Dressed in preparation

Luke 12:35 Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.

This is an unusual garment, that of readiness, or preparation. I had Ephesians 6 in mind about being shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, and thought, “No, that really isn't clothing, so move on.” Guess where I turned next. I guess we are supposed to be dressed AND shod in readiness. But ready for what? The Luke passage speaks of the servant ready for his master's return from the wedding feast. He has been out celebrating a marriage and is returning home that evening. These parties went well into the night, and supposedly, no one would expect the servants to be up half the night waiting for him to get home and prep him for bed. But this passage says that the servant who is ever-ready to serve his master will be rewarded for his diligence. It says that those who will be prepared even into the wee hours of the morning to serve their master will be so loved by the master that he will serve them! Well, that is something. The picture of us waiting for the return of Christ, never wearying of keeping the lookout for His return from His trip to heaven...it may seem like He'll never show up, and we get tired and want to just tuck ourselves in and hope He can take care of Himself when He gets back. But love and duty and faithfulness will be rewarded. We may stand at the ready, clothed and ready to serve...we may get tired and possibly nod off a little, but we are standing at the door, awaiting any signs of the lights coming up the road. We don't abandon the post. We listen for the sounds of hooves or footsteps, talking, or carriages...whatever the mode of transport was and any sounds it might make, even from afar. We see or hear the sounds, jump up, fully clothed and ready to put the animals away, draw the water for cleansing His feet, and greet Him with a smile and joyful heart of service. We fulfill our duty, knowing full well that morning is coming soon and we will be back at work...but the surprise is that He serves us for serving Him. For staying up when all others went to bed long ago, more concerned with their own needs than His. Others will look on, jealous and envious of our sudden exaltation, but we just marvel that the tables are turned. We were only doing our duty...and the repayment is far above the going wage or even overtime pay. We are in a position we never anticipated or dreamed of deserving. We may even protest! But He tells us to hush and enjoy...so that we can be a part of Him. Wow.

That is one type of ready. The other is an interesting dichotomy. Preparation for war, but going into it with the gospel of peace on our feet. We are to be ready with the gospel, prepared to give an account of what Christ did to save us and them. We are out to conquer the enemy of our souls, but to save those who are forced into his service in the first place. We go to war with no desire to fight, but to win in a completely different way. We seek peace and pursue it. We use our defensive armor, and the only offense we wield is the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. That Word is peace, but it stabs the heart in such a way that it brings life, not death, peace, not war. There is that part of the Word that separates us from the illusion that we are good, that shows us that we are dead, and then shows us the way to life, and that eternal. (Hebrews 4:12-13) It takes those feet to the very throne of God where we receive the mercy of a captive POW made a citizen of the kingdom that conquered the old life and gives him a new one, not like Daniel forced into service, but as a son, given all the king has to offer.

For the master and for the enemies of God, all that are not yet of His kingdom, we are to be ready. Prepared. To serve the Master fully is to stay and wait for Him to come home, and to go out with Him to battle for the souls of men and women who oppose us.

Are you dressed and ready? Am I? Are we asleep and figure He can handle this and doesn't need or want our cooperation? Do we love Him enough to keep going, even when we have put in a full-day's work and are called to stay up all night as well? Are we shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, or do we head out with a chip on our shoulder and ready to fight with anything in our way?

Preparation means getting ready ahead of time, so I guess I better go and get ready. Are you coming with me?