Be Prepared

Collect for Wednesday in the Fifth Week of Lent

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, renew in us the gifts of your mercy; increase our faith, strengthen our hope, enlighten our understanding, widen our charity, and make us ready to serve you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Be Prepared (Matthew 24:36-25:46)

Be prepared.  I was not a boy scout, though I know their motto when I hear it.  Perhaps I should have been, since I often fail to heed it, and that has brought stress to my life and those around me on too many occasions to number.   So often my priorities are off to the point where my preparations and last minute, and not my best efforts.  The end of the twenty-fourth and beginning of the twenty-fifth chapters in Matthew’s Gospel are filled with many parables on watchfulness, preparation and planning and though many of the Jews to whom Matthew was writing would recognize in these stories analogies about for the coming day of judgment, in this era of constant information, quick fixes and instant gratification, we don’t seem to be looking that expectantly for the end of days, though perhaps we should.  

So what do we take away from all this talk of preparation and readiness?  What in our lives do we need to prepare for?  To watch for?  To expect?  Is it a cherished opportunity to spend the extra time it takes to help your child grow into the full stature of Christ?  Could it be finding and seizing a chance to share your faith with someone you work with every day?  Is it preparing yourself to face the stresses and struggles of your life by immersing yourself in a Lenten discipline of study and prayer, or better still one that carries on beyond Good Friday and Easter and takes root as a part of your daily life, like your daily coffee or checking in on Facebook (or whatever your routine includes…).  There are opportunities to grow in your faith, or to help others find and grow in theirs.  Be watching for them, and when they come, be prepared. 

Bill Robison

Trinity Church, Wauwatosa