Category: Second Coming

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Reflections on 9/11

My guess is that you know exactly where you were when the news broke on that dark day in 2001. I know I do. 

I was starting my day in my office of the church building in Kentucky when one of my members, a parent whose child was in our church’s preschool, burst into my office declaring, “I just heard on the news that a plane has flown into one of the Twin Towers.” Bewildered, denial set in as I knew those buildings were too tall for such a foolish mistake. That someone might intentionally fly a plane into the buildings was beyond the scope of believability. My guess is that it was for you, too. I checked numerous online news websites and discovered headlines confirming the report, but since the articles were being written in real time, I was unable to access any of the details.

My memory of the following days is a blur. Stories of heroism were overshadowed by stories of despair. Since Cile and I did not own a television set at the time, it would be two weeks before I saw actual footage of the planes flying into the buildings. We were visiting her mother when I saw the video; my heart sank, and my gut felt sucker-punched. I was two weeks behind the emotional trauma everyone else experienced.

On the immediate Wednesday night following 9/11, our church held a prayer service. The three elders and I reflected on both the events and Scripture, trying to shed some light on this dark event. On Sunday morning our church prayed for those directly and indirectly impacted by this terroristic act of war. Drawing from a shared empathy, I relayed to the church that somewhere in the surrounding New York City area lies a church with a vacant pew. The previous week someone(s) was part of the visible community of believers, while this week they are forever part of the unseen worshiping community. That church has an open wound that will not heal easily or quickly.

I also thanked a Canadian family who moved to the States years earlier and were members of our church. While I had no official authority to speak on behalf of our nation – and they had no official authority to offer any response – I did speak. I thanked them for the Canadian government clearing air space and opening their airports so that American planes, who could divert their course, could find a safe harbor. Canada, like the rest of us, did not know what dangers lurked by such a gracious move. They authorized the move anyway. Our congregation of 200 applauded our Canadian family.

Twenty-three years have passed since that dreadful day changed our lives. In some ways the hole has not been filled. We’ve had plenty of time to process the events while much water has rushed under the bridge or over the dam.

As I reflect on the nightmare of that day, I find at least three things worth sharing, all of which is rooted in Scripture. First, “Let your light shine” (Mt. 5:16). A year after 9/11, I took my first doctoral course. One of my fellow students had been in the grocery store getting food and snack supplies for the nine days we’d be on campus. He happened to have picked up a magazine from the checkout line. As he stood before the class holding the magazine he started sharing with us his 9/11 experience. He was in the Denver airport when the planes hit the towers. The terminal shut down cancelling all flights. He spent the next few days waiting for air space to open, flights to be rebooked, and opportunities to return home. The magazine in his hand was a one-year commemorative magazine of 9/11. As he was in the check-out line, he said, he picked up the magazine and started flipping through the pages to find that a photographer had shot a candid picture of himself with a group of people sitting against the wall. He showed us the magazine and said, “This is me.”

People are watching. People are always watching. They notice the deeds we do and the words we say. They witness the acts of kindness or our darker deeds. They observe how our talk harmonizes with our walk or creates dissonance. Jesus wants us to capitalize on that dynamic. Since people are watching, then, he encourages us to let our lights shine in those dark places to brighten the way home, and where God gets the glory due him.

Secondly, “As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom. 12:18). Following 9/11 voices emerged expressing concerned that fear and distrust might create an unrepairable “us against them“ mentality. Until 9/11 Americans perceived itself as secure, invincible, and that war carnage happened elsewhere. After 9/11 America’s perception began to shift. Suddenly, our nation’s security was breached, we felt vulnerable, and war’s carnage was not hidden in our backyard but hanging on our clothesline for all the world to see.

With the internet unleashed, the world immediately shrunk. As a mobile society, we found connecting to each other a great blessing. Facebook and Twitter meant we could communicate with friends all over the world. But social media came with a dark side. A very dark side. Instead of unity and community, people began spouting hard core beliefs without any concern for the hurtful words attached to them. No one had to look into the eyes of the people as they hid behind a computer screen. Those without a voice or venue found a place to express themselves, almost priding themselves on promoting hateful or divisive ideologies and themes. Adding to the mess has been the bad faith people and “bots” whose singular purpose is to stir up conflict, turning people against each other. The chasm continued to widen.

How COVID played in the division of society will be studied for years on end. Suffice to say, social distancing came with a relational price tag.  

Hear this warning: from politicians to preachers to practitioners, too much messaging has been divisive and has fueled the “us against them” perception. Words matter, and shrouding the words beneath ideology or religion never justifies divisive rhetoric. Instead of hiding behind a computer screen, we need to look into the eyes of our neighbors and recognize that we are all Imago Dei, made in the image of God. Instead of hanging onto our pet peeve issues or political rhetoric or ideological individuality, we need to hold onto each other. Instead of looking for a reason to divide, we need to passionately pursue the reason to unite. Or as Paul might say, if there is going to be unrest and conflict between people, make sure you are not the cause.

Finally, if “the end is near,” then make it a glorious end (1 Pet. 4:7-11). Peter entertains the possibility that the world’s story is about to close, though I suspect he probably has Jerusalem’s fall in mind (C.E. 70). Any catastrophic event feels like the world coming to its end, from the Stock Market crashing in 1929, to the bombing of Pearl Habor in 1941, to 9/11. With such a terrorizing end in sight, Peter refuses to prey on people’s fears. He doesn’t go into how bad it will get, nor does he exploit people’s anxieties by dangling hell over them. Instead, he tells his church to keep doing what they have always done, and what they have always done best.

Peter highlights some of the core tenants of the Christian faith.* He tells them to be clear-minded and to keep praying (v. 7). Someone, like Chicken Little running around stirring up the pot because he fears the sky is falling, is not clear-minded, and I doubt that person is praying. In the next chapter Peter will exhort his readers in prayer to “Cast all your anxiety on (God) because he cares for you” (5:7). God really does care for you. Secondly, he tells his readers to love deeply (v. 8), a love that stretches a person to the limits. Some people are easier to love than others, and everyone is hard to love at some point. When we throw ourselves into love, the multitude of sins gets covered because love leads to forgiveness. Thirdly, he says to continue practicing hospitality (v. 9). Opening one’s home in the first century not only provided a place where the church could meet, but ongoing lodging for those passing through the area. Opening one’s home, though, is hard work so Peter takes the grumbling part off the table. Finally, he says to use your gifts to serve others (v. 10). The center of the universe is not you, but you can use your gifts to minister to others, and through that action serve the true Center of the Universe.

Not a lot of excitement in this list and I doubt that it will be very marketable. But in a world where fear drives conversations, the everyday mundane Christian service keeps us well-grounded. The result is that fear is kept at bay.

As we bring closure to this reflection on 9/11, I am reminded that in the spring of 1870, the Connecticut Legislation was in session. During the meetings, dark ominous clouds formed and closed in over the Capital in Hartford. With many legislators still rooted in a pre-modern era world-view, they believed the end was upon them. A call for adjournment was made and it looked as if everyone was going home. However, one man, Abraham Davenport, opposed the motion to adjourn. Addressing the legislators he said,

“I am against adjournment. The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, then there is no cause for an adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish therefore candles be brought.”*

Davenport wanted “to be found doing his duty.” Whether we are in a time of peace or in a time of war; whether we live in a context of fear or a context of faith; whether we are living in an abundance of freedom or the freedoms have been stripped away; whether we are flourishing in a time of unity or in the splinter of division; whether we are reaping another Great Awakening or sowing in spiritual apathy; or whether we are basting in the brightness of light or the ones bringing light to the darkened world, we chose to be found doing our duty. Therefore, let’s call for the candles, and then go light this world by being found doing our duty.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)

* See my book, The Lord of All Things (published through Amazon.com, 2024), 182-185.

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FINAL Verdict

The final judgment theme is a strong motif in Scripture. The Hebrews writer says that everyone dies once, then faces the judgment (Heb. 9:27). Paul, while addressing the philosophers at the Areopagus, seems to echo the same sentiment (Act. 17:31). Jesus says that we’ll all stand at the judgment to defend the words we’ve spoken (Mt. 12:36). Once again, Paul appears to agree in that we’ll receive what is due us depending on what we’ve done in the body (2 Cor. 5:10). What appears to be true is that at the end of time a reckoning will take place and all humanity will be held in account for their words and actions. What that final judgment scene actually looks like is less defined. Even still, it doesn’t mean it’s an empty threat.

Two passages, both found in Matthew’s gospel, offer a concrete look at the final judgment scene. Mind you, both scenes are scripted in allegory or parabolic language. How they look is not as important as to what unfolds.

The first scene appears at the end of the Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 7:21-23). Jesus had just warned about coming false prophets and that they’ll appear as wolves in sheep’s clothing (v. 15-20). How you know if they are false or true prophets is by noting the kind of fruit they bear (v. 16a). Jesus does not define what he means by fruit for he allows us to understand it as we grapple with his sermon (Mt. 5-7). Following the judgment scene, he concludes his sermon with the wise and foolish builders (v. 24-27). The wise person listens to the words of Jesus, specifically in the Sermon on the Mount, and puts them into practice, where the foolish person ignores Jesus’ words.

Between these two sections is the judgment scene. Jesus uses this final verdict moment to bridge the thought between the false prophets of verses 21-23 with the foolish builders in verses 24-27. So, just because one says, “Lord, Lord,” does not mean Jesus will embrace or acknowledge them or their confession. Only those doing God’s will, as laid out in the Sermon, will recieve  Jesus’ blessing. It’s safe to conjecture that Jesus intends for us to understand God’s will to be implementing the message of his sermon from Matthew 5-7 so that our righteousness is greater than the Pharisees and the teachers of the law (5:20). In a twist of irony, those under judgment claimed to prophesy in Jesus’s name, drive out demons and perform miracles (v. 22). Assuming they were telling the truth, the Spirit was alive and working through their ministries, powerfully. Yet, because they ignored the very teachings they were promoting, Jesus ignored them, calling them “evil doers” (v. 23).

The second judgment scene appears at the end of Jesus’ fifth and final sermon (Mt. 23-25) and just prior to the Passion Week. Here he’s clearly speaking in parabolic terms as he has told two end times-like stories (10 Virgins in 25:1-13 and the Talents in 25:14-30). The third end time-like story describes judgment day as dividing the people into two groups, like a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats (25:31-46). The sheep, those on his right and designated as “righteous” (v. 34, 37) were willing to feed Jesus when he was hungry, provide water when he was thirsty, opened their homes to him when he was homeless, clothed him when he was naked, nursed Jesus back to health when he was sick and visited Jesus when he was in prison (v. 35-36). The goats, those on his left and designated as “cursed” (v. 41) refused to act when they saw Jesus in need. In a sense of irony, neither group “recognized” Jesus as someone in need. But Jesus identifies with those in need so much that he says, “. . . whatever you did (or did not do) for the least of these . . . you did (or did not) do for me” (vs. 40, 45).

While Scripture is clear that a final verdict is a reality, certain aspect of the judgment day is still left unclear. Watching our words and defending our actions certainly play a role, and all of us need to be a little more considerate with our words and actions. However, the two scenes Jesus describes are telling. First, we’re called to live a faith greater than the games religious people play. Constantly stepping back into the Sermon on the Mount reorients our lives to the core gospel. Secondly, generously helping anyone in need is the same as if we’re helping Jesus. Our job is not to question the “worthiness” of the one in need, but our job is to treat them as if Jesus was in need. When we do, we’ll find ourselves in safe territory for the final verdict.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)

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When Jesus Hosts a Watch Party

On a cool spring afternoon the disciples made their way from the temple grounds through olive groves to a bluff overlooking the temple itself. Herod had overseen the construction of a magnificent edifice that inspired wonder and awe upon onlookers; he captured what Solomon only envisioned. The temple was completed some twenty years earlier and the boy Jesus might have been one of its first attendees. Jews of all walks of life swelled with pride as the temple was a light to the nations.

Naturally, Peter, John and the disciples draw their attention to the building and made a passing commentary on its glorious beauty. I can’t fault them. I’ve stood in awe on top of Rocky Butte overlooking downtown Portland, Oregon amidst Mt. Hood, the Columbia River, and Mount St. Helens. Impressive. I distinctly recall my visit to Washington DC and how awestruck I was in seeing the Capitol building. Speechless. So the disciples’ attention on the building is not beyond something I might have said. But Jesus’ response was exactly Jesus, “All those stones to build the temple will land in a heap of rubble” (Mk. 13:2).

Shocked. Bewildered. Confused. The disciples sought clarification from their teacher. They wanted answers to two questions, “When will it happen?” and “What will be the sign ahead of fulfillment?” What unfolds in Mark 13 (and Matthew 24) is a difficult answer that requires an understanding of the book of Daniel and apocalyptic literature, neither of which is easily assessed by modern, western thinking Christians. Certainly, followers of Christ have exploited his words, in part because Jesus not only answers their questions, but also points even further down history’s timeline to his return. The real difficulty is figuring out when Jesus is talking about Jerusalem’s fall and when he is talking about his return?

The simplest way to understand Mark 13 is that verses 5-32 all deal with the fall of Jerusalem. When Jesus talks about misdirection of the coming Christ (v. 6, 21-23), or nations warring against each other or cataclysmic events (v. 7-8) or the “abomination of desolation” (v. 14), he’s directly addressing events surrounding 70 AD. Certainly, persecution and betrayal (v. 9-13) will always be part of our faith-walk with Jesus, but Jesus is still looking at events unfolding in their next thirty-five years.

While verses 24-31 sound like Jesus is talking about his second coming, two facts say otherwise. First, “But in those days, following that distress,” (v. 24) means that Jesus is still on the AD 70 events, not his second coming. Secondly, the language of these verses continues apocalyptic images and was often used by prophets to describe God’s judgment on a nation. In other words, Jesus uses the Old Testament visuals to apply to Jerusalem facing God’s wrath through the Romans. Jerusalem will fall and the temple will be razed.

Jesus slowly pivots his exposition at verse 32 by saying, “No one knows about that day or hour . . ..” He has just told his disciples about heaven and earth passing away (v. 31) and the enduring power of God’s word, but no one is privy to when the end comes. I’m sure Jesus knew when Jerusalem was going to fall, or at least the general time frame for its fall. But he, the angels and the many so-called “predictors” do not know when God set the time for him to return.

In order to appreciate the ominous foreshadowing words of Jesus, we need to try to feel the despair of watching Jerusalem being breached and the temple being levelled. For a first century Jew the world was emotionally coming to an end. The game was over. The final chapter was written. Go on home because no “end-scene” credit was shot. We know this because we’ve experienced moments where all looked lost. October 29, 1929 when the stock market crashed forcing America into the Great Depression. December 7, 1941 when America was thrust into the throes of a world war for the second time. September 11, 2001 when terrorists high jacked planes and flew them into the Twin Towers and into the Pentagon. Each of those events changed the direction of the world, but didn’t close the book on the world.

The solution Jesus offers to his disciples is to invite them to his own Watch Party. “Watch out that no one deceives you” (v. 5). “Be alert! You do not know when that time will come” (v. 33). “Keep watch” because you do not know when he returns (v. 34-35). “What I say to everyone: Watch” (v. 37). So he invites us to his Watch Party because it might be at midnight when he’s praying in the garden (v. 35; 14:32), or just before the rooster crows during his trial (v. 35; 14:72), or at dawn when he was sentenced to die (v. 35; 15:1). We watch because we never know how God will take an “end of the world” disaster and breathe new hope into it.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)

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The Wilderness: Somewhere Between Egypt and Canaan

As Israel journeyed through the wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula, they were hit with two sides of reality. On one side, they were no longer slaves in Egypt. They were liberated while humiliating their opponents as they left town. After 400 years in bondage, freedom felt like a cold drink of water on a hot muggy day. On the other side, they were a long way from their destination, the Promised Land. Sure it was only a ten day journey, but God had other plans. Their stop off was a two year layover at Mt. Sinai. And as we know, their two year stop turned into 40 years of character building.

Forty years is a longtime to find yourself in the wilderness. You’re not bound to slavery, but you’re not home, either. The wilderness is unbearably hot during the daylight hours with little protection from the sun’s heat. But then when the sun sets the heat escapes the sand and it gets cold, really cold at night. Water is scarce as oasis appear as frequently as a gas station on a highway in the open plains of South Dakota. And then there’s the sand itself. It’s coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. Not like Canaan where everything is soft and smooth.

We’ve often experienced the wilderness. It’s that in between time. The teenage years define the wilderness as the youth is not a child but not quite an adult. You’ve quit your job but you won’t start your next employment opportunity for another month. By placing the ring on her finger means you’ve redefined the relationship for you’re no longer in a dating relationship, but you’re not married either. Our time on earth holds a wilderness feel to it. We live between Jesus’ appearances on earth. We don’t live at the time of his Incarnation, while we long for him to return and claim his own.

Wilderness time is a needed respite. It’s a time to slow down, recharge the soul’s batteries and refocus our priorities. When Israel entered the wilderness, God needed to take a loosely collected family and begin the process of giving them an identity. More importantly, they needed an identity tied to him. So he led them to Mt. Sinai to give them the Law and to establish his covenant with them.

But the wilderness can wear on you. For Israel, they kept looking back at what they left behind instead of focusing on where they were headed. They glossed over the slavery part of Egypt while fixating on the homes they left and the (bad) food they ate. Instead of anticipating the land flowing of milk and honey and living in homes they would not build, they settled for the past. So consumed with returning to Egypt, they staged a coupe before God intervened (Num. 14).

Most of 2020 has been spent in the wilderness. It’s been difficult, lonely and filled with mixed messages. We’ve left behind a life we knew and a life of familiarity. Since then we’ve been staggering, almost feeling like we’re lost. We want to go back. We want things to return to normal. I miss dinner with friends. I miss sporting events. I miss hugs. I miss a building filled with people in worship and fellowship.

But life is always about moving forward, not stepping back. Life drives us to the future, not to the past. God always leads us to the Promised Land, not to Egypt. What will that be like when we get through this wilderness to reach the Promised Land? I can’t say. Will there be a semblance of the life we’ve left? Maybe. I hope so. But what I know is that we need to hear and see more faith from those like Joshua and Caleb, who trust God to move us into the future with him, who reminds us to trust him too.

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e., only God is glorified!)

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Day of Reckoning

Jesus has promised to return, but as to the time and date, it’s under wraps; he says only the Father knows when he’ll return (Mk. 13:32).  In fact, the apostle Paul quotes Jesus directly when he refers to the Second Coming as a “thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2; Mt. 24:43).  His point, everyone knows they’re always vulnerable to a thief, but no one really believes they’ll be robbed this night.  Jesus’ return is immanent, but how many people really believe Jesus might come today? 

This past week I discovered an insight, an epiphany, into Christ’s Second Coming I’ve never realized.  It came on Tuesday afternoon when the moving company contacted me to tell me they were about an hour out, and over the course of the next twenty-four hours, I reflected on the truths of Christ’s Return. 

First, Ready or Not, Here He Comes!  Cile and I had seven months to pack up the parsonage and be ready for the moving company.  I had resigned my position with the church in Elkton, Kentucky in November, and the elders were good to their word to allow me to continue preaching through the end of May.  By March, we knew Minford, Ohio area was our destination.  However, it’s hard to pack for the future when you’re still living in the present. 

As the end of May came ever closer, our packing increased, but never quickly enough.  When the movers arrived, all I could think was, “we wanted to be further along than this.”  Our goal was to be completely packed on their arrival, but we were still putting stuff in boxes, and while they were loading, we were packing and cleaning the house.  It was clearly a Day of Reckoning, and we weren’t ready.

I can’t help but think of so many people who believe the Second Coming of Christ is immanent, but on that day, will still be unprepared.  They may have had an entire lifetime to get ready for Christ, but when the moment he comes, they’ll say, “I needed more time.” 

Secondly, Success Came with a Little Help From My Friends. We’re never islands in and of ourselves, but are interconnected with one another.  Rich Mullins once said, “We are not as strong as we think we are,” and truth be told, we’re not.  We need those good friends around us to strengthen our weaknesses. 

While Cile and I were trying to get our packing completed, we were feeling overwhelmed by the process.  We needed help.  We needed support.  We needed to vent.  Along came Bobby and Anna Jo who stepped in to help us pack, to carry off trash, to calm us with reassuring words, and to cry on their shoulders.  The day before we left, Bettye delivered a bag of her famous white chocolate laced popcorn with M&M’s, knowing we needed something good to eat for the journey.  On the day we moved, Carolyn arrived to collect items for an auction.  She grabbed a broom and began helping us clean the house.  Without the help of our friends, the move would have been much harder, and taken that much longer. 

The Christian faith was never intended as a solo, but an ensemble.  The New Testament has over one hundred “one another” statements that include forgiving, sharing, encouraging, loving, and practicing hospitality.  If anything, Scripture is teaching us that we are stronger in our faith when we’re in a group than when we’re all alone.  And the vast majority of us will fare better connected to those around us, than going on our own.  I may have to stand on the Day of Judgement to account for my own actions, but my entrance into heaven will come because of my friends who helped me get there. 

Finally, the Welcoming Great Cloud of Witnesses.  Even before we were moved, Sunshine Church was already welcoming us.  A month ago Jon Coriell invited us to spend Sunday lunch with his family, only for a greater lunch plan to emerge with the whole church.  Greg Shepherd wanted me to put an order in for the flavor of homemade ice cream.  Shaun McCray made sure all logistical moving details were covered on his end, and has been insuring that the house is ready for us to move into, and helped secure an air mattress for Cile and me to sleep on our first night.  Tom Kelly called to see what we needed to make our transition as smooth as possible (he has already made on visit to our home).  Shawn and Heather Gragg provided dinner for us on Thursday night.  Kristin Riley texted Cile encouraging words, while Jamie Jamie over-saw the assembly of my office and the lawn care at the house.  Wayne and Irmalee Gampp’s hospitality knows no boundaries.  So many at Sunshine have been encouraging on FaceBook to make us feel that we were coming home, and the collection that was taken for us will really be helpful as we’re getting started.  Thank you for the glimpse into the first moment of heaven. 

I can only imagine what it might be like that first moment in heaven.  You get to reunite with your friends and family once more, you get to meet the greats throughout Scripture and throughout time, and you get to meet the Lord himself, and to look upon his face.  The joy will be nothing less than overwhelming. 

Jesus promised to return, and this past week, not only reminded me of this reality, but kind of got me excited of the possibilities.  As George Younce of the Cathedrals used to say, “I’ve got my bags pack and I’m ready to go.”  And you know what, today I can say that.                                                                                      

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)