Dress Yourselves in Christ

I remember when I was younger (much), my mother and father would read Bible Stories to my sisters and me. I remember looking at the pictures of Jesus in the clouds and all the happy people coming out of their graves to meet Him—and I remember a strange sort of wonder and awe rushing through me. What a neat thing it would be to see Jesus when He comes! I remember not even thinking twice about leaving all I had on this earth and going home with Jesus. To be with Him would be the most exciting thing possible—and I couldn’t wait for Him to come. I look back on those little-girl dream-days and I have to smile. It’s a sad sort of smile, though, because so much simple joy has gone out of me since then. I hate to even say how long it has been—and He still hasn’t come. And instead of keeping that precious child-like eagerness, my heart is filled with a sad and hurting longing. True, it’s still a longing for Jesus to come back, but it’s also a longing for something else to come back—maybe that simplicity, that innocence I had as a child.

 

There have been times in my life when I’ve felt like I was closer to it than I’d been before, but instead of exciting me, somehow, it’s always kind of unnerved me. I remember especially one night. It was August 1 and I was in Interlaken, Switzerland watching the town’s spectacular celebration of the Swiss Independence Day. There had been a great parade and yodeling contests in the afternoon and a concert in the evening, followed by an hour-long display of fireworks such as you’ve never seen before. Imagine the scene—a crystal clear night in the Alps of Switzerland. Hundreds of people are gathered around the edges of the town’s open common, all eyes centered on a few men in the middle. Suddenly, there is a sharp hiss and then a loud explosion of color in the sky above that does not stop for the next hour. It just keeps coming, burst after burst of magnificence. 

 

As I stood there watching, something very strange happened. Even though I was in the midst of a crowd of loud and excited people, I suddenly felt as if I were alone. Instead of fireworks in the sky, I was seeing Jesus and His angels in all their glory. It only lasted a moment, but in that moment, a change came over me.  When the moment passed and I discovered that I was still on earth watching a display of earthly fireworks, I felt relief that there was still time to get my life together and yet at the same time, regret that Christ’s return wasn’t so imminent after all. 

 

That was more than 40 summers ago and He hasn’t come yet. The other day I found myself wondering why—and when—and if. Why hasn’t He come yet?  When will we finally figure out what we have to do to get Him back here? And if I would be here to see it. There was another if, too. If the people in my life would be ready when He came. Most Christians will say that we’re living in the last days, that we don’t have much time left here. If that’s true, it seems to me that it’s incumbent on each of us to make sure everyone we care about knows it too. And that they are as ready as we hope we are…

 

This week the North American Division has provided an opportunity for all Adventist young people, whether attending Adventist schools or not, to “attend” a Week of Prayer hosted at the Oakwood Adventist Church and featuring Carlton Byrd as the speaker.   The theme is “Finish Strong.”  As I write this, we have only heard the first installment but Bryd was very specific about what it means to “finish” and to “finish strong” and I am looking forward to hearing the rest of his message throughout this week and seeing how it translates into a response to his call to “finish strong.”

 

In this most unusual time of uncertainty, it seems important, even necessary, that each of us gets our priorities straight, not just our young people.  We all need to “finish strong” with Jesus. I love the fact that each of us has that opportunity every single day, all day long.   I love the fact that we have each day to make what we know about God’s love abundantly clear to anyone within the sphere of our influence—and that there is the distinct possibility that more than one of them will be ready to hear and understand it on any given day.

 

Romans 13:11 is a good reminder of why this matters so much.  The Message interpretation of the texts says this:  “But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!”

 

That is my prayer, then. That none will escape each day without making a decision about the place Jesus has in their life . . . that they will not be afraid to make the decision that their heart longs to make . . . that they will live a strong and happy life here on earth as a result . . . but more importantly find their place in heaven sooner than later.