Optimist Roundtable
By Martha Sykes
One Sunday after church, a mother was talking to her young daughter. She told her daughter that, according to the Bible, Jesus will return to earth someday. “When is He coming back?” the daughter asked. “ I don’t know,” replied the mother.
“Can’t you look it up on the internet?” the little girl asked.
It would be so nice if we could look it up on the Internet, wouldn’t it? If we knew when, it would solve all kinds of problems. And then we sure would be ready if we knew when Jesus was coming. But we don’t know when. So all we can do is live and get ready. And that’s the hard part.
we look in the book of Matthew, chapter 24 it tells us that no one knows about that day or hour when Jesus will return. Not even the angels in heaven know when Jesus is coming back. In verse 36 it reminds us that the Son does not know but only the Father knows. The underlying message in this passage though is one of Hope.
Basically it is telling us that yes Jesus is coming back, But God is in charge, and we better be ready. That is a message that we need to hear because there are so many messages being thrown at us sometimes.
Jesus is telling His disciples in this passage that there will be signs of His return. Jesus says, “So keep watch. You do not know on what day your Lord will come.”
Are you one of those people that ask God for a sign? I, myself, believe in signs from God. It helps us to stay ready because sometimes they are glimpses of hope that God has for the world. It doesn’t take much, just a touch. It can be that one moment in prayer, a song or a hymn in worship, a verse in a passage of scripture, or as simple as a baptism. This past Sunday, I was able to watch a precious baby be baptized and he just smiled several times at the priest which was a moment that touched many hearts!
You see there is a universal need for hope. Sometimes it is just the simple moments in life that bring us hope. Hope in the midst of the ordinary everyday lives we live. Hope that can lead us out of the turmoil in our world and lead us into the readiness of Jesus’s return. Watch, get ready, and hope!
