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Today
is Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday of the church year before
we begin a new church year next Sunday with Advent. The church year
is an excellent reminder to us that life flows from beginning to
end. The church year starts with the birth of Jesus and moves to His
life, death, and resurrection until we arrive at Christ the King
Sunday. The Bible is also an excellent reminder of the flow of life.
It moves from Creation to Redemption to Revelation. We see God
purposeful progression in the Bible and in Jesus life.
What
about in our life? Do you see God’s purposeful progression in your
joys and sorrows, in your triumphs and your failures, and in your
times of wellness and your times of illness? Where is God’s
purposeful progression in a world filled with gruesome events such
as war, insurgencies, hunger, natural disaster, terrorists, etc.?
How is it possible to find God’s purposeful progression when we are
bombarded by daily doses of discouraging news?
Perhaps
we can learn from the Israelites. The Israelites had been attacked
and soundly beaten by the Babylonians. Entire villages were leveled
to the ground. Family and friends were killed. Those who were not
killed were taken captive and forced to live in Babylon and once
again feel the chains of slavery and bondage.
Wherever
they looked in their present situation they found no hope. Daniel
however found hope for the present situation in his vision that
focused on the end. Daniel sees a human being coming with the clouds
who is given
“dominion and
glory and honor,
that all people, nations
and languages should serve him…
and His kingship is one that shall
never be destroyed.”
In
the midst of circumstances that appear hopeless Daniel has hope
because as he looks to the future he sees God working to bring order
out of chaos and victory out of defeat.
If
you had to choose your life’s most perfect moment, what would it be?
The day your child was born. The day you retired. The day you
graduated. The time you took your dream vacation. The day you
confirmed your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Eugene
O’Kelly, author of the book Chasing Daylight would say his most
perfect moment was when he was told he had brain cancer. I know it
sounds absurd.
How
could a diagnosis of cancer be the best or perfect moment? When we
use it to make ordinary times special times. So often we are focused
on planning and working for the future that we don’t have time for
the present. One thing I learned when working for a Hospice program
is that age doesn’t exempt you from getting cancer. The only
guarantee we have in life is TODAY.
Whether
we have cancer or not, whether we are having good days or bad, we
can do our best to have quality conversations with family and
friends. We can work on our relationship with God by regular
worship. We can look to the future with confidence and anticipation.
Trusting God is involved in our lives in an active and ongoing way.
One
of my favorite commercials is for MasterCard. Each commercial gives
you a list of items along with the dollar value. The last thing on
the list focus on the value of spending time or giving of yourself
to someone which is PRICELESS.
Oprah
Winfrey said concerning the future, “I’ve come to believe that each
of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint – and
that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then
find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working
hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.” The
energy of the universe that Oprah refers to as far as I am concerned
is GOD, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Faith in God is what gives us
hope for today and tomorrow.
A
man with a terminal disease is in the examining room with his
doctor. He says, “Doc, I’m afraid to die. What do you think lies on
the other side? The doctor says, ‘I don’t know. The patient says,
‘We go to the same church. You have dealt with death a lot more than
I have. Surely you have some idea. At that point there came a
scratching on the examining room door. The doctor opened the door
and in bounded his dog. The doctor said, ‘This is my dog. He’s never
been in this room before. He had no idea what was inside. He just
knew his master was in here and when I opened the door he came in
without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death,
but I believe one thing – my master is there, and that’s enough.
The
true value of the present is in the faith that whatever happens in
life, our Master will always be there. May you commit each day to
living a life that expresses your complete gratitude to God for the
gift of your present life and your future life.
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