Luke 21:25-36
25 "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
29 He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
32 "I tell you the truth, this generation_ will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
34 "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."

Introduction

Pop quiz.
· Car stranded on the highway in the cold.
· Unexpected guests arrive.
· What would happen to your family tonight if your furnace malfunctioned and it poured carbon monoxide through the heating vents?


In all of these situations, we must agree that if we are ready for them, we would be much more able to cope with the situation. In fact, in some of the cases, we would welcome the unexpected and look forward to that event.

· If we have an emergency kit in our car, we would be able to cope until help arrived.
· If we had a carbon monoxide detector, we would be able to get out of our home before being overcome.
· If we were prepared for a pop quiz, we would have the satisfaction of doing well on the quiz and to show that we did indeed understand the lesson.
· If unexpected guests arrived, we would be happy to show that we can be good hosts even at the spur of the moment and we would enjoy their visit for as long as they stayed.



Point: At times we will face situations that are somewhat out of the ordinary. The one who realizes that this could happen and is prepared is the one who will be able to cope with that situation the best. In other cases, it certainly helps us to know ahead of time that a deadline is approaching so that we can be well prepared for it. In fact, when that is the case, we can prepare for it and actually look forward to that out of the ordinary event.

For example:
· Preparing for a test. The teacher will let us know in advance what will be on the test and on what day so that we can study for it.
· Confirmation. We engage in study in the class so that we can confidently confess our faith in front of the congregation and our family.
· Wedding. It is a day of joy and celebration which we put a lot of time into planning.
· Making a major purchase or just getting all of our Christmas shopping done.
· Paying taxes. We know that they are due on April 15th and so we prepare our taxes or have someone else prepare them for us well in advance.


As we consider our lives, we realize that there are a number of things that we need to prepare for and events that may or may not be planned which will cause a dramatic change in our lives. I have mentioned several of those expected and unexpected events. In most cases, it is best to be prepared.

But we didn't come here this morning to be reminded how important it is to study for a pop quiz or to make sure we have a carbon monoxide detector in our homes. The focus of this first Sunday in Advent is to be prepared for a much more dramatic and long lasting event. Today is the first worship service in the Advent season as we prepare for the coming of Jesus. (The word advent means coming.) Ironically, even though the major focus of this season is on the coming of Jesus into the world as a baby on Christmas, our emphasis today is on his second coming when he will return on the Last Day.

27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

In over 300 references, the Bible tells us that Jesus is coming again. This will be an event that will have a profound impact on the world and on each of us as individuals. 
· Jesus will return in the clouds with his angels and with sound of the trumpet and every eye will see him.
· The world as we know it will be destroyed with fire.
· Jesus will raise all the dead and everyone will appear before his throne to be judged.
· The unbelievers will be sent to hell.
· The believers will live with Jesus in a new heaven and a new earth.

We may believe that the most important event we have to plan for right now is our homework, or the next big game, or to have guests at Christmas, or to carry out our responsibilities at work, but that isn't true. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Do not worry about what you will eat and what you will drink or what you will wear. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man." Repeatedly the word of God tells us to be prepared for that which is most important.

Do we?
Last week one of our members passed away rather suddenly. As I consulted with her husband and son, I asked if they had any special sections of the bible that they would like read at the funeral or any special hymns sung. Although Lydia had some preferences, she had never written them down and so I chose what I believed to be appropriate. We just don't like to prepare for the day of our own death. Nor do we necessarily like to prepare for that day when Jesus will return. We get all wrapped up with the daily demands on our lives that we lose sight of our long range future.

Even at the time of Jesus this was true-and with devastating results.
34 "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth

Life got them down. The approach for many was to avoid the demands of life and to seek alternate ways to cope.
Dissipation-to indulge in the unrestrained use of pleasure.
Drunkenness
Anxieties of Life.

Is that still true today? Our youth today spend 30 to 40 hours a week in front of a screen. (TV, Video games, computer, internet.) One reason may be that this is their way of escaping the reality of life.
Already at an early age, people turn to drugs and alcohol or food or sex as an escape. Life is pressing hard and so they seek their relief through these ways. 
Others seek their relief through pleasure.

Life is hard. We are faced with strong opposition to our faith and our Christian values. The unholy three would like nothing better than for us to escape in this way.

But at what cost? We can cite the negative effects of anxiety, abuse of drugs and alcohol, too much time in front of the screen, but the biggest cost will take place when Jesus returns. For those who aren't prepared that day will spring on them like a trap.


Illustration: One way to catch an animal is to use a trap. Within the trap there is bait attached to a device that springs the trap. The animal enters the trap intent on the bait, but when they grab it they are caught. The bait we face is the things of this world. Get too engrossed in them and you become trapped.

Therefore, Jesus urges us to recognize the signs (reminders) that he is coming and to be prepared.

25 "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.

Illustration: Trees tell us that summer is near. Signs of the change of seasons that we need to prepare for.

A major change is coming. Return of Jesus or our own death.

We are to prepare. 

36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."

Those who are prepared will be able to stand before Jesus. Through trust in what he has done for us, we will be able to stand as forgiven children of God assured of eternal life as a gift to all who rely on Jesus as their savior.

Therefore, our attitude toward that last day will be one of anticipated joy. As I said earlier, there are events in our lives that will cause a dramatic impact on our lives. Tests, emergencies, planned events just as weddings, etc. I look forward to major events that come up and appreciate knowing about them ahead of time so that I can be prepared. Jesus tells us ahead of time that he is coming again. He gives us the signs to remind us of this fact. He urges us to be prepared. And as we see that day approaching we can lift up our heads for our redemption is drawing near. We can look forward to that day with joy and expectation for we know that at time God will deliver us completely from all the cares and anxieties of this life and bless us with eternal life. Amen.