Watching With Hope

Advent 2020  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  14:15
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Trouble in the Text: Heaven and Earth will pass away, and some will be caught off guard.
Jesus says that He, the one like a Son of Man, will return and Life as we know it will end.
It will be Obvious.
It will be Sudden.
For unprepared, it may Hurt.
Everything will not always be the same.
For the prepared, it will be a Homecoming.
Trouble in the World: Sometimes we are caught off guard.
Sometimes, we are caught of guard because we are too busy with our own lives.
The need for Homecoming implies some kind of separation from Home.
Home for some may indicate a house, but for most, it means where we find family.
A true Home is where people are prepared to receive us in a moment’s notice.
Some separations are forced, and others are chosen, but most are a combination of both.
Right now, we are finding separation from families out of a need of keeping our families safe.
We may be the one that would make a Homecoming unsafe.
Other times, like with a need for a college education, we choose to move from home, at least temporarily, so that we can improve our knowledge in a profession.
Still other times, like when we lose a loved one, we are separated from them for far longer, perhaps permanently.
Either way, we become separated from our families, and this drives a longing to return Home, to be with our loved ones again.
That longing can become an obsession that can draw us further into dark and destructive thinking...
What if there is something better for us?
Would it make a difference if you knew there is something better?
We don’t want to know when someone might not be able to return home again.
We want to to know that they will be with us. So, we look out the windows of our lives, watching for them.
What if we can have Hope in Watching for a Great Homecoming.
Grace in the Text: Jesus will return, and the watchful ones will be drawn to him.
Jesus gives us that Hope!
Not only does He say that he will return, also, the dead and alive will meet with us.
Jesus shows us the way that this Hope becomes a reality!
Jesus says that the productive servant is busy with their assigned task until the master returns.
How do they know their assigned tasks? Jesus told them.
Mark 16:15–16 NIV
15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
The servant much watch for the master’s return, and be in mission.
And, Just as a hopeful parents await the return of their children watch for them, pray for them and prepare for them.
They will faithfully serve with comfort of home and be prepared to open the door in a moment’s notice.
Watch, Pray, and Prepare.
Jesus, watched, prayed and prepared for us in ministry with humanity, and now as we are separated.
If we are to be faithful servants of Christ, we must also, Watch, Pray, and Prepare.
Grace in the World: God calls us to watch, prepare, and hope for Christ’s return.
Watch for the coming of the Lord’s work within our hearts and in the lives of others. Listen for His voice.
Prepare for the Homecoming by redeeming work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and in drawing others to Christ.
Pray for God’s continual renewing work within us and throughout the world, and for Christ’s soon return.
Let us watch, preparing the home of our hearts in prayer and service, and with hope for Jesus’ soon return.
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