Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Word of the Lord which engages us this morning comes from our Gospel lesson (Mark 13: 33-37).

While on a South Pole expedition, British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton left a few men to explore Elephant Island, promising that he would return. Later, when he tried to go back with his ship for them, huge icebergs blocked the way. But suddenly, as if by a miracle, an avenue opened in the ice and Shackleton was able to get through. His men, ready and waiting, quickly scrambled aboard. No sooner had the ship cleared the island than the ice crashed together behind them. Contemplating their narrow escape, the explorer said to his men, "It was fortunate you were all packed and ready to go!" They replied, "We never gave up hope. Whenever the sea was clear of ice, we rolled up our sleeping bags and reminded each other, 'He may come today.'" (Original source unknown; found on e-sermons.com)

In our Gospel lesson Jesus told his disciples "Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come�. What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!" When a coach readies his team before the game, his last instructions are generally what are most important for his team to hear, to concentrate on before the big game starts. Jesus is doing just that here. These words recorded by Mark are the last recorded before the start of Jesus' passion. Mark 14: 1 "Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him." Jesus knew that Good Friday and his crucifixion were only hours away, and he stresses to his disciples that after He is gone, he will return and they should be watching closely for him. Each should be about his assigned task, not being sleepy, bored or inattentive.

But yet Jesus' first disciples fell prey to being inattentive. Just two days later, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus goes to pray for strength. � There he told them (Chapter 14) "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," �. "Stay here and keep watch." "Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Jesus went away a second and third time to pray, each time returning to find his disciples sleeping, unprepared for the first major salvation event of Christ, his triumph over sin and death for us on the cross.

Jesus' first disciples were unprepared for this first major Christ event. We his later disciples, have the blessings of seeing that salvation event in perspective, as hearing of God's blessings for us given through Christ's ransom of us on the cross, his triumph over the grave on Easter. But we, his later disciples, run the risk of being ill-prepared for the next major salvation event of Christ, his Second Coming. Will Jesus catch you sleeping, or me? When our military is on alert, high alert, everyone is vigilant, watching, prepared. All weapons are armed, planes and vehicles fueled, all credentials checked. We all remember how easy it was to get on to Ft. Riley before September 11, 2001. You could just drive through. Anyone, any terrorist or enemy could have driven onto base and attacked or bombed. Now it is not so easy. Guards, sentinels are placed all around the base, alert to protect themselves and their fellow soldiers. When I was on a plane flight last week, I found myself more alert than I had in the past. I took a few minutes to watch across the other passengers, asking myself if anyone looked overtly suspicious, asking myself what I might do if a few of them tried to take over the plane or light their shoes on fire.

We are more alert now in the U.S. on how to keep our country and our physical lives more safe. But how do we stay alert for Jesus? How do we prepare and watch and not fall asleep waiting for his return? Actually, Brittany's confirmation confession gives us all a reminder of how we stay alert. She, like many of us at our own confirmations, was asked these sobering questions. Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall from it? Answer: I do so intend with the help of God.

Do you intend faithfully to conform all your life to the divine Word, to be faithful in the use of God's Word and Sacraments, which are His means of grace, and in faith, word and action to remain true to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, even to death? Answer, I do so intend, by the grace of God. We cannot watch and wait and pray and keep alert by our own inner strength and decision. Left to ourselves, we will always become drowsy and fall into a spiritual stupor.

But in Jesus Christ, through His Word and Sacraments we have been enriched in every way. We do not lack any spiritual gift as we eagerly await for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed (1 Corinthians 1 paraphrased). He will keep us strong and blameless to the day of his return. Today, Brittany has publicly confirmed the faith and grace bestowed upon her at her baptism. And vicariously, we are all reminded of the similar commitment we have all made or will make to our Lord, because he first loved us and showed that love on the cross. Vicariously, we are all reminded that the only way we continue in our Baptismal grace is to remain connected to our Lord's other avenues of grace and connection to Him, through hearing and studying his word and receiving his body and blood. To be separated routinely from these avenues of grace and strength leave us vulnerable to attack by the "devil who prowls around like a roaring lion" (1 Peter 5:8). Jesus' first disciples were not awakened on their own in Gethsemane, but by the Words of Christ spoken into their ears. In the same way, we are not awakened on our own, but by hearing the Word of Christ spoken to us by others, especially here together on Sundays. Many of you probably remember the old TV show Hill Street Blues. At the conclusion of every pre-shift preparation meeting, the sergeant would say "Oh, and let's be careful out there!" Jesus is giving us a similar warning when he says "Watch, be on guard, be alert!" There are many dangers for policemen on a beat, but even more dangers for us as Christians in this world. We are in danger of inattentively falling into unbelief, trusting in ourselves or money or objects or feelings more than we trust our Lord. Only Christ's strength brought to us by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament protects us from those dangers.

The force of Jesus message in our text is to anticipate, to watch, to prepare for him, to encourage others to trust or continue trusting in Him alone. That is our work, not that our good works earn anything for us, but that our faithful response to His faithfulness brings forgiveness and strength. The wonderful promise our Lord makes is that He will return. We are not waiting and watching simply as exercise. His first disciples were to watch in Gethsemane so that they would be observers of his arrest and crucifixion and, most importantly, his resurrection. We look back on those things and are now waiting and watching for his glorious return. John 14: 2-3 "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." There is a woman who is buried under a 150-year-old live oak tree in the cemetery of an Episcopal church in rural Louisiana. In accordance with this woman's instructions, only one word is carved on the tombstone: "Waiting." (from Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995, p. 275.) Let us, his later disciples, never tire from watching and waiting, serving and telling others of his glorious return.

And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4: 7)

This sermon is loosely structured according to suggestions made by Rev. Randall C. Bard in Concordia Pulpit Resource, Advent 1 2002)