Jesus is coming back for us sometime soon. It is hard to imagine that it will be a long ways off, given the condition of our collapsing economy and the disaster on the horizon. I'm sure that Christians who believe in the Second Coming have thought His return was near during the Depression, then during the Holocaust. But I do wonder about this.

I grew up with this picture: the world in chaos and darkness. People coming out of the hills and woods to greet the One who is taking them up to heaven. I love this picture, even though it is woefully inaccurate in terms of the condition of the world. And there are no "bad people" who are waiting, horrified to see Jesus.

It makes me want to be awake and aware so that I don't miss out. It reminds me of the passage in Matthew 22, about the great invitation to the banquet feast:

"The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy." The "good" people weren't interested enough to drop everything and go. They had a new home, a new wife, a new team of oxen, new property--all that was more important than going to the feast of the Master. In today's language, we have a new house, a new timeshare, a new husband, and we'll miss Seinfeld if the dinner is scheduled at the time he comes on.

We are really not that different.

What truly bothers me is that I have been invited and am doing little to invite others to go, too. It seems that I am rebuked in everything I have been reading for my morning devotionals. And I think to myself, what am I doing to share the Good News of Christ's power, grace, and love? Will one day, I be horrified to find that because of my natural reticence to speak up, my tendency to be a people-pleaser, that I have missed out on numerous opportunities to let others know about the God I love? And if I am hesitant to talk to others about Him, do I really love Him? Is it enough to talk about God and His love, or should I also talk about Christ's soon return?

I remember a distasteful event once as I was flying into Southern California from New York. My seatmate was an enthusiastic Campus Crusade adherent, and he inquired about whether or not I was saved. My religious tradition believes that being saved is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. "As ye have received Him, walk ye in Him" etc. We are not automatically locked in to salvation. Even though God's sacrifice on the cross was sufficient for us, we have the free choice very day to decide if we want Him to be Lord of our lives. I tried to point this out to my seatmate with the added information that I had given myself to God when I was 15 years old and have walked closely with Him ever since. This was not good enough for this zealot. He pulled out a set of cards on a ring out of his pocket and asked me if he could read through them with me. I was really put off. He had not acknowledged that my dedication and daily walk with God even existed, let alone up to his standard. So because I wasn't able to tell him that I didn't want to hear him read his cards, he started in with the Four Spiritual Laws. It was an abbreviated version, but he hurriedly read through each card. I was so vexed that all I did was nod. He asked if I would respond at the end. I don't remember what I said, but I think I stated that this was not new to me, it was just in different language than I typically used when I talked about my relationship with God. He still didn't buy it until I assented to whatever it was he had asked me at the end. Then he relaxed and announced that I was saved. I was so completely put off.

I don't want to be this obnoxious to other people. My thought has been that if I am a loving and lovable Christian who listens to others, is respectful, helpful, kind-hearted, etc., that people will be influenced positively. Like how I am with my students: I don't hesitate to pray in class, am a "safe" person to many of them, and eager to support them in their work. But now I'm thinking that perhaps there is something else that I need to be doing. If the house is burning down you need to yell at some people to get them out of it before they die. Not everyone will be drawn out of the house because they see you smiling and warmly inviting them to follow you outside. Some people need to be jolted into recognizing what is happening because since they aren't looking for a fire, they won't realize that it is ready to destroy them.

I truly believe that I have a responsibility to try to encourage and warn people about the Second Coming of Christ--the tribulation and all that the Bible tells us will happen at the end of the age. Looking around, one wonders if that we are on the edge of that or not. I think we are.

What if we aren't? I will look fanatical.

What if we are? Will I be responsible for all who I could have warned but didn't?

This is what I've been mulling over in my name for several days now. It seems that a safe way to go is to be sure that I reach out to people around me in some way that will benefit them. To be often in prayer--deep, sincere prayer--and ask God to give me the words and wisdom to know how to speak with people, to get past my skitishness about speaking to other people. And not to be obnoxious.

Maybe some of you have some ideas about this. I'd like to hear them.