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Posts Tagged ‘end times’

Glorified in the People

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , , on February 18, 2011| 1 Comment »

Photo by Marc Adamus

This is another one of the “in” phrases that really strikes hard on my heart. IN! On the inside! And that inside glory will manifest. And that’s amazing. I believe it. Jesus had that “in” stuff and that would make the most sense as to why people were drawn to Him. Light, love and glory.

II Thessalonians 1:10
When He comes to be glorified in His saints [on that day He will be made more glorious in His consecrated people], and [He will] be marveled at and admired [in His glory reflected] in all who have believed [who have adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Him], because our witnessing among you was confidently accepted and believed [and confirmed in your lives]. [Amplified]

One of my favorite signs in American Sign Language is glory. One hand lies on top of the other and then is arced across the body with the fingers waving. It’s like a shimmering rainbow. I imagine that coming out of my own body one day.

I confess this is one of the reasons why I love reading fantasy fiction, stuff like that happens. Magic and wonder and light and transformation are commonplace. But things of the Spirit are no less fantastic and full of marvel. We’ve lost that in our faith. We’re all about justifying our faith, getting it to make sense, trying to convince others that God is real and Christ really did all those miracles, etc.

I’m all about the wonder right now and I’m all about the presence of the Holy Spirit within. And one day, there will be an outpouring of light from within.

That’s the “mark” I want everyone to see. People get entangled in their fears of the “mark of the beast” and forget about the other signs and wonders. What will the glory look like in me. . . in you?

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Thief in the Night

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on February 7, 2011| Leave a Comment »

I am grateful that I have never had my house broken into. But I know people: my brother’s place was wiped out of all electronics, DVDs, bicycle, etc. A colleague from work lost all of her jewelry to a thief in the night. And one family had all of their children’s gifts stolen from under the tree on Christmas Eve.

I Thessalonians 5:2, 4
. . . for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. . . . But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.

I have been told that it feels like a rape of one’s life, to experience this kind of invasion. It’s usually inexplicable, and unlike TV, where Monk comes in and floats his hands around to figure out why and who and when, there is rarely recovery of one’s things or capture of the thieves.

Paul writes that the coming of Christ, the total renewal of Spirit, and the “end of the age,” will come when least expected by most people. And yet, as believers, we are not to be surprised. I had never picked up on that before; I focused on the unexpected thief and figured we were all in the dark. Not so.

Unfortunately, others have taken this piece of information as an encouragement to set the date and time. Over the years, there have been a number of end time dates announced and yet, the dates have come and gone, and we’re all still here. Things are heating up a bit now and both believers and non-believers are predicting cataclysmic events in 2012. Some base their predictions on complex studies of the prophetic literature and calendar mathematics, while others are enamored of the Mayan calendar and the implications of its final year.

I still believe we “see through a glass darkly” and we will not understand the fullness of the “return of Christ” until it happens. But I will hold to this: as the Holy Spirit within me manifests more each day, as the Light within me finds open avenues to shine out, then this Coming may indeed be anticipated.

But for now, I’ll just wait.

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Warnings

Posted in Time Up to Pentecost, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 11, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Luke 21:11
And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

Jesus, like many of the earlier prophets, spent much of his teaching time warning people of what was to come, from his own death to the end time. I don’t believe the point of his warnings was to generate fear but a desire for change.

Prophets, futurists and fortune tellers alike base their predictions on what has been and what is now. They look at the trajectory. But the future can change if we change! We must pay attention to the warnings and the possibilities and if we want a different future, we must act.

With all of our wars, pestilences, famines, storms, and pollution, our earth’s trajectory is destruction. When looking at that “big picture” it is overwhelming and yes, even frightening. What can I possibly do to change this path?

If people’s hearts can be healed by love, then the earth can be healed in the same way. I know it sounds so corny, but truthfully, if we are not in relationship with our environment as well as our society, caring for them as we care for our own loved ones, who will? Koinonia (community) is not just the people, it’s place.

I am so small in this, but today, I will think on and do the small things that I can. I will bless my neighbor. I will bless my family and I will bless the earth, so lovingly given by God.

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