Matthew Eyerman
August 8, 2004
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
I. Introduction
1. last verse of Psalm 27
Ps 27:14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
2. when I think of waiting I think of Home Depot
a. maybe about 8am with a few items to buy
b. behind some contractor who is buying an entire house
c. 4000 dry wall screws and the check out person is scanning each one
d. and then the dreaded words: price check
e. I know I am going to grow old and die standing here
3. what do you think of when you think of waiting
4. perhaps doctor’s offices or on hold with SBC
5. easy to become
a. bored
b. frustrated
c. angry
6. easy to become anything but ready
II. bridge
1. Jesus has visited His people
2. and promised to come back
3. and we are waiting
4. today’s gospel tells us how we are to wait
5. are you ready
6. are you ready
7. three steps to being ready while we wait
a. preparation
b. practice
c. performance
III. preparation --- #1
1. easy sermon this morning
2. all in one verse Luke 12:35“Gird your loins and light your lamps;
3. other translations LK 12:35“Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit;
4. begin with the first phrase: Gird your loins
5. at time of Jesus everyone wore long robes
a. loins girded
b. pull robes up and tie them up
c. that way person could run without tripping
IV. preparation --- #2
1. loins girded or dressed for action
2. first it is a biblical reference
3. comes from Exodus 12:11
a. story of the Passover
b. Jews were to eat the Passover meal with their loins girded
c. eat dressed for action
4. as soon as God acted, Israel had to be ready to leave Egypt
5. and had to move quickly
6. they had to be prepared
V. Prepared --- stuff
1. on the one hand we know what it means to be prepared
2. story
a. growing up
b. laid my church clothes out the night before
c. made sure that everything was ready
d. made sure that everything matched
e. now with my current wardrobe that this so much a concern
3. parents especially parents of little one
a. you know how important it is to get the clothes ready
b. night before
c. day before
d. otherwise you will never make it
4. if pushed, we can organize our stuff
5. we can be ready
VI. Prepared --- lives
1. but in other ways
2. we are not so prepared
3. we are just staying in line wasting time
4. for example
a. how many of us have wills
b. the rest of us: are we going to live forever?
c. how many of us have planned our funerals
d. you know, the readings, the remarks,
e. bought the cementary plot
f. the rest of us: not planning to have a service?
g. or not planning to be buried
h. just stuff you and mount you by the TV?
5. what are we doing while we are waiting
VII. prepared lives
1. story
a. frog calls the psychic hotline
b. give me some news
c. you will meet a wonderful woman
d. want to know everything about you
e. where?
f. 3rd period biology class on the dissection table
2. point: none of us lives forever
3. tomorrow is not promised
4. but today is
5. use today to be prepared
6. summer is fast coming to a close
a. summer school is finished
b. painting class rooms
7. what have you been putting off all summer
a. I want to pray more
b. I want to make better friends
c. I want to show my parents I love them
d. I want to show my children I love them
8. while we are waiting for Jesus
9. gird our loins
10. be prepared
VIII. Practice
1. return again to the one verse that serves as the basis for sermon
Luke 12:35“Gird your loins and light your lamps;
2. second part of phrase: light your lamps
3. time of Jesus, took practice to light lamps
4. modern parallel is a book of matches
a. first time you picked them up
b. not so easy to light a match
5. first time you picked up your faith
6. really picked it up for yourself, not just watched others use their faith
7. might have been complex
8. but with practice, easier to light the flame of faith
IX. Practice ---- David
1. David in his youth is a biblical example of practice
2. side point
a. biblically based church
b. begins with the simple task
c. read the bible
d. don’t buy the excuse that it is too much to read
e. or that it is hard to understand
f. a bunch of us have read all the Harry Potter books
g. in addition to being about faith
h. bible is a great story
3. recall the story of David and Goliath from 1 Samuel 17
4. everyone remembers that David killed Goliath using a sling shot
5. everyone forgets is that this was not the first time David picked up a sling shot
1 Sam 17:34But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, 35I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it.
6. before he ever got to Goliath, David had practiced
7. I would be willing to bet that not every lion and bear got killed
8. sometimes he missed
9. but only got good by trying
X. practice ---- Michael Jordon
1. I remember a commercial that Michael Jordon made for Nike
2. it was at the height of his career
3. only ran once or twice
4. Michael is walking down the corridor into the United Center
5. recounting
a. cut by three teams
b. missed this many shots
c. had that many shots blocked
d. lost this many games
e. lost that many championships
6. but without all those practices and losses
7. would not have become the best player ever to play the game
XI. practice ---- us
1. are you ready?
2. do you want to be a faith-filled Christian
3. then we have to be willing to practice
4. start small
a. David did not start with Goliath
b. started with lions and bears
5. be willing to make mistakes
a. Michael Jordon did not win a championship
b. the first day he picked up the basketball
XI. practice ---- us
1. our revival is coming up the end of the month
2. great opportunity to evangelize
3. if you have been evangelizing for years, you know what to do
4. if you have professional developed faith life you know what to do
5. if you are just started out
a. a gifted amateur
b. a rookie
6. here are 2 things to do
7. two ways to practice
a. first: pray every day for 5, 10, 15 minutes for the success
b. second: invite 1, 2, 25 people to the revival
8. don’t just stand in line
9. practice your faith
XII. performance ---- #1
1. I lied
2. sermon is actually going to involve a little more of the Gospel
3. the wise servants did not just prepare and practice
4. they also performed
5. God is like Janet Jackson
a. before supposed surgeries
b. before weight loss
c. before the super bowl
d. old school
e. what have you done for me lately
6. God says
a. walk the walk
b. demonstrate that faith
c. some me something
XIII. performance --- #2
1. there is different kind of hero in the bible
2. hero by definition
a. great people
b. who do great things
c. to show themselves great
3. a biblical hero
a. great people
b. like Abraham, Sarah, Issac in the 2nd reading
c. who did great things
d. to show that God is great
4. don’t go home today and say
a. the choir was great
b. wonderful music
5. don’t even go home today and say
a. Kevin was great today
b. Fr. Matt was great today
c. the summer school staff
d. the school staff
e. the rectory staff
f. the ushers
g. the greeters
h. the whoever
i. all doing great work
6. go home today and say
a. this great talent
b. all these wonderful people doing wonderful things
c. all these busy ministries reaching out to people
d. all this is nothing but God
e. God is blessing St. Columbanus
XIV. performance ---- #3
1. Go home today and be a biblical hero
Luke 12:48 From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.
2. run
a. Has the Lord been good to you?
b. better to you than you have been to yourself?
c. has the Lord lifted you up, turned you around
d. set you feet on solid ground
e. has He blessed you, your family, your church, your neighborhood
3. well
4. what are you waiting for
5. time to perform
6. be a hero for God
XV. Conclusion
1. we are waiting
2. but we are not wasting time in an endless line at Home Depot
3. Are you ready
a. takes preparation
b. takes practice
c. take performance
4. Are you ready
5. let’s go
