"Advent I: A Time To Watch And Prepare”

Next Sunday, December 5th, America will remember how, on December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese airplanes, in an attempted surprise attack, swarmed over America's fleet at Pearl Harbor. The day was a disaster, in a few short hours, 2,400 lives were lost, 8 battleships were taken out of commission, 6 major airfields were destroyed as were most of their planes. Now I say it was an attempted surprise attack, because it really wasn't a surprise at all.

The following information I share with you was never made public during the war, It would have caused a terrible reaction among the already demoralized nation. That being said, you should know that at 7 a.m., when the Japanese warplanes were 137 miles and 50 minutes away, two U.S. soldiers, stationed at a small outpost saw their little radar screen fill up with dots. These soldiers notified their lieutenant who decided these planes must be coming in from California.

Without another thought he said, "Don't worry about it." If he had sounded the alert, there might have been time to scramble the planes at Pearl Harbor, There might have been time to do something. But this lieutenant, at the most critical moment of his career, didn't keep watch. It's not normal for people to watch and wait.

But that's enough of history. Let us concentrate our attention on the words of Jesus who wants to warn the world, who wants to warn you and me about the moment of our judgment, that moment when it will be too late for you or me to make changes in our plans concerning eternity.

You should know Jesus wasn't telling us to quit our jobs or stop planting seeds in our fields. The Lord wasn't urging us to cut our ties to family and friends. He wasn't telling us to pack up a few essential belongings and go to live by ourselves in a cave or out in the desert. He wasn't telling us to gather everybody together and climb to the top of a mountain on a certain, specific day. He wasn't telling us to get out our calculators and try to figure out the day when He comes back in judgment. Jesus said: “nobody knows the day or hour” so put the calculator away.

And if you're wondering what you SHOULD do, the answer is simple. Christians should keep busy living each day in readiness for when the Lord will come. He wants us to do the things we have to do, which we ought and should do.

Here is an example: “During the past few days every mother, every grandmother who was basting the turkey in her kitchen and mashing the potatoes, was at the same time, listening for her children's car in the driveway. She was better prepared for Thanksgiving Day than the grandmother who plunked herself down on a chair in the living room, pulled back the curtains, and just waited for her children's unknown arrival. The first Grandma is better prepared because she's working and she's watching and she's really ready for the moment of celebration.

(Ibid Rev. Klaus)

Have you put eternity on the back burner because you believe Judgment Day is not going to be today, tomorrow, or anytime soon?