Thought for Today
Jeremiah 2:12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the LORD,
Ezekiel 26:9 He shall direct the shock of his battering rams against your walls and break down your towers with his axes.
Luke 12:40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."
1 Thessalonians 5:4 But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief;
In general, I don’t like to be surprised or shocked. I am aware that some folks really enjoy being surprised. I’m not one of them. Were it possible, I would prefer for life to proceed in a regular, predictable, stable pattern. However, life does not often cooperate. Things happen. Life happens. Sometimes the things that go bump in the night are trivial and unimportant; sometimes they are disastrous. At other times, when you go around a blind corner, you run into a brick wall.
I am fully aware that some portion of my distaste for surprises comes from being ‘of an age.’ The young tend to be more adventurous, more open to change. The mature more fully understand the truth of life’s being a double-edged sword.
I’m not thinking about surprises or changes this morning because of any sudden or even recent surprises or changes in my life. I’m more focused on surprises and changes this morning because my life has been fairly calm and stable recently. My life has almost approached homeostasis. “Homeostasis is the self-regulating process by which biological systems maintain stability while adjusting to changing conditions. It represents a dynamic equilibrium where continuous change occurs, yet relatively uniform conditions prevail.” (Copilot Search)
We are in Lent, the 40-day approach (excluding Sundays) to the Empty Tomb of Easter Morning. Lent was originally a period during which new Christians were instructed in our faith in preparation for being baptized at Easter. Every year during Lent, I am reminded of all the surprises and changes associated with the beginning of our Christian faith. Every year during Lent, I am reminded of the fact that since Genesis 4:8, “. . . And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him,” there have been changes in Creation. And, many of those changes have caused surprise.
Was God surprised at how the Cain and Abel story played out? Did God anticipate Cain’s killing his brother? God certainly knew that creating humans, giving life, especially with the inclusion of free will, would offer the potential for violence, even for murder. Is God surprised every time one of God’s children freely chooses to do the wrong thing? I’m confident that God does not like those kinds of surprises.
Imagine the surprise of Noah’s next-door neighbor when the rain didn’t stop. That neighbor had fair warning; he must have noticed Noah’s building the ark. Rain, in and of itself, is not surprising. Forty days and nights of continuous rain is a surprise; and, it’s not a nice surprise.
Some surprises do come with warning. Others do not. Some surprises should not be surprising. Jesus warned his disciples of the inevitability of the Crucifixion. They had ample warning. Yet, following the Crucifixion, we read, “John 20:19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Imagine the surprise of those disciples when they witnessed the brutal execution of the rabbi they believed to be the Son of God. Yet, Jesus himself had repeatedly warned them of what was to come.
I wonder whether we are not heeding the warnings we have been given. Warnings about which commandment is the most important, e.g. Luke 10:27. Warnings about the importance of our faith, e.g. Ephesians 2:8. Warnings about being vigilant in our faith practices, e.g. “Luke 12:40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."
Will I be surprised? Will you? Or, will we be prepared?
Stay safe, be prepared, trust God,
Pastor Ray