1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 (NRSV) Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! 4 But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; 5 for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. 6 So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; 7 for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
For many people, the “web” has replaced books as the source for information. If I need to know how to plant a garden or find my way to an unknown destination, I type in what I need to know in a search box and I am on my way. Thousands of recipes, destinations, songs, and bits of information about the products I own are close at hand. I am sure I have no clue about all of what is out there.
But you can find no information about the end of time. Not trustworthy, anyway. The Lord tells the Thessalonians that the day will come as a thief in the night. No “website” will tell you when you will sneeze, much less what your future is going to be. The Scriptures guide us, as those early Christians, to know what is in the future. We are destined for eternal life because God’s wrath against our selfishness and sinfulness has been poured out on His own Son so that we may be brought back into full peace with Him. We need not just exist, but live life in the Spirit. That personal new life is “downloaded” inside of us.
The Scriptures tell us about what we are. We are not asleep or dreaming. The new reality is ours, unless we turn to other voices and follow their foolishness. We get to really live. We do not know the details of our earthly future but our heavenly future is set. No drugs, no secret tricks, no foolish choices – just the joy of Christ guiding us. We worship together so that we are wakening to the reality that God works in and through us and our children. Be settled. You are mine. I will come get you. Build each other up until then. So says our Lord and Savior who gathers us to love and serve each other. Celebrate and unfold your place in that light.
Pastor Tom Trapp, Mission Pastor
Walking the Emmaus Road with the Risen Lord!
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XIV, Number 11, June 2013)