I recall my mom being well-practiced at this. In mom’s day, that was quite frequent, but that seems to have gone by the wayside. Jesus has told us through his words to the disciples that we need to prepare for the coming of the son of man. So many times, this text and others like it are held up as some kind of threat. There are people who are making a living interpreting the signs of the times and try to pinpoint just when the son of man will come back. Earthquakes, floods, forest fires, is that the coming of Jesus? Nobody has given us the exact time that the son of man will return. Personally, I would beg your permission to share my thoughts on this subject. I had a lot of questions on how we would know it was Jesus. He left a long time ago. Would he want to come back to a world in such shambles? And then, as my faith journey continued and I started to do some deep thinking, my thoughts were that maybe there isn’t a coming of Jesus. Maybe Jesus is already here with us. The signs are; a friendly smile to someone who has the world on their shoulders, a hug to someone whose world has been shattered by a tragedy, the many acts of kindness shown to the less fortunate, the contributions to help the homeless and so on. I am not here to change your mind. I am only sharing my thoughts with your permission. We need to stop and listen more carefully to the words of Jesus. Jesus is not trying to threaten or scare his disciples but to share with them the love that God wants to share with them. Jesus’ imagery of a wedding, the love, and the preparation show how the bride carefully selects just the right music, the perfect gown, the perfect bridesmaid’s dresses and the perfect location. The couple stands together in front of God, the guests, and the wedding party and promises to love, honour, and cherish each other. Jesus tells his disciples that God already loves us and wants to give the kingdom; as with a bride, it’s up to us to prepare our hearts, minds and souls to return that great love. When we realize the significance of Jesus’ words, we put aside the questions of anxiety and dread and begin to ask questions of hope and anticipation. “What is God doing among us?” How can I be part of the coming of the kingdom? God is counting on our hands and feet to fulfill the promise. We can be kind, and respectful, have love in our hearts, joy in our giving, gentleness in our listening and practice self-control. And above all, we must try to keep peace in our actions. We are asked to do these to our best ability, knowing God loves us no matter what we do. God’s Blessing.
Submitted by Mary Anne Grand, layperson from Raymore United Church
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Disclaimer: opinions expressed are those of the writer.
