Garry urged us to ‘keep watch!‘ tonight, echoing Jesus’s words in Luke 21:34-36, with the subtitle ‘be prosecho!’ The Greek word ‘prosecho’ (not the sparkling wine!) can sometimes be translated ‘be careful‘ or ‘take heed’ or ‘be on the watch’ and indicates a state of alertness. We live in difficult times, with the aftermath of the pandemic affecting our economy, the war between Russia and Ukraine adding to our anxieties and now the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict has reared its head. We are bombarded daily with bad news (climate catastrophes, crime, cost of living crisis etc.) and often feel as though we are swimming with clothes on, weighed down with care, unable to see any way forward.
Sometimes we deal with this situation by trying to ignore what is happening, but this does not work long-term. Jesus told us we must be careful and watchful, rather like the work of a watchman (or night security guard.) Ezek 3:16-19 echoes this theme, reminding us that we must be responsible for our own hearts. Jesus wants us to be wise about events and situations and people, learning from our mistakes. Wisdom comes from following the instructions of those wiser than ourselves; God Himself wishes to instruct us in how to live.
Eph 6:10-18 reminds us that we are in a spiritual battle and have spiritual armour from God which enables us to stand (and not drown under the barrage of bad news.) His truth tells us how things really are; His righteousness is available to us so that we can live in right relationship with Him. We are prepared (for He has spoken many warnings about the future) and are shielded from the enemy by faith. Salvation means we have access to God and the Word of God gives us the insight and help we need.
We need to be watchful (prosecho!) and on our guard. We should neither be weighed down with cares nor overwhelmed, for we are taught by God and have the armour we need to protect us. We can stand in the power that He gives and can overcome.
