Hi, my name is Alan at it is my great pleasure to be sharing these podcasts with you this week. Today, we are still listening in to Jesus’ talking about the end times and Jesus will return to earth and make all things new. Yesterday we looked at how to keep our hearts from growing cold and the necessity of forgiveness. Today we consider how to ‘keep watch’ or how to guard our hearts.

REFLECTION:

Today’s reading is Matthew 24:36-51 but I am going to focus in on v42-43.
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.”

Jesus says Keep watch! Keep watch! Keep watch…

So we open our eyes… and we look… and we stare… we check over our shoulder… we check over our other shoulder… and we look and we stare…

Jesus? Jesus? What am I watching for??

Jesus goes on to tell a story of attitudes… portrayed by two servants: one, faithful and wise who does what the Master expects, they follow instructions even when they are not being watched and the other, a wicked servant who, while the master is away, forgets the instructions and does whatever they like, they indulge their desires rather than do what they know to be right.

I used to swim… more than is good for anyone. For between 3-4 hours a day: in the morning before school and then again when school had finished. Up and down in a concrete tank, length after length. Why? Because I was good at it and I wanted to get better.

There were occasions when our coach would set the programme but had to be elsewhere. We 30 or so swimmers would be left on our own with only a lifeguard for company.

Hour after hour, length after length… Coach isn’t here… let’s cut a few corners. Let’s do one less set of 100metres… let’s give ourselves a bit more rest… lets not do that long swim at the end… let’s finish early… The temptation was massive. Who would know?

But I wanted to be the best I could be… I wasn’t getting up at silly o’clock to mess around. I’m sure that there were times when I slacked off, but more often than not I would be there until the bitter end. Trusting that my coach knew best even when he wasn’t there to watch and encourage.

Jesus says keep watch, watch our hearts and our attitudes. Make sure that we are not cutting corners, trying to get away with less than our best when we think that no-one is around to see or encourage.

We know we are to forgive…
We know that we are not to judge…
We know that we are meant to help and serve others…
We know that we are to be generous…
We know that we are to be thankful…

The thief is looking to break in and steal our treasures… to steal our love, our peace, our patience, our kindness, gentleness and self-control…
The thief sneaks around in the dark… he’s not looking for a fight… but to steal what he can without being noticed.  Ultimately he wants to get us signed up to his team… selfish and greedy, judgmental, angry, bitter and entitled… he wants to set us off working for him, stealing others joy, causing others hurt, pain and fear…

Keep watch… Keep watch… over our lives, over our hearts and our attitudes… Keep watch.

When Jesus returns let him find us cultivating love and faith.

PRAYER:

Jesus thank you that you love us, that you died for us to take away our sin and shame and to make peace between us and those around us. Help us to cultivate an attitude of love and faithfulness, help us to keep watch over our hearts and spot the work of the thief. Let him find no areas of our lives weak and vulnerable to break in. and let us be sure that we are on your side spreading, love, joy, peace and thankfulness around. Amen.

READING: Matthew 24:36-51

‘But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

‘Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

‘Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, “My master is staying away a long time,” and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.