When I was a young pastor in a small church in Colorado, I was often on call during the night. Many times I would spend hours at the bedside of someone desperately ill in the hospital and then slip away to go home for a few hours sleep. I would always lay out my clothes before going to bed so I could dress quickly if I got called back to the hospital. That way I was always ready to go.

And that’s the way Jesus wants Christians to be. He said, “be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men 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.”

In those days men wore long flowing robes which were cool and comfortable for the climate, but were a problem when working, because they got in the way. The standard solution was to gather up the bottom of the robe and tuck it into your belt when you were working. When Jesus said to be dressed ready for service, his listeners knew that he meant. Don’t get too comfortable – be dressed for work. And when he said to keep your lamps burning, he was referring to oil lamps common in that day that needed to have their wicks regularly trimmed or they would go out. Jesus was saying, “Have your clothes ready and the lights on so you are ready when your master returns.”

We need to ask ourselves, “If Jesus were to return to earth today, would we be ready?”