3 posts tagged “church”
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,
with a loud command,
with the voice of the archangel
and with the trumpet call of God,
and the dead in Christ will rise first.
-1 Thessalonians 4:16 NIV
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I am fascinated with verse 16, chapter 4 of Paul's first letter to the church in Thessalonica.
Thessalonica was a city of 200,000 inhabitants, the capital of ancient Macedonia, now known as Greece.
Paul wrote to the church there and, among many other things, spoke about the second coming of Christ.
When Christ comes down from heaven, three things will happen before we see Him.
- First, we will hear a loud command. I believe the command will be to look up!
- Then we will hear the voice of the archangel, Michael. He is the great warrior angel of God, leader of all the good angels. I believe he will announce that Christ is about to appear!
- Third and last, we will hear the trumpet call of God.
The trumpet call of God. It's "of God." It's from heaven. Will God the Father blow the trumpet? I don't know, but it's implied by the words "of God," I think.
In ancient Israel, they had trumpets. Perhaps the most well known instrument of God's people then was the ram's horn, also called a shofar. It was the ram's horn, hollowed out, with an opening at the narrow end. When air is blown into the ram's horn, it sounds.
There were also trumpets made from metal, looking very much like trumpet horns we see today.
It seems altogether fitting that Christ's second coming should come with a succession of events.
The loud command, first.
The voice of the archangel Michael, second.
And then, just before Christ descends to be seen, the great trumpet call of God.
Will it be one great blast of the trumpet call or several in quick succession?
I happen to think it may be three great blasts that will be sounded.
I don't think an angel will blow the trumpet.
I don't think Michael the archangel will do it, either.
I think it will be God himself.
The trumpet call of God.
Are you ready to hear it?
It sounds to signal the imminent return of Christ from the heavens.
"From whence He shall come" we say in The Apostles' Creed.
Christ has died. Christ is risen.
Christ shall come again!
I am looking forward to that Day.
I will not be surprised by it, but delighted.
Until then, I live in expectant hope for His return to claim us as His own, forever.
I live in thanksgiving for the salvation He imparts to all who believe in Him and seek to follow in His steps.
I live in joy that He is my Savior and Lord.
I walk today, tomorrow, and until He comes, in His peace, a peace that passes understanding.
Glory be to God!
I wonder why more people don't enjoy meeting new people.
Ever heard of the six feet rule?
You've seen it at church, three people speaking to each other in a little group, six feet
facing each other.
When you see that, you do not feel welcome. You hesitate to join the group, because it
looks like you can't get in.Truth is, most people just walk away from trying to get into that circle. After all, their backs are to you, it's a closed circle.
I like meeting new people. I like my old friends, but I like to make new ones, too.
Andrew was like that. He met Jesus. He soon concluded that Jesus was the Messiah that
John the Baptist had said was coming soon.
So Andrew went to get his brother Simon and he brought him to Jesus and introduced him.
I think a lot about Andrew. How friendly he was. How inviting he was. How he had the
knack to make friends with almost anyone.
He had to be a cheerful gus. He had to have a warm smile, a twinkle in his eye, and a
spring in his step.
I don't think he was glib. Or loud. Or superficial. I think he showed genuine interest in
new people. He got excited about them, wanted to introduce them to his family and
friends, too.
No six feet rule for Andrew. His circle was ever widening.
Remember, he was the one who also brought the Greek men to see Jesus. "Sir, we would
see Jesus," they told Andrew.
And Andrew rushed to bring them to Jesus, his best friend. He must have been proud that day. And happy that his voluble nature helped start something ... in the neighborhood.
voluble \VOL-yuh-buhl\, adjective:
1. Characterized by a ready flow of speech.
2. Easily rolling or turning; rotating.
3. (Botany) Having the power or habit of turning or twining.Rostow was voluble, exuberant and full of good and sometimes foolish ideas.
Voluble derives from Latin volubilis, "revolving, rolling, fluent," from
volvere, "to roll."
This one is about a cat who came to church
and stayed
and stayed.
I first noticed it one Sunday in winter.
A strange odor permeated our sanctuary. I didn't know what it was.
And so I kinda ignored it. Until the following Sunday, when I smelled it again. This time, there was no ignoring it. It was strong!
So after church, my curiosity getting the better of me (or did the cat already do that?), I asked a Trustee, "What IS that smell?"
"Well, pastor, it's like this. A cat got under our church, in the crawl space, somehow got in an open pipe, got stuck, and died."
"So I'm smelling a decomposing cat in our sanctuary?"
"Yes, pastor, you and everybody else. Nobody likes it."
"I see. I see. But what do the Trustees plan to do about it?"
"That's just the problem, pastor, because, well, it's the dead of winter and no one wants to go under there and get it out."
A week later I returned to the country church (it was one of two on a rural circuit) and the smell was gone.
I guess that's not the right word for it.
There was a new odor.
Lysol.
Lysol and dead cat!
Oh, great.
It wasn't till spring that they got out that dead cat and the room smelled okay again.
POINTS TO PONDER:
1. Sometimes you know something's amiss, but you need help to find out what it is. Do you ask for help when you need it?
2. Sometimes something is really amiss, but it's out of your control. How do you handle circumstances beyond your control?
3. Hardships often teach us patience, but we are unwilling students. How do you grin and bear it when you can't change something immediately?
