By Katy Mariotti
A Message of Hope
You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.
“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.”
Matthew 24:44-46 English Standard Version
In our house, we love a charcuterie. And my kids love to make them! They like to pick out the ingredients and design them so they look pretty. My daughter made this one on Thanksgiving, and if anyone tried to take any part of it before it was finished, she scolded them and let them know that it wasn’t ready yet!
We’ll spend a lot of our time in the next few weeks “getting ready.” We’ll decorate and buy presents, do activities to get us in a Christmasy mood. Even though it can be fun, it can also start to feel like a burden. If we don’t get it done, we won’t be ready! The to-do list starts to feel like a weight on us. The verses from Matthew can feel a little like this. The Son of Man is coming again, and no one will know the time! Be ready! It’s overwhelming.
But there’s an underlying message here that I hope we don’t miss. We need to be ready because HE’S COMING! Why would we need to prepare if He weren’t? So, hopefully we can find joy in the preparation because there’s a promise waiting for us at the end. Better than a delicious charcuterie, better than celebrating Christmas Day, is the coming of Christ! Be ready! Have hope! He’s coming!
Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
