Last Minute
Scripture Reading — Luke 17:20-30
“People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came. . . .”
Today stores will be filled with people looking to buy something—anything—for some of their closest family members. If asked why they waited till Christmas Eve, some will claim they enjoy the rush that comes with last-minute shopping. Others will offer different reasons, but many will just say they have been too busy. Doing other things, they have had no time to shop, and now it is Christmas Eve.
Jesus warns us that people will be busy on the day of his coming. People will be busy in the way they were in the days of Noah and Lot. When Jesus says this, he does not say that people in those days were busy being wicked. Jesus says that people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, buying and selling, planting and building. They were going about their daily lives and were busy doing everyday sorts of things.
We often keep ourselves busy in similar ways even when we know a special deadline is approaching. We know that Christmas is coming, but we still leave some of our preparations to the last minute because we are “so busy.”
On this Christmas Eve, may we set aside our busyness and simply enjoy the gifts God has given us. May we be ready to rest in God’s goodness as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.
Gracious God, the day is almost upon us. Forgive us for leaving some things undone. Help us to rest in your grace and to receive the joy of your salvation revealed in Jesus. Amen.
About the author — Norman Visser
Norman Visser has served as a pastor of churches in Ontario, Nova Scotia, and South Dakota. He states that while he is “not known for waiting patiently,” he is “working on it.” Norman and his wife, Marcia, have three children.
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