Keep Watch

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of 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. Matthew 24:36-44 

I read a blog by Timothy Merrill, editor of Homiletics Online, about how not to sleep through a sermon.

ONE: Never fall asleep flat on the pew. To keep this from happening, it's actually better to sit in a crowded pew, shoulder to shoulder with people on your left and right. Otherwise, if you fall asleep, you might lean right over on the pew and that's not good.

TWO: When you sleep, don't fall completely asleep, but just power nap instead. If you fall completely asleep, your sleep apnea might kick up and that's embarrassing. Better to just go half-asleep, so that you're vaguely aware of your surroundings. It helps to use a Bible to prop your chin up, or lean against your head. You can close your eyes, as long as the Bible is in view because the preacher will think you're praying. If you power nap, you'll be ready if the pastor asks you to pronounce the benediction.

THREE: Have a friend be a watcher. Sit with someone who's sympathetic to your plight. Your spouse may not be the right person. You need a friend who will nudge you if the preacher seems to be looking in your direction a lot. Make sure a Bible is open on your lap, or is prominently in view. Your friend can rouse you so that you can say "Amen" and get back to your nap.

FOUR: Don't sit in the back pew. Believe it or not, this is the first place preachers look for sermon slackers. If you sit in the first or second pew, you can actually get more sleep in because preachers will just look right past you.

FIVE: Don't sleep through the entire sermon. After all, the preacher has something from the Lord you probably need to hear. But when you've heard it, you have no further obligation to stay awake. Still, if you can be awake for some of the sermon, you can then refer to it when you're leaving the church and shaking the pastor's hand. "Wonderful sermon, Reverend! I especially enjoyed the part where ...." 

Matthew’s lesson is about staying awake! One does not know the hour or day or time when the Lord will return, not even Jesus. So every moment cannot be wasted. One thing is for sure, I do not blame the clergy staff of Eastridge for preaching boring sermons at all! But I am challenging us this Advent to be alert and wakeful in our daily moments and routines. 

One thought that may help is to “seize-the-moment!” Live in the moment with a sense of expectancy and alertness! Even find the hallowedness of a mere routine such as doing the dishes after dinner or putting out the trash. Treasure the mundane as holy and see what this time of Advent Waiting could really mean with wakeful alertness and readiness for the One Whose birth we anticipate. 

Prayer: O Gracious Lord, Emmanuel (God with us!) may we really know that you are truly with us in this moment of reading and in the moments that we live with anticipation of what is yet to be. In faith and in joy we eagerly await the next event with anticipation in Jesus’ name. Amen

Rev. Dr. John J. Duling, Honorably Retired