Wait On The Lord

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