You call me to wait on You, Lord,

    but I get tired of waiting.

Your answers to my prayers,

    Your call for me to serve You,

    the promise of Your coming Kingdom,

        they all seem to take so long.

You tell me to watch for Your coming, Lord,

    but I’m not sure how to prepare for…

a thief in the night,

    an undisclosed time,

    and Your disconcerting habit of secrecy and mystery.

Yet, something inside whispers

    that You’re not all that hard to find;

That You’re always coming to me,

    and that both the waiting and the watching,

    are more about being open to You now,

        than about trying not to be surprised in the future.

And so I will keep waiting,

    and I’ll try to stay alert,

    so that I can catch the glimpses of Your glory

        that fill my day, every day.

Amen.

John van de Laar,  South African Methodist worship minster

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The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!