How much do you have to prepare for Christmas yet?
I know my family is notoriously bad at this.
Some years we are sort of ready,
and I think this year we'll be okay.
But usually, we are so busy with myself being a pastor,
my wife as a teacher,
that inevitably, we get behind on something.
Christmas cards, we are very bad at those,
or planning for presents,
we always forget somebody
or even decorations.
By the time we finally put some of them up,
it's not even worth putting them up anymore.
Is this the way you are with Christmas preparation?
Or maybe even better,
is that how you are with your spiritual preparations?
Let me have you imagine something for a moment.
Imagine that you saw all the signs.
You saw the rise in crime statistics in your area,
and let's say you saw on the news
the stories of some gang of thieves
that's kind of on the loose at the time
and then you even heard about your neighbors
talking about how their homes were broken into.
You think you might prepare a little bit?
Maybe you'd beef up the safety
and security of your home.
Maybe you'd even keep watch,
you'd have a flashlight ready to go.
Like it's not a matter if that thief would come,
but just when and whether or not you're prepared.
Well, listen to what Jesus said one time.
Here's what Jesus had to say about himself.
He said, "If the owner of the house had known
"at what time of the night the thief was coming,
"he would have kept watch
"and would not have let his house be broken into.
"So you also must be ready,
"because the Son of Man will come
"at an hour when you do not expect him."
Jesus is going to return
swiftly and suddenly.
So are you ready for that?
Is that something you are prepared for?
All the preparations you're making for Christmas,
are you ready for Jesus' final return?
If you're like me,
I'm sure you get caught up in worldly stuff.
So many things going on in life
and busy schedules and full calendars
and so many things that you lose track
of what's finally most important.
We need to be prepared for Jesus to come.
So how are we going to do that?
How do we prepare?
Well, here's the good news, friends,
Jesus actually helps us to be prepared.
And how does he do that?
It's very simple.
In his word.
Did you know that in John 1,
Jesus is called "The Word,
"The Word made flesh?"
And the word of God Jesus comes
to us in the word of God, the Bible.
And he helps us to prepare,
to prepare our hearts.
It's in the Bible that he exposes
all the wrongs that we have,
those sins and our guilt.
But it's also in the Bible that
he tells us the good news of his forgiveness,
that like a flashlight in the dark,
he beams his lights of love
and forgiveness on us,
that he beefs up our safety,
our security because he tells us the good news
of the peace that we have with God.
Even more than that,
the Bible tells us
to pray continually,
to not give up meeting together
as some are in the habit of doing,
to gather together for worship.
So stay connected to each other.
And stay connected to God and prayer
and stay connected to the word.
And when you do these things,
you will be prepared for Jesus to come.
There are so many ways that
we can prepare for Jesus to come.
What are some things that you
do as your life gets so busy to keep your heart
and your mind focused on Jesus and his return?
Share some things with us so that we can join you
and then we can share ideas,
and come back and join us the rest of this week
as we prepare for Jesus to come.