Are You Ready?

*** Graphic, be prepared

*** NS, setting context

“Do not worry...”

Luke 12:24 NRSV

Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!

Luke 12:27 NRSV

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.

“Do not be afraid...”

Worry

Fear

“Page 1 of 220,000,000 results”

From the lips of Jesus:

Luke 12:32 NRSV

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

It is your father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom!

The Kingdom of God is both present reality and future expectation. It’s breaking in among us now, its full expression comes when all is made whole.

“Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Are you ready?

What does your relationship with money and possessions look like?

Luke 12:33–34 NRSV

Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Being ready means living on earth, where two paths are open to us... Either you live for your own interest, seeking to enrich yourself for your own sake, or you live in the context of the community of the people of God, for others’ sake, thus becoming rich toward God. (F. Bovon)

**NS: Magnetism

Two magnets walk into a bar

Once they’re through the door, the immediately fly to other sides of the room. The bartender comes up to one of them and asks “What happened to you two? I thought you were practically inseparable. The magnet replies “After what happened this weekend…” It shakes its head. “It was so polarizing, we can’t even be close to each other.”

Refrigerator Magnet

I got a refrigerator magnet for my house. Now I have a dozen refrigerators.

Luke 12:34 NRSV

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

One who finds in God one’s deepest joy will find the heart strangely drawn toward God at all times.

We can get something fundamentally right about our relationship with money and possessions

2. Are you ready, at any time, to do the Lord’s will?

Luke 12:35–36 NRSV

“Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks.

Exodus 12:11 NRSV

This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord.

Be prepared, at any time, to be a part of what God is doing in the world!

3. Are you losing out, because you’re not even watching for where God is active in the world?

Luke 12:39–40 NRSV

“But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

Are you ready?

Get real and get right with you relationship with money and possessions.

Be prepared for God to use you on an ordinary day, as you see where God shows up and let him lead you.

Don’t lose out. Watch for what God’s doing!