Last Sunday of the Church Year (25 Nov. 2018)

Situational Awareness

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.  But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.  I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.  No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.  They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.  They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.  They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD, and their descendants with them.  Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.  The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain," says the LORD.  Isaiah 65:17-25

Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise in the assembly of the godly!  Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!  Let them praise His name with dancing, making melody to Him with tambourine and lyre!  For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the humble with salvation.  Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds.  Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands, to execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples, to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron, to execute on them the judgment written! This is honor for all His godly ones. Praise the LORD!  Psalm 149

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.  For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.  But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.  For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.  So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.  For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.  But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.  For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.  Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.  1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the Bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.  For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.  As the Bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.  But at midnight there was a cry, 'Here is the Bridegroom! Come out to meet Him.'  Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'  But the wise answered, saying, 'Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.'  And while they were going to buy, the Bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with Him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.  Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.'  But He answered, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."  Matthew 25:1-13

One of the greatest corny films of all time features naval aviators.  There are quite a number of "mistakes" the Hollywood flyboys make, but the most glaring one is a failure to keep their situational awareness.  They don't "check six," look behind themselves.  They rarely look to the sides.  They hardly even look away from the gunsight directly in front.

Situational awareness is the ability to know what is going on around yourself.  Applicable for drivers, people walking down the street, football quarterbacks, and the Church.

We are implored by the great Missionary to be fully aware regarding the day that the Lord returns.  Things will not be "business as usual" at that point, and there will be signs, as we've seen in previous readings.  But being ready is a bit more particular regarding the arrival of the Lord.

The Lord Himself likens the situation to young maidens waiting for the Bridegroom to arrive for the wedding.  All of them brought lamps, so as to aid in being situationally aware should the wedding party arrive late into the night.  This is good.

But not all of them were properly prepared.  Five of them did not bring enough oil.  It would be light a fighter pilot launching for patrol with almost empty tanks.  All the situational awareness in the world is wasted at that point.

The other five, though, knew that it was best to be prepared, and brought extra oil.  That way, when the inevitable happened and they fell asleep, they were able to go out and meet the Bridegroom when He arrived.  The fact that their lamps had gone out was only a momentary inconvenience.  But they were ready.

We are called to be like the five ready maidens.  Not just ready, but ready and waiting.  This is more than just "situational awareness."  This is being semper paratus - "Always Ready."

This is summed up for us in 2 Timothy 4:2 - "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching."

No matter what happens, no matter where we are, we are to be ready to both proclaim our Lord's victorious return, and wait expectantly for it.  Because we know it will be soon.