Jesus reminds us to stay ready because no one knows the hour of his return. We’ve all seen predictions come and go—rapture dates, doomsday calendars, TikTok prophets—but that’s not the point. The point is to live every day expecting him, not trying to guess when. If we really believe he’s coming again, then we can live with hope instead of fear, and we can focus on the simple but powerful work of loving God and loving people right now. The best way to be ready is to stay faithful today.

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Well, good morning. It’s good to be with you as we begin our time together today in Luke’s Gospel. Always a gift to be studying God’s Word. I hope you’re doing well, no matter where you find yourself this morning. Hope your week’s been good so far, and I’m looking forward to what we’re going to find together in Luke today.

Let’s read Luke 12:35–40.

Luke 12:35–40 (NRSV)
“Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night or near dawn and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

“But know 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. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

Ah—the “thief in the night.” That image has been used in music, movies, all kinds of things. And if you’ve been on TikTok lately, you may have seen something called rapture talk. A preacher in South Africa said the rapture was going to happen on, I think, the 23rd or 24th—so about a week ago. Folks online were posting all sorts of videos, some pretending to sell their houses or give away their cars. Who knows what was real, but it got traction—even hit the news. Of course, here we are still, so… yeah, didn’t happen.

And the preacher tried to explain it away by saying Jesus used a different calendar, so the new date would be in October. Listen, y’all—this isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve lived through several of these “rapture dates.” Remember Y2K? Or 2012 with the Mayan calendar? There was one in 2011, and even a book called 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Happen in 1988.I’m old enough to remember that one. And yet, every time, we’re still here.

That’s exactly what Jesus is talking about here. Two big lessons stand out. First: be ready. He may come before this video is even posted. And honestly—come quickly, Lord. Because as I told my Bible study last night, there’s coming a day when cancer, sickness, pain, sin—it’ll all be gone. No more funerals. No more tears. That day is coming. So live ready. Live expecting him at any moment.

Second: don’t try to guess. Jesus says the master doesn’t know when the thief is coming, only the Father knows. So any preacher, internet personality, or TikTok prophet who says they know the exact day—nope. They don’t. History’s shown us that over and over. Don’t waste your time trying to guess the when. Instead, live every day as if it could be the day.

And if we live with that expectation, we’ll live with purpose. If we truly believe this world isn’t our home, then we don’t have to live afraid. We can step back from all the anger and chaos swirling in our politics and culture, and instead live with hope.

I heard someone say the other day, if we really believe in the resurrection and in life everlasting, then maybe the most radical thing we can do isn’t some dramatic, world-shaking act. It’s actually something simple. Loving your spouse well. Raising your kids with faith. Teaching a children’s Sunday school class. Singing in the choir. Serving a meal. Loving your neighbor. Those ordinary, faithful acts are powerful.

So here’s the takeaway: be watchful, be ready, live with hope. The Lord will return—not on your schedule or mine, but on his. Don’t give in to fear from internet prophets. Instead, trust that something better is coming.

Thanks for being with us today. We’ll pick up tomorrow with the rest of Luke. See you then.