Mt 24:37-44 First Sunday of Advent (For Children)

Mt 24: 37-44 Surprise!!!

It wasn’t supposed to happen. But it did. Rachelle Friedman’s bachelorette party turned tragic when her best friend innocently pushed her into a swimming pool and paralyzed her from the waist down. Her fiancé has made it very clear, “I never once thought about leaving her.” He plans to marry her as soon as possible.

The Lord reminds us today, “You must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come!”

We like to think we are prepared for the worst! We like to think we are tougher than we are! We like to think that we can overcome all obstacles, burdens, trials and difficulties. And yet, deep down, we hope and pray for one thing: that we are never left alone.

Rachelle Friedman is a strong and courageous woman. She refuses to identify the friend who pushed her in the pool that evening. She refuses to blame her friend. She continues to talk to her and tell her that she loves her and that she forgives her. In fact, she mentioned to the reporters that there wasn’t anything to forgive, “It was just a freak accident.”

When Eve sinned, the first thing Adam did was blame her! He pointed his finger at her and told God it was her fault! Never once did Adam blame himself for leaving his wife or for being too busy with other things. Instead of Adam helping and defending Eve, his wife, his best friend, his soul mate, he turned his back on her and was ashamed of even knowing her. He even blamed God for giving her to him.

Advent, the coming of our Savior, is a beautiful time of year. Why? Because we are reminded of God’s response to our selfishness, our pride and our empty promises. Instead of blaming us or pointing His finger at us, God gets right too it and solves the problem for us. And so, he sends us his son, his only son. The Son that he loves with all his heart, with all his power and with all his might! He gives us his Son so that we can be saved.

What does he ask from us? Only two things: That we love Him and that we love one another! So, instead of blaming each other for our problems, we need to help one another to solve our problems. Blaming people for my mistakes will never fix a single mistake. I will never be a better person by giving up or giving in, just a more pitiable person. Why cry over something when I can always do something about it! What does the Lord ask us to do? Pray! Pray that when you fall into temptation, the Lord is there to help you out. Pray! Pray that when you fail at something, the Lord is just around the corner. Pray! Pray that when you feel alone in this world, you will know that you are never alone in His World but a very big and important part of it! Jesus is the only one that can turn a temptation into a blessing; loneliness into happiness; and death into life!

It may have all started two thousand years ago but it seems like it was yesterday for me! After all, I experience temptation, failure and loneliness on a daily basis but also strength, love and encouragement too. All of this can make us a better person. Tough times make great people!

When Jesus died on the cross, it seemed like it was the worst day ever for the Apostles. But SURPRISE!!! It turned out to be the GREATEST DAY EVER! The Lord loves to surprise us with his love and power.

So today, Jesus asks us to be prepared for his arrival! What is the secret? Stand close to Him. Hold tight! The secret to success is to love more, forgive more and give more. That’s what he did and it turned out awfully good!

SURPRISE!!!