The Master's Return
Stories
Lightly Goes the Good News
Scripture Stories For Reflection
"It's not going to happen to me. Not if I have anything to say about it," Larry assured himself as he peered through the newly-installed peep hole in the large front door. "No, it won't happen to me," Larry repeated thoughtfully. "Now that The Master is on his way to the wedding I've got to prepare. They didn't prepare. No, sir! If those five silly girls had been prepared, they wouldn't have run out of lighter fluid that night. Imagine that! No fuel for their torches. And instead of being ready to greet the bridegroom, torches burning brightly, they were off looking for lighter fluid! Silly! Silly! Silly! Well, I've already taken care of that little matter. The fellas know they better have their buckets of lighter fluid and torches ready at all times."
Larry smiled self-assuredly as he walked from the door to the window and peered out into the distance to one of the stately elms on the property. "With the alarm system that I've rigged up out there, I can detect The Master's Return from a block away. I dare him to reach this door without the alarm going off. And when it does, everybody will know it. It goes wooo-woooo-woooo in every room including the johns." Larry paused to admire his own foresight. "And just to give me a little extra time to be prepared for The Master I dug a couple of holes around the mansion to keep him from reaching the door too quickly. Nobody's going to call me silly, silly, silly." All there remained for Larry to do was to drill the servants one more time. Larry went over and sounded the alarm.
From all corners of the mansion the ten servants assembled breathlessly. Each carried a torch in one hand and a bucket of lighter fluid in the other. "Attention," Larry cried, and all the servants save one clicked their heels while holding lamps and buckets in readiness close to their sides. "What's wrong with you, Neville? You're never ready." Larry reprimanded the servant who held his torch haphazardly upside down with the wick brushing the floor.
"Hey, relax, man," Neville said calmly as he righted his torch. "Don't get so uptight. Who do you think we're working for? Genghis Khan?" The other servants giggled as Larry tried his best to ignore Neville.
"Men," he intoned striding before them like a general reviewing his troops, "we've got to keep our eyes and ears open. All we'd need is for The Master to come and find us unprepared. I want to run through the torch lighting procedure once again."
The servants groaned in unison, "Again?"
"At the count of three, I want you to light your torches as quickly as possible. There can be no delay. Do you understand?" They all looked at one another, then at Larry, heaved a sigh of resignation, and agreed they understood. "Good," Larry beamed. "Get ready, get set! 1, 2, 3." In a matter of seconds all of them had their torches burning brightly. All that is, except Neville.
Neville took his time as he admired his torch, running his fingers first gently over the wick, and then down the torch's thin oak stem. Finally he lit the lamp and held it before his eyes, awestruck by the little orange flame flickering heavenwards.
"And just what do you think you're doing?" Larry was visibly upset.
"Hey, man. Just enjoying the torch. Take it easy. I'm not a pyromaniac like those guys!"
"Ooooh!" Larry tried to ignore Neville, but he couldn't help mutter, "Never-ready Neville," under his breath. "Okay, fellas, you can snuff the torches. Now, here's your instructions. When you hear the alarm go off, grab your torches wherever you are, and don't waste any time getting here. That way, we'll all be sure to be prepared for The Master's Return. Understand?" Again, they looked at one another, then at Larry and agreed they understood. "Good. Off you go, then." Larry clicked his heels and they all stood at attention, all that is except Neville who was still enraptured with the dancing flame on his torch. "Dismissed," Larry shouted and they all filed out of the room.
No sooner had the servants resumed their various duties when the alarm went off and the wooo wooo wooo echoed throughout the mansion. The sounds of tools dropping, chairs overturning and toilets flushing throughout the building were replaced with the patter of feet racing through the halls as the servants, torches in hand, came rushing down the stairs and into the front room. Everyone stood at attention; all that is, except Neville who strolled into the room, enjoying an apple he couldn't bear leaving behind. He stepped casually into line, lit his torch from the torch of the fellow next to him and continued munching.
Larry faced the door, rigidly attentive, waiting for The Master to order the door to be opened. But all they heard was a faint scratch, scratch, scratch. Puzzled, Larry slowly opened the door, and he discovered not The Master but a small shivering mutt of a dog.
"Ohhh!" the servants groaned disappointedly as they lowered their torches. Larry was flabbergasted! He was about to take his frustration out on the dog when Neville stepped forward and said, "Hey, relax, man. It's only a little puppy. Maybe it's hungry or something." Then Neville got on his knees and called "Here, mutt! Come on. I'll take care of you." Before Larry could say anything, Neville had taken the dog into his arms and left the room. The other servants followed Neville's lead and Larry soon found himself alone.
Hardly had Larry begun considering how to fix the alarm system to screen out unwanted animals when suddenly the alarm went off again. As before, feet raced down the halls and within seconds all the servants were once more in the main room standing at attention with torches burning. Neville, of course, was late as he came nursing the little mongrel with milk from a baby bottle. This time he stood in line without his torch.
Standing more or less at attention, they heard a sharp rap, rap, rap on the door. Larry heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank God, it's the Master," he winked at the servants, as he stepped forward to open the door. But his relief turned instantly to anger when he saw not The Master but a bum darkening the great doorway. "What do you want?" Larry yelled. "Just a bed for the night," the man answered sheepishly. "For you? Are you kidding? We're waiting for The Master, not for you." He was about to slam the door shut when Neville intervened and calmly stayed Larry's hand. "Relax, man. He can use my bed. No big deal. He's tired. Let him sleep. Come on in, buddy." He took the bum inside and the three of them, Neville, the dog, and the bum headed upstairs. The other servants mumbled and glowered at Larry, extinguished their torches and broke ranks.
Larry hoped this was the end of unwanted visitors. Unfortunately for him and the other servants it wasn't. All through the night and into the wee hours of the morning the alarm sounded. Again and again the servants dragged their lighted torches to the door with diminishing enthusiasm. Again and again Larry opened the door only to discover an unbelievable assortment of people, ranging from a hooker who was drawn by all the red lights she saw in the windows to the milkman who was making his early morning delivery. Invariably Larry tried to get rid of the visitors while Neville kept inviting them in.
"Relax," he'd say. "Let them in. We're having a little party upstairs." The other servants grew so exhausted from false alarms, that one by one they fell asleep in their rooms. Larry, on the other hand, was so enraged that The Master hadn't shown up according to his own plans, he finally decided to shut off the alarm system altogether. He threw open the door, ran out of the house, and turned off the switch some one hundred feet from the mansion. However, as luck would have it, on his way back he fell into one of the holes he had dug and momentarily went unconscious.
Meanwhile back inside the mansion Neville had come down the stairs to replenish the salami tray when he noticed the front door standing wide open. And who should be standing there but (you guessed it) ... The Master.
Neville waved. "Hi, boss. We've been waiting for you. Nice to see you're back. We've got a little party going on upstairs in your honor. Come on up and join us."
The Master smiled, pleased that at least someone was there to welcome him. And a party in his honor ... nice touch! "Thanks, Neville. I'd be glad to join you but where's Larry? I thought for sure he'd be waiting for me."
"Larry? I guess he got tired and went to bed, boss."
"Well, I'll have to talk to him in the morning. After all, I don't pay him to sit around and do nothing."
"Relax, boss. He's just a little burned out. It happens to the best of us."
"Burned out?" The Master was puzzled but didn't press the issue as he and Neville went upstairs to the party. And Larry? He had regained consciousness but not all his wits. He remained standing in the hole, glazed eyes riveted on the road leading to the mansion, waiting for The Master's Return.
Reflection
Is it possible to be too prepared? Perhaps the answer to the question depends on what we mean when we speak of being prepared. We have been told since we were children we ought to be prepared by planning ahead, putting something away for a rainy day. We are cautioned not to be caught off guard or with our pants down. We have also been warned to watch our tongue and listen carefully. We mustn't daydream but stay awake. We have to have a clear head and pay attention. After all, one false move and ... and what?
We won't be in control of our future, ourselves, the situation, etc. Preparation frequently means control. We want to be prepared and being prepared means being in charge or on top of things. We don't want things to get out of hand. Larry embodies this kind of preparation. He also embodies a paranoia that goes along with it. He is fearful and suspicious even of the master. Larry goes so far as to dig a trench to catch the master because he doesn't want the master to sneak up on him; he doesn't want anything unpredictable to happen.
But the unpredictable does happen. Life is unpredictable, full of surprises and ultimately uncontrollable. It is frequently messy, muddy, and murky, and attempts at reducing life to the manipulable are not only ultimately futile, they make life unenjoyable. It is in those moments when we lose control and surrender ourselves that we are filled with awe and joy. We lose our breath at the sight of a beautiful sunset or a newborn baby; we are overcome with gratitude at kindnesses bestowed, and we are taken up by someone's unexpected thoughtfulness. Ecstasy is losing ourselves and finding ourselves in communion with something larger than ourselves. It is only when we are willing to surrender ourselves over to whatever is happening that we are really prepared. Then we become like Neville.
Neville is available to what happens. He is prepared to be as available to the stem of his lantern as he is to the puppy dog. Preparation is availability to the predictable and the unpredictable. It is the willingness to be surprised rather than the wilfulness to control and do away with all surprise.
If we are too controlling we shall miss out on the thousand and one ways in which God comes to us. The Master returns but we may have so determined ahead of time how and when the Master will come that we miss him when he actually arrives. Semper Paratus is a nice slogan, but taken to the extreme it means Never Prepared.
Larry smiled self-assuredly as he walked from the door to the window and peered out into the distance to one of the stately elms on the property. "With the alarm system that I've rigged up out there, I can detect The Master's Return from a block away. I dare him to reach this door without the alarm going off. And when it does, everybody will know it. It goes wooo-woooo-woooo in every room including the johns." Larry paused to admire his own foresight. "And just to give me a little extra time to be prepared for The Master I dug a couple of holes around the mansion to keep him from reaching the door too quickly. Nobody's going to call me silly, silly, silly." All there remained for Larry to do was to drill the servants one more time. Larry went over and sounded the alarm.
From all corners of the mansion the ten servants assembled breathlessly. Each carried a torch in one hand and a bucket of lighter fluid in the other. "Attention," Larry cried, and all the servants save one clicked their heels while holding lamps and buckets in readiness close to their sides. "What's wrong with you, Neville? You're never ready." Larry reprimanded the servant who held his torch haphazardly upside down with the wick brushing the floor.
"Hey, relax, man," Neville said calmly as he righted his torch. "Don't get so uptight. Who do you think we're working for? Genghis Khan?" The other servants giggled as Larry tried his best to ignore Neville.
"Men," he intoned striding before them like a general reviewing his troops, "we've got to keep our eyes and ears open. All we'd need is for The Master to come and find us unprepared. I want to run through the torch lighting procedure once again."
The servants groaned in unison, "Again?"
"At the count of three, I want you to light your torches as quickly as possible. There can be no delay. Do you understand?" They all looked at one another, then at Larry, heaved a sigh of resignation, and agreed they understood. "Good," Larry beamed. "Get ready, get set! 1, 2, 3." In a matter of seconds all of them had their torches burning brightly. All that is, except Neville.
Neville took his time as he admired his torch, running his fingers first gently over the wick, and then down the torch's thin oak stem. Finally he lit the lamp and held it before his eyes, awestruck by the little orange flame flickering heavenwards.
"And just what do you think you're doing?" Larry was visibly upset.
"Hey, man. Just enjoying the torch. Take it easy. I'm not a pyromaniac like those guys!"
"Ooooh!" Larry tried to ignore Neville, but he couldn't help mutter, "Never-ready Neville," under his breath. "Okay, fellas, you can snuff the torches. Now, here's your instructions. When you hear the alarm go off, grab your torches wherever you are, and don't waste any time getting here. That way, we'll all be sure to be prepared for The Master's Return. Understand?" Again, they looked at one another, then at Larry and agreed they understood. "Good. Off you go, then." Larry clicked his heels and they all stood at attention, all that is except Neville who was still enraptured with the dancing flame on his torch. "Dismissed," Larry shouted and they all filed out of the room.
No sooner had the servants resumed their various duties when the alarm went off and the wooo wooo wooo echoed throughout the mansion. The sounds of tools dropping, chairs overturning and toilets flushing throughout the building were replaced with the patter of feet racing through the halls as the servants, torches in hand, came rushing down the stairs and into the front room. Everyone stood at attention; all that is, except Neville who strolled into the room, enjoying an apple he couldn't bear leaving behind. He stepped casually into line, lit his torch from the torch of the fellow next to him and continued munching.
Larry faced the door, rigidly attentive, waiting for The Master to order the door to be opened. But all they heard was a faint scratch, scratch, scratch. Puzzled, Larry slowly opened the door, and he discovered not The Master but a small shivering mutt of a dog.
"Ohhh!" the servants groaned disappointedly as they lowered their torches. Larry was flabbergasted! He was about to take his frustration out on the dog when Neville stepped forward and said, "Hey, relax, man. It's only a little puppy. Maybe it's hungry or something." Then Neville got on his knees and called "Here, mutt! Come on. I'll take care of you." Before Larry could say anything, Neville had taken the dog into his arms and left the room. The other servants followed Neville's lead and Larry soon found himself alone.
Hardly had Larry begun considering how to fix the alarm system to screen out unwanted animals when suddenly the alarm went off again. As before, feet raced down the halls and within seconds all the servants were once more in the main room standing at attention with torches burning. Neville, of course, was late as he came nursing the little mongrel with milk from a baby bottle. This time he stood in line without his torch.
Standing more or less at attention, they heard a sharp rap, rap, rap on the door. Larry heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank God, it's the Master," he winked at the servants, as he stepped forward to open the door. But his relief turned instantly to anger when he saw not The Master but a bum darkening the great doorway. "What do you want?" Larry yelled. "Just a bed for the night," the man answered sheepishly. "For you? Are you kidding? We're waiting for The Master, not for you." He was about to slam the door shut when Neville intervened and calmly stayed Larry's hand. "Relax, man. He can use my bed. No big deal. He's tired. Let him sleep. Come on in, buddy." He took the bum inside and the three of them, Neville, the dog, and the bum headed upstairs. The other servants mumbled and glowered at Larry, extinguished their torches and broke ranks.
Larry hoped this was the end of unwanted visitors. Unfortunately for him and the other servants it wasn't. All through the night and into the wee hours of the morning the alarm sounded. Again and again the servants dragged their lighted torches to the door with diminishing enthusiasm. Again and again Larry opened the door only to discover an unbelievable assortment of people, ranging from a hooker who was drawn by all the red lights she saw in the windows to the milkman who was making his early morning delivery. Invariably Larry tried to get rid of the visitors while Neville kept inviting them in.
"Relax," he'd say. "Let them in. We're having a little party upstairs." The other servants grew so exhausted from false alarms, that one by one they fell asleep in their rooms. Larry, on the other hand, was so enraged that The Master hadn't shown up according to his own plans, he finally decided to shut off the alarm system altogether. He threw open the door, ran out of the house, and turned off the switch some one hundred feet from the mansion. However, as luck would have it, on his way back he fell into one of the holes he had dug and momentarily went unconscious.
Meanwhile back inside the mansion Neville had come down the stairs to replenish the salami tray when he noticed the front door standing wide open. And who should be standing there but (you guessed it) ... The Master.
Neville waved. "Hi, boss. We've been waiting for you. Nice to see you're back. We've got a little party going on upstairs in your honor. Come on up and join us."
The Master smiled, pleased that at least someone was there to welcome him. And a party in his honor ... nice touch! "Thanks, Neville. I'd be glad to join you but where's Larry? I thought for sure he'd be waiting for me."
"Larry? I guess he got tired and went to bed, boss."
"Well, I'll have to talk to him in the morning. After all, I don't pay him to sit around and do nothing."
"Relax, boss. He's just a little burned out. It happens to the best of us."
"Burned out?" The Master was puzzled but didn't press the issue as he and Neville went upstairs to the party. And Larry? He had regained consciousness but not all his wits. He remained standing in the hole, glazed eyes riveted on the road leading to the mansion, waiting for The Master's Return.
Reflection
Is it possible to be too prepared? Perhaps the answer to the question depends on what we mean when we speak of being prepared. We have been told since we were children we ought to be prepared by planning ahead, putting something away for a rainy day. We are cautioned not to be caught off guard or with our pants down. We have also been warned to watch our tongue and listen carefully. We mustn't daydream but stay awake. We have to have a clear head and pay attention. After all, one false move and ... and what?
We won't be in control of our future, ourselves, the situation, etc. Preparation frequently means control. We want to be prepared and being prepared means being in charge or on top of things. We don't want things to get out of hand. Larry embodies this kind of preparation. He also embodies a paranoia that goes along with it. He is fearful and suspicious even of the master. Larry goes so far as to dig a trench to catch the master because he doesn't want the master to sneak up on him; he doesn't want anything unpredictable to happen.
But the unpredictable does happen. Life is unpredictable, full of surprises and ultimately uncontrollable. It is frequently messy, muddy, and murky, and attempts at reducing life to the manipulable are not only ultimately futile, they make life unenjoyable. It is in those moments when we lose control and surrender ourselves that we are filled with awe and joy. We lose our breath at the sight of a beautiful sunset or a newborn baby; we are overcome with gratitude at kindnesses bestowed, and we are taken up by someone's unexpected thoughtfulness. Ecstasy is losing ourselves and finding ourselves in communion with something larger than ourselves. It is only when we are willing to surrender ourselves over to whatever is happening that we are really prepared. Then we become like Neville.
Neville is available to what happens. He is prepared to be as available to the stem of his lantern as he is to the puppy dog. Preparation is availability to the predictable and the unpredictable. It is the willingness to be surprised rather than the wilfulness to control and do away with all surprise.
If we are too controlling we shall miss out on the thousand and one ways in which God comes to us. The Master returns but we may have so determined ahead of time how and when the Master will come that we miss him when he actually arrives. Semper Paratus is a nice slogan, but taken to the extreme it means Never Prepared.
