Positioning Yourself To Be Surprised

Luke 12:32-40

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

“But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

Key Ideas:

You cannot learn about people until you put yourself in a position to know them, cultivate relationships with them, interact with them, be with them.

In is word within the gospel of Luke, Jesus tells us to Keep Watch: be ready, keep your clothes on and keep the lights on.

You never know who or what is coming. God may be just around the corner. And if you are keeping watch, you just may be surprised: the one you call master may turn the tables and begin serving you!

The truth in that people with power, status, authority and influence are often quite content to keep their power, status authority and influence in place.  Rarely, if ever, do folks give up such things to those who work for them or serve them. Yet, Jesus describes a different and surprised way that turns the power relationship upside down! Certainly the slaves in the story would have been surprised. And I suspect the master, by placing himself in the position of serving his slaves, was surprised as well. Surprised to see how the world looks from a different, more humble place.

How are you positioning yourself to be surprised?

I think part of our answer to this question should lie in who we place ourselves around, who we reach out to, who we invite into our lives, who we open our doors to, who we love and who we accept.

We must keep watch, for we might be surprised how God reaches out in ways we do not expect.

We must keep watch, for we might be surprised how God’s love can be expressed by people we think are the least of these.

We must keep watch, for we might find that people who are different have the most genuine faith, the deepest love and the sincerest hope.

We must keep watch, for we might be surprised that people who appear to have little to offer actually have the most incredible gifts.

We must keep watch by welcoming people who are not usually, not always welcomed.

We must keep watch by seeing God within those whom the world sees as little, less, wrong, unsuccessful, lower than.

We must keep watch by considering how the church can be used in new and innovative and creative ways for the glory of God and the benefit of our community.

We must keep watch for we may just be surprised.