Appearances are Deceiving
THE LORD WILL COME UNEXPECTEDLY: December 1, 2019
Doing laundry rarely rates as anyone's favorite household chore. But it does come with some entertaining perks. When you remove the clothes from the dryer, you never know what treasures might be left behind - a lost Legoman; a mushy Tootsie Roll still in the wrapper; and what's this? A $20 bill in the front pocket of my blue jeans? Wow - that was unexpected.
This Sunday's series of lessons lead us to the inevitable conclusion that God works in surprising and unexpected ways. Since Isaiah lived long before Jesus, he was waiting for Christ to come the first time. He saw a vision in which the Lord's mountain would be established as chief mountain. This mountain would be so significant that people from all over the world would stream to it - an obvious reference to Jesus’ coming at Christmas. Even after Isaiah’s vision, the world waited more than seven centuries for Christ to come.
Those of us who live on the A.D. side of Christmas are also anticipating Christ's coming, but not in the manger. Jesus will come again at the end of time. When will that happen? God only knows. Jesus describes the Last Day as coming so unexpectedly that many people will be caught unprepared, blithely going about their lives oblivious to the imminence of Christ's return. For them, the Last Day will be more like looking for $20 in their jeans pockets only to find a hole and no money.
Some accuse God of being unreasonable for not telling us when his second return might be. But Christians take Jesus' words as an encouragement for constant, faithful preparation. They ready themselves in faith and eagerly await Jesus' return. They prepare their minds to think holy thoughts, and decorate their lives with good deeds and decent behavior, as Paul teaches in Romans. We even ask God in prayer to speed his coming.
It is true that Jesus' coming will be unexpected. What he does when he comes will not be. Those who are prepared in faith will be welcomed to heaven.
► Readings:
• Isaiah 2:1-5: Christ will come as Lord of all.
• Romans 13:11-14: Salvation is near; behave decently.
• Matthew 24:36-44: Christ will come unexpectedly.
• Psalm: 80
► Sermon theme on Psalm 80: "Appearances are Deceiving"