Making Someday Today

36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[d] but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But 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. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. -Matthew 24:26-44

This morning my own recent experiences seem to converge with this scripture from Matthew.

-On Saturday night, talking with my Uncle Rod for premarital counseling, one thing we wrote about was a traumatic experience. For me, this was when Amanda died. It felt like such a given... we take for granted that we have everyone for 90 years or so. But when that happened, it seemed so unfair. It still seems so unfair. And especially in the first few months after Amanda was taken from us, I knew in a very real sense that "we do not know about that day or that hour." As Dumbledore said in Harry Potter, "we have only to decide what to do with the time given to us."

-Last night, I watched the Disney Pixar film "Up" with Jess and Michelle, and the movie was rather sad in the beginning. It showed a couple with big dreams...funny because I had just been dreaming rather big dreams myself. They dreamed of going and building their home at Paradise Falls. But, the years past and sicknesses, flat tires, etc, all took the money from their Paradise Falls savings jar.

-Last night when I talked to Brad, I said something to the effect of "we'll have a long time together," and he said, "I pray that we have one more day together tomorrow- that we both wake up tomorrow." I had no idea what prompted this, but it certainly made me think.

And this scripture this morning makes me think of all this. We don't know the hour that death will come. We forget how precious each morning, each minute with everyone is, until we don't have that opportunity anymore. In fact, our own mortality adds value to this life... to enjoy the 'rumors of another world' as Yancey calls the hints of God here on earth- community, creation, etc.

And those dreams that we should be reaching today are not necessarily those dreams of Paradise Falls, although that can be a way of appreciating and worshiping God. The dreams we need to live out today are like what the good servant does in the following passage.

45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.-Matthew 24:45-51

What is there that we keep promising we will do for God but keep putting off. Is it a daily Bible reading? Some sort of service within our church? A worship time with family? A daily prayer before starting the day or before going to bed? Sending notes of encouragement to those in need? Inviting those who can't pay you back to a dinner, a warm place to stay?

Let's be good servants today... to praise and thank the Lord for the day He has made.

Lord, this morning I also ask that You would watch over Dad C in his surgery. Please bless the hands of the surgeons and provide your healing for him.