Curtis Mayfield passed away in 1999. At the height of the Civil Rights struggle Mayfield, the lead singer of The Impressions, wrote his most memorable lyrics. Listen to the Chorus:
People get ready
There's a train, a comin'
You don't need no baggage
You just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesels hummin'
Don't need no ticket,
You just thank the Lord
In that turbulent decade Curtis Mayfield was calling people to a higher purpose. The chaos of the 60's left this nation in much confusion from the Six-Day War to Viet Nam, from the assassination of JFK to Martin Luther King. There were many reasons to be concerned during those ten years. But Mayfield, like many others, understood that something great was on the horizon. He could hear it like the distant hummin' of a diesel engine. You don't need no baggage; all you need is faith; don't need no ticket; you just get on board.
People get ready. This is the very message that Jesus is giving to his disciples. They are to be ready. They are not to be afraid; they are to sell their possessions—don't need no baggage. They are to be dressed for service and ready to open the door when the master returns.
The train is coming. One day Jesus will return and we must be ready. But how are we to prepare ourselves? For the answer to that question we must look closely at our text this morning. There are three ways for the people of God to get ready.
- We are to get ready by ridding our lives of fear.
- We are to get ready through spiritual discipline.
- We are to get ready by watching for the Master's return.