Pastor's Message

The Season of Advent
Should I Put My Winter Tires On Today?
Should I put my winter tires on today? This is a question many ask themselves this time of year. It’s not an easy decision. If you put your tires on early you can avoid long line ups at the tire store; however, putting your tires on too soon has its down side.  Winter tires are made of softer rubber, therefore they wear faster. If you put them on too soon, their tread will wear down abnormally soon on the warm bare pavement. For this reason, many wait to the very last minute to have their tires put on, even though the consequences of putting off the change of tires can be dire.
Our first snow of this season fell Monday evening November 25th. I’d put my winter tires on that very afternoon. We had winter tires put on Deni’s van the weekend after Thanksgiving weekend. Deni happened to be in Kelowna when the snow began to fall and by the time she returned home an inch of snow lay on the ground. The roads became slick and slippery very quickly. Deni approached a series of steep hills that she had to climb to get home. She put her van in 2nd gear and cruised up the hills without faltering. As she drove up the hill, she passed at least 7 vehicles in the ditch on this 3 kilometer stretch of hills. She encountered the flashing lights of tow trucks that came to rescue the stranded motorists. I’m sure Kelowna’s towing business experienced banner business that evening. These motorists had been caught unprepared. They could not get to their destination unassisted. However, because Deni was prepared, she was able to motor home in relative safety. When the snow came, Deni was able to leave the roadway and come home, the others were left on the road to brave the elements.
Everyone in Kelowna knows that winter will come and the snow will fly. Everyone knows that our roads will be slippery and icy and that winter tires will be needed by most cars. Everyone knows that without the grip of snow tires, a vehicle may sustain serious damage, not to mention the danger of injury to driver and passengers posed by roads covered with compact snow and ice. Yet every year people gamble. Every year people are lulled into a false sense of security when the warmer weather creeps into November. Every excuse is used to put off changing the tires (myself included), all the while recognizing and realizing the danger involved; specifically, they may not be able to go where they absolutely have to go.
"It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day no one who is on the roof of his house, with his goods inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. Remember Lot's wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left." Luke 17:30-35.
The attitude which puts off putting on the snow tires is precisely the attitude which Jesus addressed in the above verses from Luke 17. Jesus assured those present when he uttered these words that the end of the world as we know it was coming and judgment was coming. Some would inherit eternal life in the kingdom with God and others would inherit eternal life without God, a life in Hell.  However, before that end came, they had to work and sleep. This end would come like a thief in the night; and some would be able to leave and some would be stuck here.  
Why did some people stay and some people go in Luke 17, at the end? It has to do with preparation. The end of this age is coming as sure as this winter. The question Jesus asks us is whether we have our snow tires on. Can we, like Deni, drive home when others are left stuck at the side of the road? How can I get ready? The Apostle Paul gives Christians of every age a prescription in his letter to the church at Ephesus:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:10-18.
In these verses, Paul speaks of how we can ready ourselves for Jesus’ second coming. Preparation means putting on a uniform that God gives us through Christ.

1. The Belt of Truth (Eph. 6:14): The Christian soldier is given a belt which is fastened securely around the soldier’s waist. A tight belt indicated a soldier was ready for battle. The belt kept the soldier’s tunic and breastplate in place; in addition, his sword and scabbard hung from the same belt.  The truth given each soldier of Christ is the truth of the Gospel, the truth that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through him. John 14:6. This truth makes the Christian soldier ready for battle from any assault from without (the Devil and the world) and from within (the sin which lives in us). Romans 7:7-25.

1.  The Breastplate of Righteousness (Eph. 6:14): The breastplate covered the body of the soldier from the neck to the waist. It was typically made out of bronze. Righteousness stands for uprightness, integrity of character, moral rectitude and a reputation for fair dealing. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth.) Ephesians 5:8b, 9. Righteousness protects us from the world and the Devil. However, we must remember that we can only act with righteousness if we appropriate or participate in the righteousness of Christ. “Consequently, just as the result of one trespass (the Fall of Adam and Eve) was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness (Christ’s death on the cross) was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” Romans 5:18-19.

1. Feet Fitted with the Readiness that Comes From the Gospel (Eph. 6:15): With the belt and breastplate in place, the Christian soldier is fitted with strong military boots. An army can only move with speed and confidence over rough terrain if fitted with good foot ware.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ prepares each Christian with a sure foundation and a sure foothold for the campaign each Christian must wage against the sin which resides within him or her and the forces on the outside (death and the Devil). I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." Luke 6:47-49.
2. The Shield of Faith (Eph. 6:16). The Christian soldier is fitted with a shield which protects the soldier from doubt and the temptations of the Devil and thereby permits a Christian to serve God. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1). And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6). By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Hebrews 11:1-18.

1. The Helmet of Salvation (Eph.6:17).The Christian soldier is fitted with a helmet of salvation, specifically, the hope of salvation. “That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’” Romans 10:9-11.

1. Sword of the Spirit – The Word of God. The sword of the spirit is the only offensive weapon given the Christian soldier. The word of God is powerful.  “As the rain and the snow   come down from heaven, and do not return to it  without watering the earth  and making it bud and flourish,  so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,  so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire  and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Jesus used the Word of God to fight the devil during his temptation and teaches Christians to do the same. “Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:4.

Winter will come into our lives in many and various ways and make the road we must travel on through life’s slick and seemingly impassable. Winter may take the form of the devastation caused by a sick child, spouse, relative or friend. One’s own physical, mental or spiritual illness may be winter. It may come in the form of   the grief caused by the loss of a job, the loss of a relationship, the effects of aging, the loss of vitality, and/or the loss of a loved one. Winter may take the form of depression or some other mental challenge. Winter may come from any bitter disappointment life deals us. Regardless of the form that winter takes in our lives, we must remember that we do not have bald summer tires; our feet are fitted with Gospel of peace. Jesus has paid the price for our sins on the cross; we are therefore reconciled to God through Christ. If we are forgiven and reconciled with God, the winter which comes into our lives is not a punishment for our sin. God is still with and beside us in this winter. With this in mind, we can use our Gospel shoes to move forward. The Gospel reminds us to put on the helmet of our salvation, fasten the belt of truth God has given us, put on the breastplate of righteousness and embody the Gospel in what we do and say. The Gospel reminds us to take up the shield of faith so that the slings and arrows of this world will not pierce our hearts, souls and minds. God wants us to take up the sword of the Spirit, his Word. “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” Hebrews 11:3.  God’s words brought this world into being. God’s Word, and His Word made flesh, spoken into our lives, will bring about miraculous changes in our lives. We will have traction and we will move ahead to our goal - our home in Heaven with our Triune God.
May God richly bless our Advent and Christmas. May this be a season that we all put on our spiritual winter tires; the Armor of God.
In Christ,
Pastor Ed

© Grace Lutheran Church Kelowna 2006
Grace Lutheran Church is a member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada