Wednesday, March 27, 2013

It's a TRAP!!!

“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.” (Luke 21:34-38)
“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.”
It’s a TRAP! This is always the thing, people put off “believing”. It isn’t that they don’t believe, at least not at first. They believe, the believe something about Christ. But they put off the nourishment and growth in faith, until some other time. And amidst drunkenness they begin to think of themselves as spiritual not religious. I’m not all sure why this is. For too many life is taken to early.
Obviously Jesus doesn’t mind people going to a party here and there, perhaps having a few drinks, eating good food. His whole ministry was punctuated with such things. But you don’t want to let this take control, especially at the expense of faith. But people will let Jesus go for many reasons. Perhaps it isn’t cool, perhaps they stay up to late on Saturday night, perhaps they marry someone who doesn’t care to go. The weekend comes and it is time to go camping. Anything but going to church, hearing God’s word, being forgiven, sharing the sacrament with other Christians. This stuff is actually important for the life of faith. Without it faith slowly dies. And soon those that put off faith, find they don’t have it anymore.

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