Last Sunday after Pentecost 25.11.18 Trust
Imagine being on a rocket in space, and how insecure one
might feel in such a place.
We would be hurtling through space, not knowing if our
protective machine will survive, or will land safely.
If we had a choice we would probably refuse such a trip.
But we are on a journey anyway, one more exciting still, and
this journey is the one to eternal life. We had no choice with this one. God
created us; He did not ask us first. And He created the world we live in, and
the terms on which we do so.
We are hurtling through time, if not space. We are heading
towards the end of this phase of our journey. It could be in death, or it could
be in the Second Coming of Christ.
But we will not go on forever like we have been.
We can fear change, especially sudden change. But these endings
are not meant to be unpleasant experiences for us.
In the space capsule we would pray to God to bring us down
safely. He knows how this thing flies even if we do not.
We do exactly the same thing with our lives. Lord, save us, preserve us. Bring us safely
into Thy presence.
He will bring us through the trials and troubles, the moment
of death and all that happens afterwards.
It is all in His hands, and the central message is, Do not be afraid. If we are in union
with Him, we have everything we need. Why
were you so frightened, you men of little faith (Mt 8,26)?
Being ready for the end is something we should be working
towards all our lives. We have to get the ending right.
The threats of major disturbances in nature are because of
sin in our world. If we stop sinning these things will not need to happen.
It is not likely everyone is going to stop sinning at the
same time, but at least we the believers can stop, or at least sharply reduce the
sin we commit.
We can take advantage of the time we still have to set
matters straight, to build up spiritual strength.
We will be ready. We may be surprised physically by death or
destruction, but not spiritually. If we are in a state of grace all the time,
we must be ready for the end at any time.
All the time - the beginning, middle and end - the required
state is to be in union with Jesus Christ.
So we confess our sins, repent of them, resolve to overcome
our faults by the help of His grace.
The world at large does not worry about any of these things.
They may be worried about the idea of physical disaster, but they do not think
they need to repent of anything.
We pray for mercy for those who do not think they need
mercy. They need it more than anyone.
We can help move towards this if we would increase our own
belief and familiarity with these things..
If the believers would believe! That would help a lot. We
should have these things in our minds as though they are just a normal part of
everyday life. They may be more dramatic than most things we encounter, but
they are as much a part of life as something we see every day.
And we should want the last times to come. We do not dread
them, because they will make things better than they ever would be otherwise.
It is merely Christ collecting His own. He will gather up
those who have put their trust in Him.
Lord, bring us safely to land, in Thy presence.
No comments:
Post a Comment