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My husband George and I like to travel.
Getting ready is always a great education, but prior to
any trip, as we read about the destination chosen, we
have many questions about what it will be like. Will it
be safe? Will we have a good experience? Will we be with
a compatible group? Are we prepared?
In Matthew 24, Jesus describes the end of
our earthly world, and warns his disciples of what will
happen before His final Coming. As hard as it is to
imagine our world not being here, though we’ve been told
that day will come “someday,” we must prepare our hearts
and minds as though it will happen tomorrow. For those
of us who are “planners,” being caught unprepared is
unthinkable. Isn’t it just as unthinkable not to be
prepared for our face-to-face meeting with our God?
Many horrendous, frightening events are
happening in our world, from natural disasters to
political and social upheavals. Are any of these what
Christ foretold? The simple answer is, we just don’t
know. As a Girl Scout, I was taught to “be prepared.”
This was Jesus’ advice, too, to His followers 2000 years
ago. So how does one prepare for the unknowable? We
weren’t emailed an itinerary for heaven or given
passports, except those in our hearts. We don’t,
however, have to worry about our trip costs, which were
paid in full on Good Friday.
Christ warned His disciples that rumor
and speculation would be rife, and we are certainly
seeing the predicted “nation rising against nation” and
person against person. But He also promised that, at the
end of the journey, we would reap the salvation He
promised to those who endure. Jesus showed His disciples
Solomon’s temple, and told them that no stone would be
left standing on another. Much of that temple is already
destroyed, leaving only the Western (Wailing) Wall.
Here, Jews (and curious Christians) come to pray or
watch as worshippers place prayers written on scraps of
paper into crevices between the stones still standing.
They won’t always be! |
