much of a warning as it is an encouragement. He’s not holding His return over our heads, threatening us to be better servants. His return is supposed to be comforting. Remember those first words?

The kingdom, the perfect kingdom, is coming, and it will belong to you. Listen to verse 37. It will knock your socks off:

The master is Jesus Himself, and we’ll see Him coming on the clouds in all of His glory. We know this, and we can’t wait for this. But did you see what He’s coming to do. He will dress Himself to serve, and He will have us recline at the table, and He will come and wait on us.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a little uncomfortable with this image. I’m okay with His majesty. I’m okay with His glory. But Jesus, waiting on me, serving me. I’m embarrassed. I’m with Peter, when Jesus washed his feet. I’m humbled, how about you?

But this promise, this future is supposed to do more than embarrass us. It’s supposed to put our heart in the right place. It’s supposed to store up treasures in heaven. It’s supposed to get us to the point where we would be ready to sell all of our possessions and give them to the poor. Because, if this is what Jesus is coming to do for us, then we can do the same thing for others right now.

We can dress ourselves to serve. Remember the whole "dressed for success?" Power ties, impressive clothes? This is the opposite. This is dressed to serve. And it’s not so much about clothing as it is about attitude. Do you hear the love, the adoration Jesus has for us as He prepares to dress Himself to serve us, to wait on us? We get glimpses of this when we come to the communion table, of being served by Jesus. And what makes us uncomfortable is His humility. And it’s precisely that humility that we dress ourselves with.

Humility means that we don’t condemn people for the struggles they got themselves into. We recognize that we all make mistakes, and we all need help at some time or other. We are all dependent on God and each other.

Being dressed to serve means we are consciously watching for ways to help. You know you have a good waiter at a restaurant when they come and fill up your water glass before you have to ask. They’re watching your table, anticipating your needs. This is what Jesus is doing, this is what Jesus will do, and if we want to be ready for His return, then this is what we are doing right now.

Who lives next to you, and what do they need? Who works next to you, and what do they need? Is there a mom struggling to find child-care? Offering just an hour or two a week would be so helpful. Is there someone you know that just doesn’t seem to have any friends? They’re too grumpy. They keep to themselves. They never go anyplace. Drop them a card. Call them up. Stop by. It might be a little scary, not knowing how they’ll react. But you’ll be dressed like Christ, dressed for service.

Is it more Godly to just keep your nose out of their business, or is it more Christ-like to be watching for their hurts, listening for their sorrows, approaching them to offer help. Your help might not always be accepted, and even the offer might not be appreciated. That’s okay. That’s how we are ready for the Lord Jesus to come.

There won’t be enough time to scramble into position, to quick find a person who needs our service, when Jesus comes. We have to be in position right now, if we want to be ready. Jesus is going to come, and He’s going to point to the hurting, the lost, the grieving people around us, and He’s going to ask what we’re doing about it. And it’s not going to work to tell Him, "That wasn’t my table. They weren’t my responsibility. Verse 38:

Jesus is coming, and He’s coming to serve. Jesus is coming, and He’s expecting to find us serving already, dressed to serve. One more time, this text is not meant to scare. One more time, this text is meant to encourage. To be Christ-like is to serve. To be Christ-like is to live in the kingdom of God. To be Christ-like is to be ready, ready to see Christ coming.