Sunday, December 20, 2015

The Return.12

"Blessed are those servants, 
whom the Lord, 
when he comes, 
finds 
   ready 
      and anticipating 
          his arrival
even if he should come in the middle of the night, 
or at dawning of the day.

Truly I say, that he will adorn himself in his banquet clothes, and invite such servants to sit down with him at the table of feasting, rising himself to serve them as honored guests!" 
--Jesus

The greatly anticipated new installment of an old franchise, Star Wars, opened to a record $130 million first day ticket sales! It is projected to gross over $2 billion in sales worldwide by the time it is has run it's theater debut...


Talk about ready and anticipating an arrival!

Although I've never personally camped out in front of a storefront before Black Friday, or a theater anticipating a movie premier, or a ticket office before a concert, I can appreciate that kind of excitement. We do know about being ready and anticipating something for which we have a deep longing, don't we?  Whether a new movie or the birth of a baby, a job promotion, the purchase of a new home or car, it is part of our human experience.

I have, however, experienced the disappointment of underestimating the wonder of an event for which I wasn't earnestly longing; of wishing I'd been more fervent in inviting others to join in that wonder!

Rooted in our human experience are the words Jesus uses to describe the honor bestowed on those who simply live their lives ready and anticipating His return: 
  • Blessed
  • Servants
  • Lord
  • Comes
  • Ready
  • Anticipating
  • Midnight
  • Dawn
  • Adorn
  • Banquet Clothes
  • Invite
  • Table of Feasting
  • Rising to Serve
  • Honored Guests
 And yet, just as all the treasures of universal wisdom are hidden in Him, so also the full, experiential meaning of this event cannot be fully grasped until that moment in time!  The real question is: will we be dressed in the banquet clothes of deep satisfaction, or the discomfort of disappointment that we weren't nearly as passionate in inviting others to join us in the single most wonder-filled event of all time?

May the worldwide anticipation of a two hour movie pale in comparison of our longing for the return of the Eternal King!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comments are welcome. You can post them here or send me an email: clyon2msu@gmail.com. Thanks for reading, hope you are encouraged, blessed, challenged and grow stronger in your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Charlie