Last week I wrote about graduations and commencement ceremonies. Two other kinds of beginnings and endings have been in my mind recently.
According to one well-publicized account, May 21 should have been the Grand Commencement Day for everyone, when the rapture occurred and we experienced the end of the world. To the best of my knowledge, that did not happen. I don’t know about you, but predictions like that make me squirm uncomfortably. It appears to add credibility to the position of those who reject or even mock Christianity while contributing to a growing skepticism about the claims of scripture among who haven’t examined the Bible closely for themselves.
So, what does the Bible really teach? In short: Jesus is coming again and the world will end some day, but the exact timing is patently unknowable. Although the Bible offers clues and signs, there is no precise timetable or hidden mathematical puzzle. When talking about the end times, Jesus said clearly, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father,” and as a result it is important to “keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” (Matthew 24:36, 42).
The prediction about May 21 did serve a profitable purpose for me... it reminded me to think about people I knew who do not know the Lord. I hope it did that for you, too. Even though Jesus didn’t come on that day, He is coming, and when He arrives nothing else will matter to anyone except “Do I know Jesus?” and “Is He my Savior and Lord?” Very close to each of our hearts should be the desire to pray and SHARE Christ with others so that they can be ready, too (1 Peter 2:9-12)... which leads to my next thoughts about beginnings and endings.
Whether we live until the second coming of Christ or not, one day we will each see Jesus face to face and our mortal existence will transform into an immortal one. As a pastor, I have had the unique privilege to minister to a large number of individuals and families after their loved one has died, including several over the past few weeks and another service this Friday. It is never easy, but I can say with confidence that it makes a difference when those involved know that this “end” is not “the end.”
When someone knows and trusts in the Lord, there is a peace that comforts through the emptiness and pain of loss. There is an understanding that a holy graduation has been observed by us and presided over by the Lord. It truly is another kind of “Commencement” – a beginning even more profound and real than an ending – and whether deceased or surviving, each person involved has the opportunity to participate in a new adventure with God. Death brings the end of a chapter, and it can feel dark and as though everything is finished, but it is not even remotely close to the end of the book that God is writing.[1]
May God help you to feel His comfort and peace during times of loss, to sense His presence in all your new beginnings, and remind you to reach out to SHARE and SERVE others so that they can have the opportunity to be ready for their ultimate graduation!
[1] We have a great ministry here at Rose Drive Friends Church
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