Devotion - Tuesday, September 19

Mark 13's apocalyptic vision ends with the announcement of the return of Christ.  Out of fairness to the whole of Christian thought and theology, I realized I should write about "the return."

"The return" does not figure heavily into my personal piety.  As a result, I tend to ignore it, to rarely speak of it.  Mostly because the return of Jesus is too quickly seen as a warning, as an encouragement to action.  It reminds me of the days when we left one of our children at home for the weekend alone and were asked to call two hours before our return. There would be evidence that those final two hours were spent scrubbing and putting things in order.  

I do not think Jesus intended us to make ourselves look busy at the moment of his return.  And I am suspect of a piety which acts in order to "be ready" for this event.

But, out of fairness, I do need to acknowledge (and speak with you) about this aspect of Christian thought and theology.  And, while these words are also my defense I pray they are also my confession regarding a blind spot in my teaching and preaching.

I long for the return of Christ.  I spend most of my days seeking the world which Christ would find prepared and welcoming.  It is not so much the return that occupies me - it is my activity to align the world with the vision Christ has for the world to which he comes.