False Alarm?

SCRIPTURE

34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:34-36

OBSERVATION

The disciples were standing in awe of the beauty and architecture of the Temple. Then, the grand architect, who spoke everything into existence, spoke some words that shook this crew to the core. But Jesus said, 6“As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.” 7“Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” (Lk. 21:6-7). Jesus then went on to describe the warning signs of the last days and illustrated how the only one we should truly stand in awe of, the only one truly permanent, is Christ Himself.

APPLICATION

At exactly 8:07 everyone in the 808 received a wake-up call that we never saw coming. The text will forever be emblazoned in my mind: "Emergency Alert: BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL." It was a Saturday morning in the Burgess house and this is usually the only day of the week where we aren’t all rushing to get out of the house. I had woken up a few minutes before the text came and had stepped into the shower. I was listening to the scripture reading for that day when all of a sudden the Word of God was interrupted by a word of warning. No sooner had I read it then my younger boys started pounding on my bathroom door in a panic as they too had just heard the warning sound on every phone in the house. In a matter of minutes, Cyndi was driving to pick up the one son who had spent the night at a friend's house and I huddled with my boys to prepare for the worst. When you're on an island and a missile is headed your way the only place to run is Jesus. Though we hadn’t heard warning sirens there had been talking on the news of threats from North Korea against the U.S. We cried and held each other close as I asked my boys if they understood what would happen if we died that day and they all said, "We will be with Jesus". Even now, my tears begin to well up in my eyes as I think about the clarity that came from that wake-up call. What mattered most was Jesus and people. What mattered most in that 38 minutes should matter most every minute of my life from here on out. It was so humbling to know that some crazy dictator could end my life. It was so comforting to know that he couldn't take away my eternal life or that of my family. 38 minutes later every phone on the Hawaiian islands received this text: "Emergency Alert: THERE IS NO MISSILE THREAT OR DANGER TO THE STATE OF HAWAII. REPEAT. FALSE ALARM." The sense of relief we all felt was palpable and I could tell we had been changed by that Emergency Alert. No one wanted to turn on the TV. We just wanted to hold each other a little longer. I got out my guitar and we worshipped the God who holds us here and will hold us there in eternity. I know that many were justifiably angry at the mistake that was made by our emergency alert system. Honestly, though, I look at that emergency alert as a gift. This was a chance for all of Hawaii to receive a wake-up call of eternal proportions. In Luke 21 Jesus was giving a wake-up call to the soul of every man and woman and what He said was very much on purpose. It’s a reminder of our mortality and the urgency to make matters right with Jesus and the people around us. After all, the only thing we are taking with us into eternity is relationships. How we spend our time here on earth will determine where those relationships spend their eternity! I fear that we will look at the warnings of Jesus as just another false alarm. Over the past two years, there have been a few more government “mistakes” when it comes to the “Emergency Alert System” in Hawaii to the point that no one even pays any attention to them anymore. Could it be that we read these verses the same way? He was giving us the signs to look for and yet I don’t see anyone looking. Jesus meant what He said when he exhorted us to “always be on the watch”. Have we stopped watching? Have we stopped waiting? Have we stopped praying? If we would just open our eyes and look at the sign of the times we would see they match up perfectly with what Jesus describes as living in the last chapter.

PRAYER

Lord, forgive me for the hardness of heart and the cynicism that has crept in. I’ve been hearing about the “end times” since I was a kid and I will confess that I’ve been treating it more like a false alarm then a wake-up call. I don’t want to sleep through what You are calling me to. I don’t want to explain away the urgency of this moment. I don’t want to miss the chance to lead others to You simply because I assume I’ve got all the time in the world. I believe you are coming back soon. I believe You have made it clear to all with ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church. Now is the time to wake up and prepare the way for Your Return!