The church I grew up at had a tradition of holding a service on New Year’s Eve called the “Watchnight Service”. The idea was drawn from Jesus’ command for his disciples to be ready for his second coming and his accompanying parable being like servants whom the master finds watching for his return, as found in Matthew and other parallel passages. Here’s how the story goes:

This story shows that the attitude and actions we choose to take about Jesus’ return have huge consequences. For the servant who was ready, the reward was the ultimate promotion. For the servant who was not ready, the reward was the ultimate corporal punishment. Either way, taking the time to reflect on our level of watchfulness is a good thing to do regularly, and the end of a year is a good trigger for reflection.

This year, I was struck by the realization that there are two kinds of watching that need to occur. The more obvious kind is watchfulness of what’s happening outside of or around us. The things that go on in our world, our culture, our communities and our households can be very distracting. The global pandemic can cause us to watch world leaders and health care ministers to find peace of mind instead of keeping our eyes fixed above. Contentious cultural issues fix our eyes on social media responses rather than on God’s Word. Family busyness keeps us checking our schedule instead of checking in with God in prayer. In short, watchfulness of the distraction of external pressures is vital.

The other kind of watchfulness is of what’s inside us. This is the watchfulness that I hadn’t thought about right away, but which is just as important. In the parable, it was the servant’s internal dialogue of doubt and laziness that led to his poor choices. He convinced himself that he wouldn’t be held accountable for his actions, likely assuming that he would have time to “shape up” before his master came to check on the state of affairs. This can be our attitude towards our own shortcomings and sins too. We turn a blind eye to them and tell ourselves we will deal with them later. Only “later” may turn into “too late” in a moment’s notice.

As you head into 2021, take a moment to reflect on the status of your watchfulness. By the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, you can keep your gaze fixed upward on Jesus!