Be Prepared

What would you do if the world was going to end next week? How about in a month? In a thousand years? We Christians believe that it will end some day when the Kingdom of God arrives. So... how do we get ready for that? This sermon might help you think about that.

While I was scanning Facebook recently, I came across the astonishing prediction that the world is going to end next Sunday. According to someone named Terral Croft, the world will be destroyed by massive earthquakes on Sunday, November 19 “when Earth passes behind the Sun relative to the Black Star in the Libra Constellation.” (This quote is allegedly from Mr. Croft’s blog.) Call me a skeptic, but I don’t believe that prediction; and it’s not just because I am looking forward to enjoying Thanksgiving. No, it’s because lots of other people have predicted the end of the world before now; and they have all been mistaken in their calculations. I understand that even Sir Isaac Newton took a crack at that kind of prediction. He thought that the world would end in the year 2016. Since that date has passed and we are all still here, I assume that he was also wrong.

But what if the world was really going to end next Sunday? What would you do to get ready for that? Would you go out and buy all the things that you have always wanted? Would you quit your job and spend next week with your family? Would you find a quiet place to pray and meditate and just wait for the end? Fortunately, we don’t need to do any of those things right now. I’m fairly certain that the world will go right on turning throughout next Sunday into a week from tomorrow. (And if I’m wrong, I’ll certainly be the first one to apologize!) But one day, this world will, indeed, cease to exist; and we Christians believe that when it does, God will recreate this world into the Kingdom of God. We don’t know the details of how that will happen; and the Bible only offers imaginative glimpses of what that might look like. We don’t even know when that will happen. In fact, we really don't know anything at all about it -- only that it will happen someday.

How can we get ready for something like that? There are lots of different responses to that question. Some people just ignore it the whole thing. Their opinion is, “If it won’t happen in my lifetime, then I’m not going to worry about it.” They do whatever they want to do, and they don’t give any thought to the long-term future. Their motto, like that of the goofy character who graces the cover of Mad Magazine, is “What, me? Worry?” Other people know that life is short and nothing is certain; and they follow the advice that a beer company once offered: “You only go around once in life, so you have to grab it with gusto!” Like those who ignore the whole situation, they do whatever they want to do, as long as it is legal (and sometimes even if it isn’t). “Seize the day!” is their motto. “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!”

We Christians have a different motto. We join the Boy Scouts in advising “Be prepared.” Be prepared for anything to happen! Be prepared for the world to end tomorrow; and be prepared for it to last for another million years! We know that God will recreate the world into the Kingdom of God, but we don’t know when that will happen. So, again we ask, “How do we get ready for an event that might happen today, or tomorrow, or not for another millennium?” The beginning of the answer, I think, is to consider what kind of person will fit into that coming kingdom. We all know what that kingdom will be like. It will be peaceful, with no more conflicts. In fact, it will be full of the kind of love that all of us want to get but that almost none of us are able to give: a love that accepts us no matter who we are, or what mistakes we have made in our lives. And because that kingdom will be peaceful and loving, there will be no more pain, no more suffering, and no more tears. That’s what we all yearn for, isn’t it; and that’s what we all look forward to at the end of time. So… if God’s kingdom will be full of peaceful, loving people, how do we get ready for it? The answer should be obvious: we practice being that kind of person right now; and we keep right on practicing until God’s kingdom comes in fullness – whenever that may be!

That may be an obvious answer, but it’s not an easy answer. Have you tried to be loving, forgiving, and accepting? Have you tried to put aside the differences that separate you from other people? Have you tried to reach beyond the divisions of politics, religion, and culture to find the common humanity that we all share? Of course you have; and so have I. Have you succeeded? Of course you haven’t; and neither have I. We will never love, forgive, and accept others the way that we should until we are transformed into the image of Christ when the kingdom of God arrives in its fullness! But that doesn’t mean that we should stop trying. On the contrary, we need to keep trying our best to practice love, forgiveness, and acceptance every single day until this world becomes the next one, whenever that may be!

That next world might be a long time in coming. In fact, we might practice our entire lives while we’re waiting for God’s kingdom to arrive. And we can’t practice anything that long without something to help keep us going! That’s what this morning’s parable from the gospel of Matthew (25:1-13) is all about. It tells of ten young bridesmaids who were waiting for a wedding to begin. In Jesus’ time, a wedding began when the bridegroom arrived at the bride’s home to take her to his own home. The whole wedding party would escort them there carrying lights. This particular bridegroom was late; and some of the bridesmaids hadn’t brought any extra oil for their lamps. In other words, they didn’t have any extra batteries for their flashlights. When the bridegroom finally showed up, their lights were out! They had to go looking for a convenience store that was still open at midnight in hopes of buying some new batteries; and while they were gone, the wedding started, and they were left out in the dark.

Friends, we are those lamps! Jesus tells us (Matthew 5:16) to “let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Love, acceptance, forgiveness: these are the lights that Jesus wants us to shine. They are the acts that will mold us into saints who are fit for the kingdom of God. But they are hard things to do! We need the resources of prayer, study, and community support to be able to do them on a regular basis! The resources that connect us with God and with each other are the oil in our lamps. If we try to be “good people” all by ourselves, we are behaving just like the five foolish bridesmaids who left their lamp oil at home.

So, how are you doing getting ready for the Kingdom of God? Are you filling yourself with the oil of prayer? Are you in a community of faith that supports you as you practice love, forgiveness, and acceptance? Are you worshiping regularly so that you stay connected with God? We want our lights to shine brightly until the kingdom of God comes in fullness! And when we are discouraged, we can hold on to the hope that one day, we won’t need oil for our lamps any longer; because Jesus will supply all the light that we need when we are invited into his home for the wedding feast.