Brent Kuhlman

+ Jesu Juva +

“Be on your guard!  Be alert!  You do not know when that time will come . . . What I say to you, I say to everyone:  Watch!”

The Lord Jesus, the Lamb of God, has died, risen and ascended.  On the Last Day He will come to judge the living and the dead as the Lamb of God who has taken away the sin of the world.  Don’t know when that day will come.  Jesus says:  “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Be on your guard.  Be alert!  You do not know when that time will come     . . . What I say to you, I say to everyone:  Watch!”       
  
“What’s that Jesus?  I didn’t quite get everything you said.  Something about the Last Day wasn’t it?  Sorry, I was busy on my laptop. Then I was listening to my I-pod.  Then my mind wandered.  I do that when a sermon starts.  Kuhlman’s bad enough.  But you when you preach . . . sorry.  I should pay more attention.  I did catch a little bit of what you said.  Something about you coming back.  Right?  When will that be exactly?  I’ll put that date on my Blackberry.  And then what time of the day? Narrow it down a bit?  Midnight?  Noon?  Dawn?  I’ll set my alarm.  Work with me here Jesus.  When are you coming back?” 

“I don’t know.  And don’t try to ask the angels.  I just told you that they don’t have a clue either.  Only my Father knows.  And He’s keeping it to Himself.  Why do you ask Trinity?  So you can put off the watching?  Put off the being alert?  Procrastinate?  Put off being on guard until the last second?  That’s what I thought.” 

“Trinity, you’re like the teenager who asks Mom and Dad the big question before they go on a trip:  “When will you be back?”  You know why he asks.  You’ve been there.  Done that.  Still do that.  He asks so he can royally goof off.” 

“He asks so he can be naughty.  Acting like he’s not Good Friday-ed.  Like he’s not even baptized.  Like the faith he’s been given and taught is a nothing.  Like he’s not part of his family anymore. He asks so he can throw a house party with a keg in every room.  So his guests can be party animals and do unspeakable deeds in the darkness.  Sleep it all off, get up, cruise the malls, ditch the homework, skip the chores, text message and chat for hours, pig out on pizza, cheeseburgers, Doritos and Mountain Dew. Order dozens of pay-per-view movies, veg out, belch, and pass gas.  And then start the partying all over again.  Round and round it goes.  Where it stops nobody knows."

‘So Mom and Dad, when will you be back?’  He asks so at the last minute he can get his act together right before the folks pull into the driveway.”

“But Mom and Dad’s answer is just like Mine:  “Don’t know when we’re coming back.  Might be next month.  Next week.  In a day or two.  Might be tomorrow morning.  Could even be around midnight tonight.  Possibly even in a couple of hours.  We just don’t know.  But we will be back.  See you then son!”

“Brilliant move Jesus!  We don’t dare goof off then.  We’ll need to be watchful.  On our guard.  Not be deceived by friends who lie:  ‘Oh, your folks aren’t coming back.  At least not today.  Certainly not this week.  Come on, let’s party!’”

“Exactly.  No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Be on your guard.  Be alert.  You do not know when that time will come.  . . . keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back.  . . .  If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.  What I say to you, I say to everyone:  Watch!”

Watch.  Jesus comes to you in the Lord’s Supper today.  He comes for you.  Giving you pardon and peace from His Words:  “My Body and Blood given and shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins.”  And where there’s forgiveness of sins, there is life and salvation.  Happy watching as you eat and drink to your salvation.   

Now:  “To Him is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!  Amen.”