Using the restroom, grabbing a toy, getting a snack, washing your hands, searching for your shoes or packing as everyone else is walking out the door for a weeklong trip, are not the signs of someone who is ready to go. When you know you are going somewhere for Thanksgiving, you need to be ready to leave for that place. When you take the time to get what you need, pack it up and calculate what time you need to leave based on how long it will take to get to your destination, then being ready to leave is not an issue. If, however, you do not prepare what you need or figure out how long it will take, you will not be ready to leave and miss out on Thanksgiving.
We do not want to be late to Thanksgiving. Whether you grew up in or are part of a house where you know exactly what time the meal starts or know a general time of day when food will appear, you know you want to be there ready to eat. When you are eagerly waiting for the meal and there is a delay, problems arise. When the uncle who has been fasting since last night, the constantly growing teenager and irrational toddler are feeling the hunger pangs questions and critiques begin to float into the kitchen, where faithful cooks are preparing a meal who share that the meal will be ready when they have finished making it and all who wish to partake would do well to wait with respectful anticipation, so they can enjoy the meal with thanksgiving rather than be sent outside in the cold with a few of the carrot and celery garnishes as their rations. Though timing and temper issues may flare up at Thanksgiving, our Old Testament reading from Habakkuk 1, records a time of weightier issues and impatience. Habakkuk asks, 3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? The prophet was not concerned about meals, but rampant maltreatment of the people. The leadership of God’s people had failed and there was spiritual ruin along with political fractures. Misery filled Habakkuk’s heart, and he cried out to God for answers, but his justice was not coming. Then, in Habakkuk 2, we read, 2 Then the LORD replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets… 3 For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false… 4 “See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright—but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.” God’s answer to Habakkuk was that in his timing and in his way those who are righteous by faith will see justice carried out against the enemies of God and his people who promote and pursue injustice and wrongdoing. Habakkuk would survive his times and be delivered to eternal life with faith in God, not with an exact timeline.
There are mixed feelings about Thanksgiving. Most of us do like aspects of Thanksgiving from the special dishes, time off work or school, football, shopping and time with loved ones. Yet those same things may be the reason we do not like Thanksgiving. But Thanksgiving is not to blame. Although some of you may not like turkey or random shapes from a Jello mold, Thanksgiving as with other holidays forces our feelings forward about something in our lives we have been avoiding. This Thanksgiving we may participate event though we do not feel like celebrating or plan to go so far as to avoid everything and everyone. We may have strong feelings this time of year because we have to confront the idea of confronting a relative or going through the holiday without a loved one that was with us last year, or perhaps our stress from work, school and relationships will tempt us again to misuse of food to cope with our feelings in overindulgence or starvation.
As Thanksgiving exposes our feelings, so Jesus’ return exposes our sins. In our Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus says, 35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.” With this parable, Jesus’ simple point is to be ready for his return. Regarding our sins, the truth that we need to be ready for Jesus’ return at any time, is meant to keep us always aware of what keeps us from being ready for him. Jesus’ return is not like Thanksgiving when you know the date and time, so we need to know what temptations and sins prevent us from being ready for him every day.
What we prioritize each day with our time and money are good indicators of what keeps us from being ready for Jesus’ return. If our time is consumed by work in a way that we are not living as a Christian employee showing honor and respect, working diligently, being honest and searching for ways to share Jesus with coworkers, then we are in danger of not being ready for Jesus’ return. If we spend our time outside of work and school engrossed in entertainment losing ourselves in sports, fantasy worlds, games, gossip, glamor and perverse pictures and videos, then we are in danger of not being ready for Jesus’ return. If we spend our money in ways that only benefit ourselves without regard for our family, the poor, widows, orphans, abused and the ministry of the church, then we are in danger of not being ready for Jesus’ return. If we are not spending time maturing in our faith with Scripture and sacrament, then we are in danger of not being ready for Jesus’ return.
Jesus wants us to be ready for his return because nothing satisfies like a thanksgiving meal. The heavenly banquet Jesus has prepared for us gives us every reason to be ready for his return. As Jesus continued his parable in Luke 12, he said, 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. This parable takes a strange twist here as we would expect the master to return home to the dressed-ready-for-service-lamps-burning servants to serve him, but the master returns home and puts on servant clothes. Then, the master invites his servants to recline at the table so he can serve them. Jesus is the master who came to serve us. He spent his life ready to give his life as a sacrifice on the cross, but it was not a life spent sitting on a bench outside Jerusalem with his earbuds in listening to the Bible, Christian podcasts and praise songs. Although it was good for Jesus to spend time reading Scripture and being alone with God in prayer, he also sought out those who were spiritually sick and dying to heal them with his words of forgiveness as the Savior. Jesus actively served us through his good and sinless life, and he passively served us as he let himself be arrested, convicted and nailed to the cross to die and be buried for our sins. Then, with his resurrection and ascension, he proved that he is our Savior who served us with salvation. When Jesus returns, he will take us to be seated at the banquet table in heaven where we will enjoy the meal of thanksgiving to our God forever.
Jesus will return. Our faith is in who is coming, not when he is coming. Keeping who Jesus is and what he has done for us always on our minds and in our hearts makes us ready for him. In the last chapter of the Bible, our New Testament reading from Revelation 22, we are encouraged to be ready for what will soon take place, 7 “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.” 12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Jesus being God from all eternity, outside of time, full of power and grace will give us an eternal home in heaven. After waiting for his return, he will give us his reward having forgotten all our sins and based on the work he has done through us for his kingdom. So, we listen to the encouragement from Jesus in Luke 12 as he concludes his parable and offers another, 38 “It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand 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. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” We remain ready by making plans to read our Bible every day, pray each day, gather for worship and group Bible study, avoid if we can and if we are not prepare ourselves for situations that have tempted us into sin in the past, share Jesus with others in how we speak and act, and connect them to the Bible, pastor and church. When Jesus returns, what we will leave behind will not compare with what we will receive.
Using the restroom, grabbing a toy, getting a snack, searching for your shoes or packing are signs we are not ready to go on a trip. When we know we are going somewhere for Thanksgiving, we have the need to be ready to leave for that place. Jesus tells us we will not know when he is returning, so we always need to be ready for him. Spending time in the Word of God and living out the fruits of faith show our hearts will be ready with thanksgiving when the Son of Man returns. Amen.
Gunnar Ledermann, Pastor Divine Peace Church
Gunnar Ledermann
I’m passionate about Rockwall’s vibrant community and actively engage with local non-profits and community organizations, including the Rockwall Chamber of Commerce, the City of Rockwall, and the Downtown Rockwall Association. My background includes a bachelor’s degree in Classical Languages and a master’s degree in divinity. Currently serving as a pastor at Divine Peace Church in Rockwall, I also enjoy spending time with my wife, Marinda, and our five children.
