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43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24:43-44 NRSV)
A tremendous Thursday be yours, dear Friend! May this day be filled with God's joy and love for you. Please continue to take care and take all precautions during this time. I ask that as we pray today, you please remember a friend of the Johnnie Fogel Family be in your prayers as Robert Fowlkes has been diagnosed with Covid-19. Also, a dear long-time friend, The Rev. Dr. Frank Alegria, pastor in North Texas, has also been diagnosed with the virus. Pray for the healing of these two, and all who are infected with this dreaded disease. Pray for one another; pray for yourselves.
A lot of the drama and passion of Jesus' last days before His death, were spent in and around the temple. The photo above is from the ancient steps leading to the three entrances into the worship area of it. The steps were designed and built with an interesting thing in mind. You had to climb these with your head down so that you could watch your step. The steps were purposely set in different ways so that one could not take for granted a quick and easy run up the stairs, because one was supposed to begin a posture of worship even before entering. And several doorways we visited had small entrances for the same reason. It was near these steps of the Temple that Jesus had the discussion with His disciples about the end of time. The disciples had played the tourists, and who can blame them? The Temple was not only the sacred spot of all Israel, it was the center of all life. It represented a better time for all the nation; once the political, military, financial, and social center of the known world; yet Jesus knew the Romans were a force to be reckoned with, and they would destroy this sacred space. The Roman emperors were known more for their abuse of power than for any social or national compassion.
Jesus knew the fall of the temple would affect every single Jew like nothing else. He compared its fall and end of time, to the thief coming and thus His lesson; "If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into." Okay, good point; everyone knew this. It was what Jesus says next that we should listen carefully to; "So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Say what, boss?
Jesus has promised He is coming back. I say and believe this every first Sunday of the month when we celebrate Holy Communion. "Christ has died; Christ has risen. Christ will come again." We just don't know when. Yes, in this passage Jesus shared some of the signs but nothing definite. Jesus also confessed that even He did not know; just the Father knows. But, Jesus has shared the most important thing: Be ready! A friend who in in the insurance business shared with me that after Kobe Bryant's death, many people began to buy Final Expenses insurance, which is a term life policy that covers important items in the person's life, like his mortgage, her car, estimated costs associated with a funeral, some money for kids' education, shot up because people began to realize that if a young man like Kobe could die, they could too. And that is so true. The more important question, are you ready? Remember when Jesus returned to the home of Martha and Mary and spoke about resurreciton? Remember the key question he asked the sisters; "Do you believe this?" It was the same as saying, not only believe, but prepare and live your life as if you're ready to return home to God at any time. Sadly, this virus scare becomes more real as we see the names of beloved national and international famed people who die from it; it's like a ticker tape of death and sad news. Be ready becomes a motivation for us; in our living, our loving, and service, we become Christ's hands, feet, and heart to all who are in need. The end of the world becomes an event at which we want as many of our loved ones, family, friends, enemies, etc. that we can win for Jesus. This crisis has given us a glimpse of some of the very good, and some of the very bad. The good has been the way people have been reaching out to the recently widowed with calls of concern; visits by phone or cards to the sick; sharing of food to the ones who have found themselves out of work and who need food for themselves and their children. Some of the good could also be the number of people who normally do not attend church who now find it easier to participate in worship. The very bad were those who greedily hoarded toilet paper, paper towels, cleansers, etc. with no care for others. We are seeing that calm down a bit, but we are still not where Jesus would have us be.
PRAYER: Loving Father, share with us all, the blessings of life and love, so that we can share it with those who are in need. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show your love to those in need with a call or a card!
Receive my blessings of love and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
