In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: God is one. Amen.

Begin by reading Ephesians 2:14-22, then Luke 12:16-21. We have just begun on the Nativity Fast, so we’re looking forward already to Christmas, Christmas Day, and I dare say most of us are making all sorts of preparations for that, getting gifts and getting mince pies and Christmas puddings and stashing away turkeys and all that sort of thing so that when the great day arrives and we have the feast, we’re all ready and prepared, just like we might want to make preparation for our retirement. We know that if we’re lucky we grow older and older and older. The day comes when you stop doing that good job, you stop having that great career, you start drawing your pension, you go to live in your nice house, you have good healthcare and lots of savings, and you then have a very pleasant retirement which will end, of course, in your death.

And that’s something that guy in Luke 12 had forgotten about, that his death was going to come. At some point, he was going to curl up his toes and go the way of all flesh—and die he did. And when he died, he suddenly discovered that all of his money, all of his preparation, all of his food, all of his great pension, his lovely cottage in the countryside—all of that meant nothing to God. He was a pauper; he had nothing. His soul was required of him. When God looked at the soul, it was in rags. So we need to prepare for the future, because as sure as anything we’re going to die, each of us.

A hundred years from now, none of our heads will be aching, and all of us will be bones. So how do we prepare, spiritually, for that time? Mostly, of course, is obvious stuff: we repent. We live our life in repentance. Everywhere the Lord went, he said to everybody: Repent. The first thing that St. Peter says to everybody at Pentecost is: Repent; the time for repentance has come. Turn to the Lord; turn away from all this dross, and turn towards him, because he is the only thing—only person, actually, but the only one in whom all our treasure will be stored. He is our treasure.

Repent! Resist sin. Whatever your sins may be, whatever your besetting sin might be, wherever you find yourself falling short of the glory of God, resist and pray. And when you find you sin, turn to the Lord again; repent again, so I can look what I’m like when I go to my own way, to my own place. I need you.

Exercise love, all the time. Love isn’t something you just sort of say, “Yeah, I love everybody.” You have to do love, have to work at your love. You need to be kind and hospitable, generous with your time and your money, and love other people as if they were you. And you find that, as you exercise love, like exercising your biceps—your biceps get bigger and bigger, and your heart fills more with love—that you can love more people.

Be faithful to the Lord. You need to exercise your faithfulness, too. Act faithfully. Feed your faith through prayer, through reading the Scriptures, through reading about the Church Fathers, by engaging in the worship of the Church, by going on pilgrimages, by studying theology, by coming to understand so that you are no longer like a baby drinking milk but you are like an adult sinking your teeth into raw beefsteaks of theology. Be faithful.

And then do your vocation to the full; whatever God has called you to be, be that to the full! If you’re a clergyman, don’t be half-hearted. If you’re a monastic, be single-minded. If you’re a parent or a child, or a sibling, a worker, co-worker—whatever it might be in whatever direction, do that to the best of your ability, pouring out your love upon your family, your friends, and those you are coming into contact with every day.

Always be ready to confess your sins. One day the Lord will appear in front of you. That will be your final chance to say, “Lord, have mercy.” We need to confess many [times] your love for Christ, something we keep forgetting, that confession is not just about a list of horrible things you’ve done, but it’s your time to say to the Lord, “I am a rotten disciple, but I do love you.”

Receive Communion whenever you can. Receive frequently. Receive carefully. Prepare assiduously. Know when you’re going to receive Communion. Allow the Lord to feed you with his own Body and his own Blood, so you may be built up by him.

And be resolute. Come rain or shine. Come good times, bad times. Come easy times; come persecution. Whatever it may be, you are the Lord’s; remain his. Commit yourself now to say: “Whatever happens, I am the Lord’s.” When the barbarians invade: “I am the Lord’s.” When it’s easy-going: “I am the Lord’s.” When it gets tricky: “I am the Lord’s.” When it’s a downhill ride: “I am the Lord’s.” When it is an uphill paper round: “I am the Lord’s, and I follow Christ. I follow him wherever he chooses to send me. Whatever he asks me to do, I follow him.”

Give yourself fully to the Lord. Hold nothing back. In Ephesians earlier we read about the way the Lord himself gave himself fully for you, even death on the cross. Having emptied himself, becoming a Child in the manger, he then gives himself fully to you, even so far on a cross, saying, “Father, forgive them; they know not what they do.” He gave himself for you; best gift you can give him at Christmas is yourself.

And then—and then you will find that you are rich towards God. Your soul will not be ragged. Your soul will be beautiful, shining, glistening, a wonderful jewel, a wonderful thing to hand back to God.

We prepare for Christmas. We prepare for retirement. So often we don’t bother to prepare to meet the Lord. And one day the Lord will say to you, “Your soul is required now. Where is it?” Oh! It’s in tatters. Oh! It’s beautiful! So prepare. Your prayers. God bless you. Amen.