In your classroom, what’s the #1 rule? Listen to your teacher! But that doesn’t mean you look like you’re listening when you aren’t. It means pay attention. Listen to learn. Ask questions if you don’t get it. Study both at home and at school. Why? Just so you’ll do good on a quiz or test? No! So you’ll learn things you need for life!

On Sunday we entered the Advent season. That word “Advent” points us to a coming: Jesus’ coming. We talk about Jesus’ coming as The Babe of Bethlehem. We talk about His coming to us now in His Word and His Sacraments. We talk about His coming on the Last Day to judge the living and the dead. And as we hear about these things, we learn that we need to prepare!

Prepare for Jesus’ coming. You prepare for all sorts of stuff. You prepare for school by bathing and getting dressed, not to mention homework. You prepare for vacation by packing and planning what you want to do. You prepare for a big game or match or recital by practicing, practicing, practicing. You prepare for Christmas by decorating a tree and buying and wrapping gifts.

How do we prepare for Jesus’ coming? That’s what Hebrews 2 is talking about. Listen to God’s Word. Don’t neglect it. At home, read your Bible, have devotions, pray. At church, listen to what pastor says, pray, sing the hymns. At school, listen to your devotions, pay attention during your religion classes, and here in chapel pray, sing the hymns, and listen to the devotion. Don’t do it because you need to listen to the teacher or me. Do it because Jesus is speaking to you. He is coming to you, with His Word, to save you. Through His Word He gives you His Spirit. What does He do? He leads you to believe His holy Word and lead a godly life here in time and there in eternity.

So now you know why we’re taught to remember the Sabbath Day. Its chief purpose is not to give us a day off. Jesus uses that commandment to ask us to not despise the preaching of His Word, but to hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it. That Word prepares you for His coming. It forgives your sins. It will cause you to stand before Him without fear, without sin, on the Last Day.