Time Out: Weekly quiet times for the youth worker’s soul.
I wasn’t going to have anything ready to post today, figuring that the whole rapture thing was going to happen. Then I thought I should get something ready, just in case. Good thing I did.

Actually, as I was thinking about it, I figured that Sunday would be a much better day for the rapture anyway. Doesn’t it sound more likely to happen? Sunday was what is now recognized by Christians as the Sabbath, so it has holy significance. Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday, and it would be cool if he came back on a Sunday too. Most of all, nobody would expect it! Everyone would be too busy posting things on Twitter about how the rapture didn’t happen, and making really clever jokes that I read and wish I came up with. Nobody would expect it the next day. They’d all be busy going on with their lives. I kind of think that if I were God (and I’m nowhere close), that’s probably how I’d do it. When you think about it, God almost alludes to that as well…

In Matthew 25:1-13 (please go there and read it first before continuing), Jesus tells a parable of 10 virgins, five wise and five foolish, who were waiting. Five of them let their guard down, fell asleep, and wound up missing out. Five said faithful, and were rewarded.

Jesus tells us to be on our guard. Always be faithful. Always be doing good. Always be ready. As much as we love to try to predict things, we simply can’t. We can see warning signs, but we’re still told it’s going to be a surprise, and come quickly. All we know is that it’s going to happen at some point.

So let us continue to be faithful and steady, preaching the Gospel, loving God and others, and be found worthy of the calling which we have received.

Reflect

• If I could know that Jesus was coming back tomorrow, what would I change? Why am I waiting?
• Right now, am I being faithful to the call that God has given me? Please don’t just glance over this.
• Am I falling asleep and/or wasting what I have, or am I being faithful in my stewardship?

Posted on May 23, 2011