Into the Unknown
“Are we there yet?” We often hear this question from our children when we travel to new places. They are bored, or anxious, or simply curious. But it’s not only our children. We ask the same question as we travel through life – into the unknown. “Are we there yet?”
We carry many “what if” questions. What if we are totally alone on the day of death, with no loved ones around us? What if we lose our physical and mental abilities and feel useless? What if our finances run out? What if dementia robs us of all our memories? What if the dying process will be long and painful? As we travel into this unknown territory, we can become anxious and worried. So how can we finish our life, not with fear or bitterness, but with joy, dignity, and hope in Christ?
The Thessalonian Christians had similar questions. They believed Christ’s return was imminent. Some even gave up their jobs and daily responsibilities, simply waiting. But in the meantime, some of their loved ones began to die. So they became anxious. They wondered: What will happen to them? Will they be left behind? Excluded? At a disadvantage? Today’s scripture is Paul’s answer to these questions.
A Fundamental Creed
Paul’s goal is not to remove sorrow from our lives, but to help us grieve with a living hope. In this world, we experience many kinds of “loss.” We lose health. We lose memories. We lose status. We lose relationships. We lose loved ones. And eventually, we lose our own life. So we grieve. But Paul tells us the gospel of Jesus Christ gives us hope and confidence in the midst of loss.
He says to the Thessalonian Christians and to us, “We believe that Jesus died and rose again…” (4:14a) Then he continues that because Jesus died and rose again, we have four sure future promises, four “R’s”: the Return, the Resurrection, the Rapture, and the Reunion.
First, the return. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. This is the heart of the gospel. In verse 16 Paul says, “The Lord himself will come down from heaven with the signal of a shout by the head angel and a blast on God’s trumpet.” (CEB) This is what we believe and this is what we preach. Jesus Christ is coming soon.
Secondly, the resurrection. Not only is Jesus coming back, but also he will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in him. “We believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” (4:14b) When Christ returns, “those who are dead in Christ will rise first.” (4:16b) Here Paul calls death “sleep.” Why? Because death is only temporary. The word “cemetery” originates from the Greek word koimeterion, meaning “sleeping place.” A cemetery is, in a sense, a dormitory of the dead. Just as we wake from sleep, those who die in Christ will rise again when Christ returns.
Thirdly, the rapture. The word “rapture” is from the a Latin word rapere, meaning “to seize” or “to catch up.” “Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds.” (4:17a) There is a sense of suddenness here. In a moment, in the blink of an eye, those who are alive in Christ will be snatched up together with those who have died in Christ.
Lastly, the reunion. The living, the dead and the Lord will be together. As Scripture says, “We will all (both the dead and the living in Christ) be always with the Lord.” (4:17b) What a promise. What a hope. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once expressed this truth this way. When we look at other Christians, we should remember that we will be eternally united with them in Jesus Christ.[1] A great family reunion is coming. We all know loss. Loss is part of every human life. We grieve. We miss. We weep. But God, by his grace, has given us the Church – Christian community. The Church is a foretaste of that great reunion. When we gather, when we pray, when we sing, when we share life together, we are already tasting eternal fellowship. We foretaste and anticipate Christ’s return, the resurrection of the body, the glorious rapture, and great reunion. And so, Paul says, “Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (4:18)
The Resurrection at Cookham
When you feel down or overwhelmed by loss – of loved ones, of health, or of security – imagine the Day of the Lord through God’s promises. For me, the artist Stanley Spencer’s painting helps me “look up and lift up.” Spencer lived in a small English village called Cookham. He attended a small Methodist church with a cemetery beside it. He passed through it numerous times, perhaps several times a week. One day, he had a sudden awakening experience. He saw, in his imagination, the great resurrection happening right there. He wrote: “Quite suddenly I became aware that everything was full of special meaning, and this made everything holy. The instinct of Moses to take his shoes off when he saw the burning bush was very similar to my feelings. I saw many burning bushes in Cookham. I observed the sacred quality in the most unexpected quarters.”[2]
In his painting, The Resurrection at Cookham, we see not only the Son Jesus and the Father at the center, but also his loved ones – his family and friends, and Spencer himself. When we believe the gospel of Jesus Christ (“He died and rose”) and its promises (4 R’s: return, resurrection, rapture, and reunion), our local churchyard becomes a holy ground. The place where we stand becomes, in a sense, a new Garden of Eden.
Living Hope
This week, while meditating and preparing the message, I was deeply encouraged by a poem by Missy Buchanan. It is a prayer poem called, “What purpose, God?”
I confess there are days when pain suffocates my passion for living. There are dark nights when fear chokes out hope. Sometimes I wonder why you have left me on this earth. I have outlived so many family and friends.
Why do I linger? What purpose could you have for me now? Look at my hands. Once strong and sure, they are unsteady and frail. My mind, once quick and incisive, now falters under the weight of names and faces.
What real purpose do I serve knitting away the hours, surfing the channels, dozing through the afternoon? Then your Spirit stirs my heart and convicts my soul. You are not a wasteful God!
The length of my earthly days is a mystery to me, but one thing I know for sure. You have created me with an eternal purpose. How can I be more like Christ today? Whose life can I touch with kindness?
Lord, give me an extra measure of grace when I feel that I’m too old to be useful. Help me take my limitations in stride as I search for opportunities to serve you. My purpose has not withered away with another birthday. It is rooted in eternity.[3]
Pastor John Piper was once asked how he remains joyful as he grows older. He said, in essence, “I am 80 now. The older I get, the more I rejoice. Because I have more memories of what Christ has done for me, and because I am getting closer to the Day.” At night, he and his wife often say this Scripture together: “Christ died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with him.” (1 Thessalonians 5:10)
So are we there yet? Not yet, but we are getting closer every day. Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again – with the dead in him. And we will live together with him forever. So every morning, and every night, let us stand on these promises. And let us encourage one another with these words. Amen.
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[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (Augsburg Fortress, 2015) 7.
[2] Terry Glaspey, 75 Master Pieces Every Christian Should Know (Grand Rapids: Michigan, 2015), 214-15.
[3] Missy Buchanan, Living with Purpose in a Wornout Body, 7.
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