What If?

I don't have a lot of time or energy for reading the "rapture-index" to see how close (or not) we are to the "end-times".  It seems a fools errand.  For thousands of years, people have looked at the "disasters of the world" and longed for God to intervene in a definitive way.

I get the longing.  I mean, the world can be a pretty brutal place, what with earthquakes ravaging Nepal, systemic racism and violence taking out people of colour in the US and Canada, loved ones suffering overtly or secretly from diseases of the body and of the mind ...  What else can we do but to cry out: "How long, Oh Lord!"?

But here's the thing: although scripture is full of promises -  including the promise that God will act to bring all of creation to its fulfillment in a mighty act of redemption, judgement and restoration - no where are we led to believe that we can know when or where this will take place.  It simply is not ours to know.

So, what if, rather than measuring the temperature of the disease and chaos of our surroundings to try and predict when God will finally have had enough, what if we choose to live like the kingdom of God is already here?  What would it look like for us to embrace and to enact the hope we have for ourselves, our loved ones, our neighbours ... the whole cosmos?

What if, instead of waiting on the rapture, we wait upon the Lord?  What if, instead of waiting to be rescued and delivered from this world, we lean into the hope that we have already been rescued from sin and death and all empty promises?  What if, we have been rescued in order to aide and abet the delivery of this world as its wise, servant mid-wives?

Lord,  what if I stop wondering when You will act?  Please, open my eyes to see that You have acted, and that Your actions of invitation (redemption) and challenge (judgment) are ongoing.

Amen.