Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy
from carousing and drunkenness
We are to avoid the example steward who "says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk" (see Luke 12:45). That steward did not forget about his master entirely, but in response to apparent delay he seemed to lose his sense of urgency. Waiting called for patience, and hope in the reward that the master would bring. But that steward seemed to make the decision to try to reap what reward he could then and there instead of waiting for the master. He demanded more of servants and of food and drink than they could rightly provide, seeking from finite realities what could only come from the master. Had the master returned immediately and without delay and the steward had no need to demonstrate fidelity he may well never have fallen so far. This warning remains poignant for us, for Jesus has not, since that time, decided to after all work according to our preferred time tables. Instead, he answers us in a timing that he alone controls and fully understands. And his coming for us at the end of our lives or at the end of time is and remains a mystery, one which requires patience and persistence that can only be sustained by a supernatural hope.
and the anxieties of daily life,
and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.
It is not only against over indulging that we need to be on guard. The anxieties of daily life also present a threat to our readiness for the coming of Jesus. The pressing challenges of daily life feel so immediate that we mistakenly come to believe that they have an importance that is absolute. When we do not see the anxieties of daily life in a larger context we try to respond to them on our own, to solve them on our own, and often end up making things worse rather than better. When we feel alone against our problems we tend to become desperate, and, as a consequence, often dangerous, both to ourselves and others. In order that our anxieties might not make us drowsy and forgetful of God we lean in to our trust in God, thankful because we know that he who was faithful before will be faithful again. The anxieties of daily life are a yoke we are not meant to bear on our own, but only together under the shared yoke of Jesus himself (see Matthew 11:28-30).
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (see Philippians 4:6-7).
Since we too will face challenges like these we too must be vigilant at all times. But this vigilance is not primarily about our ability to focus our attention or to fight against physical weariness. It is a vigilance of heart that is always ready to respond to the voice of Jesus rather than the lies we hear from the world, the flesh, and the devil.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times
and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations that are imminent
We are not expected to generate the strength we need to respond entirely through unaided exertion. We are expected rather to ask for that strength and then to rely on it. The Son of Man himself will empower us with the strength necessary to escape the tribulations that threaten us and to come safely home into his presence.
We are intended by God for a Kingdom where the darkness has been forever destroyed and drowsiness is no longer a threat. We will not long for sleep because our strength will not fluctuate or fail. Much less will we desire it as a distraction or a respite from reality. All that makes us wish to flee reality for sleep will be gone from that place. All lies will be cast out along with all sin, all "accursed". The posture of watchful vigilance to which we are called here and now is only a dim foreshadowing of the light of glory into which we are called for all eternity.
They will look upon his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.
Night will be no more, nor will they need light from lamp or sun,
for the Lord God shall give them light,
and they shall reign forever and ever.
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