Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Give Us This Day

Home
Evangelical
Wednesday of Advent 3 (Ember Wednesday) – Luke 12:35-48

Wednesday of Advent 3 (Ember Wednesday) – Luke 12:35-48

Last updated on: December 16, 2014 at 8:05 pm by Fr. Charles Erlandson

Wednesday of Advent 3 (Ember Wednesday) – Luke 12:35-48 2014-12-16T20:05:13-05:00 Fr. Charles Erlandson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Luke 12:35-48

Why the sudden change today from St. Mark to St. Luke in today’s lesson? Because today is marked out in the Church year as an Ember Day, more specifically Ember Wednesday before Christmas. Advent is often seen as a “Little Lent” in which we prepare for the feast of Christmas, and so the Ember Days are to be used as days of fasting and praying, and there is also a tradition of it being a time to give to the poor. In this way, even as the Fall harvest is gathered in, we deny ourselves some of it so that we mortify the flesh as a means of preparation.

The great theme from today’s lesson from Luke 12 is to prepare for the coming of the Master. I’m getting a sense of déjà vu. Haven’t I heard this before somewhere? Performing a quick word search in my Give Us This Day files, I remember now that on Monday of the First Sunday in Advent we heard John the Baptist cry: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight” and heard him preach a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Now I remember that Advent is a liturgical alarm clock going off in our heads. Just in case any of you have chosen to fall asleep in the last two weeks, Ember Wednesday is your own personal snooze alarm.

WAKE UP! Be like men who wait for their master (verse 35.)

The truth is that your Master is coming. The admonition to stand at attention and look for the coming of our Master has reference to the Second Coming of Christ. No man knows when that will be, and so we’d better all be ready.

But Jesus has delayed His Second Coming. It’s been 2000 years and counting, and the odds are He won’t come today or tomorrow.

But what if He did?

What if Jesus Christ returned to earth tomorrow at 6:21 p.m.? What would He find? Not just what particular activity would He find you doing (though He cares about that, too), but what would be the sum of your life before Him? I don’t know how He will measure your life, but I do know that He will do it.

We used to sing of Santa Claus:

You better watch out

You better not cry

Better not pout

I’m telling you why

Santa Claus is coming to town.

He’s making a list

And checking it twice;

Gonna find out who’s naughty and nice:

Santa Claus is coming to town

At the risk of sounding sacrilegious, what if we substituted “Jesus Christ”

for “Santa Claus”? (What a novel idea – substituting Jesus Christ for Santa Claus at Christmas!) One day, Jesus Christ will come and judge both the living and the dead.

When He does, I think He may take into consideration some of the following things:

Did you come to worship Him in His Church when He called you?

Did you hear His holy Word?

Have you obeyed His commandments?

What have you done that you should not have done – not things in the past and repented of but things still actively doing without repentance?

What have you not done that you should have done?

How often each day and week did you turn to Him in prayer?

Did you in your heart, even if weakly, truly desire Him?

How did you spend the time He gave you?

How did you spend the money He gave you?

How well did you love those He put in your life?

Did you love Him with all your heart?

Considering the seriousness of Christ’s coming and the wanderings of my own heart, I am grateful that God gives me reminder after reminder. In Advent, we have an annual reminder not only that Jesus Christ has come, and therefore we should rejoice with exceedingly great joy, but also that Jesus Christ is coming, and therefore we should prepare our hearts. On this Ember Wednesday, we get an even more particular and pointy reminder (Ouch!) that Jesus Christ is coming.

The truth is that every day is a reminder of the coming of Jesus Christ because every day He is truly with His people. Every day is Christmas, but every day is also Advent. That is the tension of the “now but not yet” with which we live in this world. These days, whose number no man can count, will one day become The Day. But it is not only that God cares about you in eternity. He cares about you now. He comes to you now. Have you been watching?

The only way to prepare for meeting God in eternity is to prepare to meet Him today. The way we receive Him every day is the way we prepare for His Coming. Every day He comes, and every day is the Day in which He may come with great finality.

Blessed is that servant whom his Master will find so doing when He comes.

My prayer for you all, though I do not know some of you personally, is that you will be a wise and faithful steward who will be blessed when his Master comes – blessed this very day. For Jesus Christ is coming, and He is already with us.

Prayer: Awake me today, Lord, from my spiritual slumber. Rouse me by Your Holy Spirit that I may be made alive to You again. Give me Your grace that I may remember and seek You today and every day of my life until that Day when You shall come in judgment. Amen.

Resolution and Point for Meditation: I resolve to find one way to help me remember the Coming of my Master. Choosing to fast, pray, or give alms (three things Jesus expected on the Sermon on the Mount that He would find His disciples doing) would be especially appropriate. Fasting and almsgiving should be accompanied by praying, and prayer should be accompanied by some practical action.

Book of Common Prayer

Ember Wednesday

Fr. Charles Erlandson

Give Us This Day daily devotional

Third Sunday in Advent

Previous Post

December 15, 2014

Tuesday of Advent 3 - Mark 5:21-43

Next Post

December 17, 2014 Thursday of Advent 3 - Mark 6:1-6

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews Featured Give Us This Day Give Us This Day Devotional love me love my wife Love My Wife Reformed Catholicism Blog Spirit-Reality Take This Cup Uncategorized

Select a Month February 2022 November 2021 October 2021 August 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 September 2018 July 2018 March 2018 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does Jesus teach about serving others?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Serve only family Whoever wants to be great must be a servant Only serve the rich Never serve