If you knew for certain precisely
when your life would end what affect would it have on how you
live? Of course none of us knows when we will die. It could be
today or many years from now. The earliest Christians expected
Jesus to return every day meaning they expected their normal
existence to end and something new to begin. It had a pronounced
affect on how they lived their lives. Now that almost two thousand
years have passed most of us do not give this that much thought
except for those who have been caught up in the writings of the "Left
Behind" series of books.
Scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments make it very
clear that the various authors believed there would come a time
when God would decisively act to bring about a total change for
the created order. In the Old Testament this was called the Day
of the Lord, and it was something to be greatly feared. In the
New Testament it is most often interpreted as the return of Jesus
Christ. There are various schools of thought as to how this will
happen but it is universally accepted that no one knows when
it will occur.
Some believe Christ will come and there will be a long period
of great suffering before the final victory takes place. Others
believe that Christ will come and the faithful, both those who
have died and those still alive will be taken directly to Heaven.
While we can speculate and even make some educated conclusions
based upon Scripture the real bottom line is that we cannot say
with any certainty when or how these things will happen. Some
wonder if they will even happen at all.
While I cannot say when or exactly how it will happen, I do
accept Christ's promise that He will return. Today's
Gospel lesson along with many others like it, definitely have
Jesus promising us that He will return and that when He does
a new age unlike anything we have ever known will begin. The
passages that immediately follow today's lesson all have
to do with how we are to live our lives during this interim period
between Christ's coming and His coming again. These instructions
are found in Matthew Chapter 25:35-36. We are to feed the hungry.
We are to provide drink for the thirsty. We are to welcome strangers.
We are to clothe the naked. We are to care for the sick and to
visit those in prison. In other words, we are to love our neighbors.
Elsewhere in Scripture we are instructed to live in peace, to
work for justice, to show compassion and mercy and to offer forgiveness
when it is requested by those who have offended or harmed us
in any manner.
In Romans 13:11-13, the apostle Paul makes an appeal for us
to wake from sleep. This is not meant to be interpreted as nighttime
slumber but is to be seen as meaning it is time for us to accept
a new understanding of how we are to live. It is time to move
from sinful self-centeredness to an acceptance of God's
call in Christ for us to live together in a community of oneness
where all are treated with respect. Those who are powerful and
rich are to care for those who are powerless and poor. The wake-up
call with which Paul is challenging us is to acknowledge and
accept how God wants us to live. He invites us to come out of
the darkness and into the light. The light Paul refers to is
none other than Jesus the Christ, who calls Himself the Light
of the World. Jesus also calls us the light of the world in Matthew
5:14 and tells us we are to let this light shine. How are we
to do this?
Paul tells us in Romans 13:14 to put on the Lord Jesus Christ
which is a clear reference to our being baptized or immersed
in all that Jesus provides and represents. Once we are immersed
in Christ and filled with His Spirit we are to lead Christ-like
lives. This is how we are to be prepared for His coming again.
Think what you normally do when you are expecting someone you
love to come to your home. You clean the house and buy the food
you will need to prepare meals trying to take into account what
they like to eat. You put out fresh linen and take steps to have
whatever they may need on hand. You attempt to clear your calendar
in order to be able to spend as much time with them as possible.
This preparation takes on even more planning when you are preparing
to bring a new child into your home. A room is prepared with
all the necessary equipment and supplies. Your schedule has to
be adjusted as new routines will now begin. For a period of time
which can last for years that child is the focus of your attention
because you love him or her so much. And that is how it should
be. We should love the child and do everything possible to provide
the very best we can offer. That love should not grow any less
as the child becomes an adult. We may love and care in different
ways than we do a baby but the intensity of the passion should
not diminish.
Keep in mind that we begin today to prepare for the Christ
child's coming knowing that He has become an adult who
is our brother, our friend, our savior and King. Should not our
love for Him be such that we give Him the very best we have to
offer? |
