Worship on the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
10:00 am August 10, 2025
Minister: Rev. Brad Childs Music Director: Binu Kapadia
Vocalist: Fionna McCrostie Reader: Courtney Vaughan
Welcoming Elder: Sam Malayang Children’s time presenter: Brad
We gather to worship God
Music Prelude
Greeting
L: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
P: and also with you
Lighting of the Christ candle
Welcome and announcements
Preparation for worship
Call to worship:
L: We come to worship God with reverence and awe
P: We will acknowledge God’s power and majesty
L: We surrender our will to God’s purpose
P: We will follow God’s paths for our lives
L: We dedicate our lives to God’s service
P: We will be God’s hands and feet in the world
Opening praise: How great is our God
Prayers for grace
Creator, Christ and Spirit. God of promise and purpose,
You have called us to be your people through Jesus Christ and given us meaning for each day. You made the world and everything in it, and you are always at work bringing healing and new life. We come together to praise you and to be renewed so we can live out your purposes in the week ahead. Give us your wisdom for the decisions we face and your strength for the challenges before us. You are our God—we give you our loyalty and our praise—so that others will see we belong to you as we follow Jesus.
Faithful God,
We admit we don’t always live the way you want.Too often we take the easy path or follow what’s best for us instead of following you. Forgive us when we forget your call on our lives. Help us to be kinder than normal, better listeners than we have been and open to others. By your grace, change our hearts and help us live more faithfully. Amen.
Response: We come to ask your forgiveness
Assurance of God’s grace
Friends, we all make mistakes, but God’s love in Jesus is stronger than our failures.
If you come to God with a humble heart, you are forgiven—completely forgiven—in Jesus Christ. Go in peace: be at peace with God, with others, and with yourself.
We listen for the voice of God.
Song: Open our eyes, Lord (445)
Children’s time
The story is told of a principal of a small middle school who had a problem with a few of the older girls starting to use lipstick. When applying it in the bathroom, they would then press their lips to the mirror and leave lip prints.
Before it got out of hand, he thought of a way to stop it. He gathered all the girls together that wore lipstick and told them he wanted to meet with them in the ladies’ room at 2 PM. The time came and they found the principal with the school custodian waiting for them.
The principal explained that it was becoming a problem for the custodian to clean the mirror every night. He said he felt the ladies did not fully understand just how much work it was and he wanted them to witness just how hard it was to clean the lipstick from the mirror.
The custodian then demonstrated. He took a brush with a long handle out of a box. He then dipped the brush in the nearest toilet, moved to the mirror and proceeded to remove the lipstick.
That was the last day the girls pressed their lips on the mirror!!! The girls had been kissing a mirror cleaned with toilet water. Yuck.
Sometimes it takes something disgusting for us to recognize the seriousness of a thing. When we sneak that extra cookie, try and hide the food on our plate we didn’t eat, say mean things to people, we are doing something gross. Bad things seem fun sometimes, but they’re actually gross. The good news is that when we do wrong, Jesus promises to forgive. And when we ask for forgiveness, he comes and cleans up our mess. But one thing is still important: we can’t just keep doing wrong. We have to mean to stop, to be better, and we have to stop kissing the mirror because it seems like fun. It’s gross.
The Lord’s Prayer (535)
Song: There is a redeemer (358)
Scripture readings: Psalm 33:12-22 & Luke 12:32-40
Response: Behold the lamb of God
Message: The Second Coming of the Lord
“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can immediately open the door for him.” (Luke 12:35-36)
When I was in high school in Ellinwood, Kansas, we had this teacher named Mr. Strummel. And Mr. Strummel was a decent enough guy; he just didn’t have any time for things that weren’t math. Occasionally, he would go down the hall to a different classroom because the physics teacher would drink two pots of coffee by himself every day, and he had a pot of coffee on no matter what. Mr. Strummel would sometimes get a little annoyed with us, particularly the boys. There’s a reason for that. There is actually a picture of this in my yearbook.
But… One time, I got everyone in class photocopied masks of Mr. Strummel’s face, and we all did impressions of him; answering all his questions in his voice. Another time, I borrowed his keys and went down to the theatre, where I grabbed a bunch of ladies’ Victorian dresses from the drama closet. Then I got all the guys in his class to wear them. Anyway, sometimes Mr. Strummel would go down the hall and get a cup of coffee; probably as an excuse to take a break from us and maybe chat up another teacher for a little bit. He’d say, “Look out for number one, (he had a lot of these sayings, which made it simple to lampoon him), and I’ll be back in a few minutes. Do your work quietly at your own desks and on your sheets.” But as soon as Mr. Strummel left the room, a very different sort of lesson unfolded. A lesson of mischief and misbehaviour.
Now it was a pretty calm school, and everyone knew everyone else as well as their parents and grandparents, and what car they drove and exactly where they lived, so you really couldn’t get in much trouble. But my friends and I would quickly become lookouts at the door, eager to seize the moment when the authority momentarily went absent. Why? Because we knew that in his absence, chaos would erupt. People would often tamper with the grade sheet or write answers behind the pages covering the answers on the chalkboard. Erasers and paper airplanes soared into the lights, people pushed their heads outside the window, and other such nonsense ensued. It was a game of dare and a test of juvenile courage. And the thrill came from the risk that Mr. Strummel would eventually figure out who did what, we’d be caught, and the consequences might be heavy if we saw him in the wrong mood or we went too far.
Mr. Strummel’s presence was significant to the kids who weigh only about 130lbs. And his angry gaze was funny to us, but his disappointment could stop us in our tracks. His wrath was swift and memorable, and with nothing to do on Saturday, he was happy to watch over detention if it meant some punk kid got their just desserts. Obedience mattered. Yet, amid our mischief, there was one girl, Eva, who never worried about when Mr. Strummel might return. Why? Because she was diligently doing her work, faithfully and quietly. Always prepared. When the call rang out that our teacher had started back down the hall, and everyone else scurried into place, Eva was already at her desk, having completed her work and prepared for whatever was next. And she did it all with her fingerprints noticeably absent from the various schoolroom crime scenes. She was always ready.
How many of us live like Eva and how many of us act for the whole of our lives like 15-year-old me? How often in life do we find ourselves caught unready? So absorbed in daily routines, so distracted by the noise of the world, that we forget to stay spiritually vigilant. But Jesus gives us a clear warning: “Be dressed for action and keep your lamps burning.” (Luke 12:35)
Today, most translations say “be prepared” or “be aware”. But I prefer the more word-for-word translations of the ESV and the King James versions here. It gives the literal version, saying “Let your loins be girded about”. In ancient times, people wore long tunics. Think of it like a dress, but made with just one large piece of cloth. To “gird your loins” meant to pull up the parts that touched your ankles and bunch them up at the waist, and then to tie up your robe high with your belt so your legs were freer. This was done to prepare yourself for action—whether for work, travel, or battle. It was also seen as a symbol of readiness, alertness, and anticipation. Here Jesus says, be ready for action and keep the lights on.
Keeping your lamps burning represented vigilance, a readiness to serve or respond at any moment, especially in darkness. Think about it: in a world without electricity, a lamp wasn’t just a source of light but a symbol of hope and preparedness. Have you ever been in a place without electricity? It gives a different meaning to the words pitch black. Well, this used to be the norm: a world where everything is hidden at night and if your fire ever goes out, getting it started again can take an hour. Here, Jesus is urging us to adopt this mindset: to live with intentionality, with our spiritual lamps lit, our hearts alert, and our minds prepared for whatever may come because life—like the night—can be unpredictable. He says, I will return, so be ready. Now, today, I suspect that most of us at least don’t think it will happen in our lifetime. But for the first followers of Jesus, this was a worry. The old southern guilt trip might be worth some thought when they ask, “Is this where you wanna be when Jesus comes back?”
35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
I don’t think this is something most Christians think about, let alone talk about, but it is a part of what we claim to believe in the Apostles Creed and at every communion service – that Jesus will return again.
I believe it will happen, but I also wonder if it might look very different from what we expect. The Bible has a habit of turning expectations on their heads.
We don’t know when Christ will return, just as the servants in the parable did not know the exact hour their master would come back from the wedding feast. And that’s the point.
In Jesus’ day, about 20% of households had servants. You can think this is evil, but honestly, unless you grow your own food and make your own clothes, you have servants too. We just do it differently today. Additionally, in the Bible, most servants were merely working off debt or very often simply working for free in order to learn a trade (today we might call this an internship or an apprenticeship program). They also had end dates, similar to a contract with a company. In any case, Jesus isn’t saying, “have servants,” he is just talking about something that exists in his world.
Imagine the anticipation of those servants, waiting with lamps burning, hearts eager to welcome their master, ready to serve, to honour, to be a good employee, and to please. They gird their loins and light the lamps just in case the boss comes back earlier or later than expected.
Jesus highlights that those who are found watching, prepared, and faithful will be blessed. This would be entirely normal for someone to say. But then things get pretty weird. Next, Jesus says, “When I come back and I find you ready to serve, I’m going to serve you instead.”
Verse 37 says, It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, He (THE MASTER) will gird HIS loins, have the servants recline at the table, and He (THE MASTER) will come to wait on THEM.
The imagery of the wedding feast and the servant’s readiness was familiar to Jesus’ audience. Weddings in Jewish culture were prolonged celebrations, often lasting several days, with no set ending time. Part of this is for good reason. With people scattered about and travelling between even relatively close locations, it took at least two days to get around 50 kilometres. I had to take this into account on my vacation last month. It takes three days’ drive to get to my mother’s house (24 hours of drive time), another 6 to get to my aunt Louise’s, one more to get to my brothers and another 6 to get down to southern Missouri where we were staying. If I’m travelling for around 10 hours for four or five days,
I want to make at least sure I’m in the vacation spot long enough to make it worthwhile. Nobody walks for days over rugged terrain to stay for a 2-hour event. And if people came that far to see you, it was a big deal and you wanted to make it memorable for them and “worth their while”. So, parties were often at least three-day events. Still, you never knew when the festivities would end. This generally depended upon when the wine ran out. When might the master of the house return? It could be at any moment. And when the master of the house returned, he would be tired and thirsty and hungry. What would a good worker do for their boss?
Servants had to be vigilant, prepared to open the door at any hour—whether midnight or dawn. They took turns and stayed awake for days, hoping they would be the one to welcome home their boss. Their loyalty and attentiveness demonstrated their devotion and trustworthiness. The imagery of the wedding feast and the servant’s readiness was familiar to Jesus’ audience. In fact, without the lamps lit, the master wouldn’t even be able to find his home.
But Jesus takes this familiar scene and turns it upside down. Instead of the servants serving the master, He says that He will serve His servants. This is the heart of the Gospel: Jesus, the Master, becomes the Servant. And His promise is that those who stay alert, who remain faithful [who make it to the end without giving up on him], will be rewarded with a special intimacy—reclining at His table, being served by Him.
Are we living in that expectation? Are we so committed to our daily routines that we forget the importance of spiritual vigilance? Or are we, like the faithful servant, watching, praying, and ready—so that when Jesus returns, we’re not caught off guard, but joyfully prepared to meet Him? I like the way Paul explains this in Galatians 6:9. He wrote, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Although I don’t feel as if this is likely to happen in my lifetime, that’s the point. We don’t know. And we shouldn’t forget that. And more to the point, you don’t have to think it’s likely – just possible. If you heard a rumour that people in your neighbourhood were being robbed every night around 11 pm, you might not think it would happen to you, but you certainly would consider it. Here Jesus emphasizes that His return will be sudden and unexpected. Just as a homeowner would stay alert if they knew exactly when a thief might be coming, believers are called to live in perpetual readiness. The “thief in the night” analogy underscores this. The thief’s arrival is unpredictable, and so must be our vigilance. Are we doing good? Are we ready to meet Jesus? Maybe we need to heed that old, often-disregarded warning, “Is this where you wanna be when Jesus comes back?” I think the world would be a far better place if we all asked ourselves that every once in a while.
35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
The “second watch” and “third watch”—the late-night hours—were times of heightened vulnerability. The danger was real, and so was the need for constant watchfulness. Jesus is asking us to adopt that same posture in our spiritual lives: always prepared, never complacent.
Peter’s question—“Is this for us, or for everyone?”—reveals a common concern: does this call to readiness apply to all, or just the disciples? Jesus responds with a powerful illustration: the faithful and wise steward entrusted with responsibilities. This steward is a model of faithfulness—feeding those under his care at the right time, living righteously, and staying alert.
Are we faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us? Our time, talents, resources, and relationships are gifts from Him. Are we using them to serve others? Are we alert to opportunities to act with love and compassion? When Jesus returns, will He find us faithfully doing what we know we should?
In the next section, following our reading, Jesus’ words take a sobering turn. He warns that if a servant begins to think, “My master delays his coming,” and neglects his duties, becoming selfish, indulgent, or careless, he faces severe consequences. The image used is that of being “cut in two” and it is harsh, but it underscores the seriousness of neglecting our responsibilities. It should also be noted that this is a figure of speech, like my brother saying, “If you don’t do the dishes, Mom is going to kill you”. Trust me, Mom, Dad, they aren’t going to “kill you”. It just means you will be in trouble. But this is how Jesus speaks of those who aren’t ready. They will be in trouble for that. So “Don’t be that person”. Be ready.
Yet, for the faithful, those who are vigilant and obedient, there is a promise of reward: “Blessed is that servant whom his master will find doing so when he comes.” (Luke 12:43) Jesus emphasizes that faithfulness in the small things leads to greater responsibility, and ultimately, greater joy.
Finally, Jesus concludes with a vital principle: “To whom much is given, much will be required.” This echoes the Gospel’s call for stewardship. Every resource, opportunity, and gift is a divine trust. We are accountable for what we do with them.
This is not meant to evoke fear but to inspire love and responsibility. When we recognize that Jesus could return at any moment, our lives should reflect that expectancy—living with purpose, integrity, and devotion.
When Mr. Stremmel returned to his classroom, Eva’s faithfulness meant she could sit peacefully, knowing she was prepared. Similarly, Jesus, our Teacher and Lord, is returning. Will He find us watching, ready, and faithfully serving? Or will we be caught unprepared, distracted by the chaos of life?
The choice is ours. Let us live each day with our lamps burning brightly, our loins girded for action, and our hearts eager to serve. Because when Jesus comes again, we want to be found waiting—joyful, ready, and eager to welcome our King.
Two sayings come to mind:
- Is this where you wanna be when Jesus comes back?
- Or do you want to hear instead: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Amen.
Song: Be thou my vision (451: vss 1,2,4,5)
We respond to serve God.
Our time of giving
Prayer of gratitude, and for others and ourselves
Living God, we give you thanks for life and breath to follow you all our days. Thank you for the gift of faith that gives us courage when things are difficult, and for the encouragement we find in the faith of others we meet. Inspire us to remain loyal to you as our true Source of life and hope.
Faithful God, thank you for guiding us when we cannot see the path ahead. Thank you for showing us a way through our challenges when we cannot see a solution on our own. Renew our trust in you in these days when so much is confusing and uncertain.
We pray for those who wonder if they can rely on you, and for those who are afraid for the future. Give them courage to listen for your call and follow your leading.
We pray for those who doubt. Give them courage to explore those doubts and questions and so discover renewed trust in your promises.
We pray for those who are impatient. Bless them in times of waiting for what comes next and fill them with kindness.
We pray for those who have chosen a path that has led to trouble. Turn their hearts towards you and lead them in ways of goodness, justice, and generosity.
We pray for your Church in these days when so much is changing. Give us wisdom to discern ways to reach out to our community, and faithfulness to keep following Jesus into the future you hold in your hands.
Faithful God, we depend on you. Be gracious and bless us, so that our lives may be a blessing to others. Amen.
Song: Love divine, all love’s excelling (371)
Sending out with God’s blessing
“Do not be afraid,” Jesus said. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Trusting in that promise, let us go out, without fear, to love God and to serve the world that God loves. And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen
Response: The blessing
Music postlude
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Numbers in brackets after a song/hymn indicate that it is from the 1997 Book of Praise of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Those and other songs are being used in accordance with the specifications of Dayspring’s licensing with One License (3095377) and CLC (A735555).
The Rev. Brad Childs retains the copyright (© 2025) on all original material in this service. As far as Brad Childs is aware, all of the material that has not been attributed to others is his own creation or is in the public domain. Unacknowledged use of copyrighted material is unintentional and will be corrected immediately upon notification being received.
Video recordings of the Sunday Worship messages can be found here on our YouTube Channel.