Rest

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.” (Revelation 14:13, NRSV)

Do you ever feel like you never get a break?

Like you are constantly running?

Going to this meeting…

Going to that party…

Always working or running to make the next meet/game/concert/event for a kid…

Sometimes it seems like our work is never done, and we will never get any rest.

And in some things that is true, but you see we need to make the rest.

We have to take the time to slow ourselves down and see the world around us and see what God wants us to see with His eyes!

We need to do His labor and know that we will have rest. When we follow and trust Him, when we rest eternally we will be blessed and have rest in the Lord.

So slow down this season and look for what God is showing you, and trust that He is always with us!

 

Be alert

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:25-36, NRSV)

This generation will not pass away until these things have happened…

Heaven and earth will pass away but my word will not. We rest in the assurance we will be with God in Heaven right?

Well if that is the case, Jesus just shot that down, because Heaven and earth will pass away He just told us here.

We rest in the promise we will be with God in His kingdom. And we have to be alert and aware of what He is calling us to do, and where He is leading us.

We have to be alive, alert, awake and enthusiastic to do what God is setting before us to do! Knowing He will give us the strength to do all He asks us to do,.

Gather

“Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’ with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31, NRSV)

The sun will be darkened and the moon will not give light and the stars will fall from Heaven….

Scary stuff…

Yet we have seen “stars” fall from Heaven in meteor showers, and the sun has eclipsed which is not giving light, which then I guess would not allow the moon to give light either because of the sun providing light for the moon…

It is hard to take this literally even thought it could be literal language because it has all happened…

But never have we seen after these events Jesus in the clouds with a trumpet blast.

But we do believe we will be called to meet Him when the kingdom of God comes in its fullness.

He will gather His people together and He will be with us! It is a promise regardless of when it comes, it is a promise we can count on.

Rule

See, a day is coming for the LORD, when the plunder taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses looted and the women raped; half the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives, which lies before Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley; so that one half of the Mount shall withdraw northward, and the other half southward. And you shall flee by the valley of the LORD’S mountain, for the valley between the mountains shall reach to Azal; and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. On that day there shall not be either cold or frost. And there shall be continuous day (it is known to the LORD), not day and not night, for at evening time there shall be light. On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea; it shall continue in summer as in winter. And the LORD will become king over all the earth; on that day the LORD will be one and his name one. (Zechariah 14:1-9, NRSV)

The Lord will come to fight. Sounds like the battle will be over decidedly quickly. God will come and His holy ones with Him, and the living waters will flow and He will be king over all the earth.

This is a fight you want to make sure you are on the right side of! There is no going back on this one.

He will come and rule all the world! It is a promise we can hold on to. Even when things seem bleak here, we can rest assured that God is coming to rule all!

Many

“At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12:1-3, NRSV)

If you are righteous and your name is written in the book you will be delivered.

And then the word that struck me in this reading…

Many…

Many of those sleeping shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Really many? Not all?

So who is left behind in the dust of the earth? And in the Hebrew the word is there. I admit I am not a Hebrew scholar by any stretch of the imagination, but it looks like a good translation to me. But that leaves the question of who is left in the dust. Because some rise to everlasting life and some rise to everlasting contempt.

It is a question we are left with to ponder, yet we can know from this passage if we strive to do what God has called us to do and follow Him, we will shine like the stars forever and ever.

waiting…

It seems Christmas is upon us! The winter wonderland has come! I know, just wait it will only get deeper and the white will not be so pretty… But Christmas lights are up, and the snow has fallen. All that is left is for Santa to come, oh wait; he is already at the mall, waiting to hear your list…

But is it time for Christmas? We are waiting. Now is the time of Advent, the season of the church year that is the 4 weeks before Christmas where we wait the advent of Christ in the manger. Advent means arrival. We are waiting for the arrival of Jesus.

But isn’t Jesus already with us? And yet we still wait on His advent again. It is the already not yet of Christmas and the return. You see as I write this it is not yet Thanksgiving, yet stores are playing Christmas music and all over the country side we see lights of Christmas. It is as if we have skipped being thankful into being consumers. It is a joyous time, but what does Christmas mean to you?

As we wait this year for the baby in the manger, let’s not get caught up in the societal understanding of this wonderful day. As we work through December and Advent, let us prepare for the miracle that allows us to be in relationship with God.  Let us prepare our hearts and bodies for the coming of our savior.  Let us during Advent, the season of Hope and Light, prepare for Jesus coming in the manger.

Don’t get caught up in the whirlwind excitement of consumerism this Advent. As we wait for Christmas, the day we celebrate the birth of Christ by giving to others, rather than giving to Him. Let us remember that His coming was the greatest gift we could ever receive and live into that gift, by focusing on others, just as He did for us. Live in the expectation of the greatest gift and miracle we have all behold.  Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.

May the peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and minds and prepare you this Advent.