Elevated Alert Levels
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Luke 17:20-27, 31-37
20. Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; 21. nor will they say, `Lo, here it is!' or `There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you." 22. And he said to the disciples, "The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and you will not see it. 23. And they will say to you, `Lo, there!' or `Lo, here!' Do not go, do not follow them. 24. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of man be in his day. 25. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. 26. As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of man. 27. They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 31. On that day, let him who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away; and likewise let him who is in the field not turn back. 32. Remember Lot's wife. 33. Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34. I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35. There will be two women grinding together; one will be taken and the other left." 36. 37. And they said to him, "Where, Lord?" He said to them, "Where the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."
These verses bring to mind the on-going “terror alert level” we hear about every day. I wonder how they (whoever they are!) came up with that whole idea! It’s really pretty meaningless, isn’t it? Are we in any less danger now than we were before 9/11? Does anybody know what we’re supposed to do differently if the terror alert rises? Is there a ‘master plan’ I missed out on at some point? Do I need to know what the terror level is if I don’t know what it means to my life on a day-in, day-out basis?
The whole concept really goes counter to how Christ told us to live, doesn’t it? The end of the world isn’t going to come at some time we can determine based on what’s going on around us! The kingdom of God isn’t going to be in some country with the strongest army, fighting the hardest for “Christian values” and freedom for all mankind. And isn’t it just like man to think that we have any say in the day or time—or any of it!? We haven’t really changed that much since biblical times, have we!?
Isn’t this whole alert level thing established by the government really intended to make us uneasy? Isn’t it really in place so that they can do whatever they want, to anyone they want, and feel justified – and convince us they’re justified? I’m not trying to accuse anyone of anything! I’m just ‘thinking out loud’ here. Doesn’t man come up with all kinds of ways to try to seize control of their lives? Don’t we constantly try to take back control of our lives from God? Aren’t we always trying to find justification in our lives for not going that extra mile that our faith demands of us?
I’m not too concerned about the terrorism alert level I see on television! I’m more concerned about the state of my mind and heart and soul. Because if ‘today is the day,’ I’m in big trouble! I have so much work to do to get rid of the resentments I’m harboring and the sins for which I have not sought forgiveness, and for the million and one ways I’ve fallen terribly short of how Christ tells me I should be living.
If I’m going to be scared, it’s not going to be for some man-made, or man-imagined line of reasoning. I’m going to be afraid of falling short of God’s grace, of missing the mark of faithful servant-hood, of missing the boat on creating disciples of Jesus Christ. Iraq isn’t nearly as frightening to me as living in eternity without my heavenly father!
I know I’ve gotten pretty political this morning—it’s not about one party or another—it’s about a mindset. It’s about us giving away some of our power, and giving up some of our selves, for a higher good that we can’t name or define. I want to live with an attitude of repentance and love, forgiveness and gratitude. I don’t want to tune in each day to hear man’s version of when it’s all going to come to an end.
I hope today you examine your heart and mind and soul, and apply Jesus’ words to the level of alert you should have! And that you strive for and long for the day of Christ’s coming in everything you do and say.
Mary
