If this is your normal worship service, I want to encourage you to read our sermon text from this morning in Luke 1:67-79, part of the story of Zechariah the father of John the Baptist. But tonight we pick up another text in Luke 12. These are words of Jesus spoken not to the world at large or to unbelievers, but to those who have said yes to following Jesus.

Maybe people in every age are the same:

• “If I just knew when the burglar was coming, I wouldn’t have to go through the hassle of locking the doors or setting the alarm.”
  
• “If I just knew when the Boss was going to be around, I could slack off the rest of the time.”
  
• “If I just knew when the Lord was returning, I could do my own thing until the time was close.”

But we don’t know, do we? And that’s no way to live anyway. What homeowner, what boss, what Lord…wants people to respond with the bare minimum? What homeowner, what boss, what Lord…wants one way of life lived when they are looking, and another the rest of the time?

No, they just want people to do the right thing.

My sister and brother-in-law and their two small children were here for Thanksgiving. Our kids are much older. Last night the adults went out for coffee, and the kids stayed home. After an hour or so, we came home, expecting to be expected. Thinking they might be waiting for us.

We knocked on the door. No answer. We banged on the door knocker. Nothing. We hammered again and again. Zero. Eventually someone ran down the stairs and let us in. They were busy. They were having a great time. But they weren’t ready for our arrival. Too busy.

In this short parable, Jesus says… be ready, be alert. And in fact, if the Master comes home and finds the servants ready for him, he’ll be pleased. No, not just pleased…he’ll be thrilled, extravagant! He’ll tie up his belt (in those days this meant one’s loose outer robes, to get ready for work/travel), sit the servants down in seats of honor that they would never, ever get to sit in normally…and serve them.

It’s hard for us to understand how big this would have been in an extremely hierarchical society…the master honoring the lowly servant.

What would compare? The president of the smallest country in the world comes to Washington DC, is invited to an official dinner…and finds that the president and vice-president of the U.S. are the two wearing aprons and serving the food.

A shocking turn of events. Actually, probably a very helpful turn of events in our day!

Here in Advent, Kelly said, we wait and look back to the arrival of Jesus in the flesh. The same Jesus who one day would serve his disciples by tying up his robe and washing their feet. Jesus tied the towel on and not only did he do the servants’ work, but he honored them and served them… people he just wanted to do the right thing.

We wait for that Jesus.

And we look ahead to the second, final coming of Jesus. The one he talks about in this simple story. We look ahead not to try and calculate when it might be (the trap that every single generation falls into), not trying to figure out the right time to be awake…but trying to live life in a state of readiness. No, better than that…just being ready people. Doing the right thing.

Because then it won’t matter exactly when it is.

Two of the old saints thought about this issue:

• Martin Luther was asked, “what would you do if you knew world was ending?” He said, “I’d plant an apple tree.” That would be the right thing to do.
  
• St Francis, similarly was asked, if knew he had but one day to live what would he do? “Keep hoeing the garden,” he said. Do the right thing.

We keep doing the right thing, not because Jesus might peek in and see us…but because Jesus has peeked in: knows all we are, all our shortcomings…

And came to serve us. To wash our feet. To have us sit at his table. We wait. We wait longer. We wait for Jesus.