Sermon as Siren

In this season of severe storms, tornado watches and warnings, I recently made a spiritual connection to a daily occurrence that I wanted to share with you.
On campus at exactly 12 noon, almost on a daily basis, sirens loudly sound off as a kind of “test of the emergency broadcast system.” These sirens serve as a reminder of what will happen in case of a true emergency related to flood, earthquake, storm, tornado, etc. Every day we hear these warnings and except for maybe the first time we heard them, they go largely unnoticed in our routine. We continue eating, talking on our cell phones, or my favorite—throwing the Frisbee around in the Grove. The sermon is much like this siren. Every Sunday we hear another sermon sounding off like a siren on campus—warning us, reminding us, encouraging us. And maybe the first sermon or two really stood out to us, but many since then have gone largely unnoticed. Yet the sermon still speaks and God still warns and reminds. A true emergency of cosmic proportions is coming for those of us who have not heeded the warnings and reminders—the day Jesus returns. I hope the next time you hear the sirens, you’ll think of the sermon and remember the loving and constant warnings of God to be right with him.