A Kingdom Eclipse

               Yesterday was the day of the eclipse. #Solareclipse2017. The hype and preparation and warnings had abounded for months. Moon pies and Sunkist drinks were the snacks of the day. Companies tried to all get in the marketing frenzy of this event by altering their items in a way to appeal to the eclipse theme, Denny’s offered all-you-can-eat pancakes for $4 (since pancakes are round like the moon and sun), and Krispy Kreme put out their one day only eclipse donut (their traditional glazed covered in chocolate). Of course, I also heard the doomsday predictionists, that this celestial event was God’s sign to America, our need to repent and an indicator of His coming judgement and imminent arrival. I read more than a couple articles that stated that Jesus would step out from behind the moon as it passed in front of the sun so that when the moon moved the Son would be in place of the sun.

                I don’t doubt or deny our nation’s need to repent. I know full well my own need of repentance on a daily basis, but I don’t think that this eclipse was sent by God as a sign of our need of repentance. The sings of our need to repent and turn to God are right in front of us every singles day.

                I know that one day Jesus will return and that the “sky” will be the avenue in which he comes. After Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, His disciples were standing looking up into the sky because they had just seen Him taken up into heaven right before their very eyes. While they were gazing upward, an angel appeared among them and said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday He will return from heaven in the same way you saw Him go” (Acts 1:11).

                I also believe that when the masses of people are predicting that this is the day Jesus will come to judge the nations, that it probably won’t be. Jesus was pretty clear that His return would not be announced and expected, but that it would rather be like “a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2), and that only God knows when this will happen (Matthew 24:36).

                So, yesterday I stood with hundreds of others in downtown Jonesborough as we all looked up into the heavens as the moon passed in front of the sun. Amazing shadows were created, the temperature dropped about seven degrees, there was a stillness and quietness around, and I was reminded of some other words of Jesus.

                                                         

                “The kingdom of heaven is near”.

                The gospel writers record this as a common saying of Jesus. When He was preaching and teaching, when He was sending out his disciples to share this good news of God’s reign, and when He was healing physical and emotional pain. The kingdom of God is one of wholeness, where there is no sin, no pain, no tears, no hate, no death. In this kingdom God reigns as king, and we live as His people in peace. Jesus said this kingdom was near, and at times said this kingdom was “at hand”, and in response to being questioned about this at one time said the kingdom is “among (or in) you” (Luke 17:20-21).

                One of my favorite books on the concept of this “kingdom” is Announcing the Reign of God by Mortimer Arias. In this book Arias says the kingdom that Jesus talks about is like an “eclipse”. What he means is that the kingdom of God is partially already visible to us, the arriving of this kingdom was ushered in when Jesus came (John 1:14) in flesh and blood, so we can see glimpses of this now. We see these glimpses when we see people love rather than hate, give rather than take, help rather than hurt. This is the Kingdom Eclipse.

                The Kingdom is coming, in fact the Kingdom is rapidly advancing. Just remember to not stand around staring up the sky for too long, there is work here to do today. Work of justice, mercy, love, reconciliation, repentance, forgiveness, and grace. So be full of these because we don’t know when His Kingdom come, but it will. And right now it’s just an Eclipse of the Kingdom.

HOPE

            Today I awoke to news of another suicide. A friend of wife had a young family member who took her life yesterday. Unfortunately, this is not a rare occurrence. Saturday I sat with my brother in law and three of my children and talked about Chester Bennington, the lead singer for Linkin Park, who committed suicide by hanging in his Los Angeles home July 20. We talked about Chris Cornell, singer for Sound Garden, who took his life May 18 after a show in Detroit. We talked about Curt Cobain, of Nirvana, who ended his life April 5, 1994 in his home with a cause of death by self-inflicted shotgun wound. All of these men seemed to be living the life that many musicians only dreamed of. They seemed to “have it all” on the outside.
            The accounts of suicide are not limited to the rich and famous, and the reasons are as varied as people themselves. Over the last two years several high schools in our area have been devastated by suicides of teenagers, often those who appeared to have so much going their way and living a happy life.
 The truth is that there is so much that is going on under the façade that we portray to others. Often times depression and doubt is damaging these persons, who ultimately feel a sense of hopelessness in their lives.

            I have known several people who have attempted suicide, but have survived, often by the quick responding of a family member who finds them and acts quickly.

            In 2016 the National Suicide Prevention Network estimated that 44,193 Americans took their own lives.

            That is 121 suicides per day just in our country alone.

            There is reason for concern here.

            If you are reading this and you have had suicide affect your family, I want to encourage you that there was nothing you could have done or said to prevent it. I have talked with and counseled individuals who feel like they should have “noticed” something more, or “said” something or “done” something more.

            This is regret, there was nothing that you could have done.

            I have talked to individuals who have said that they should have shown more love to their family member or friend who took their life. But again, there was not “more” love that you could have shown that would have prevented this tragic action.

            And I have talked to individuals who were concerned about the eternal security of their loved ones, believing that all suicide victims go to hell.

            Let me say this loudly, I don’t believe that. In fact there is so much that could happen between a person and God in their final moments of life that none of us can even possibly grasp or understand.

            Suicide is a tragic and needless loss of life, but is a very real epidemic that we as a culture are facing. And we cannot be silent about it.

            We must talk about it. We must learn to not look the other way. We must learn to be able to let others know when we are not OK. We have to be in relationship together.

            There is hope!

            And taking your own life is not the answer.

            Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

            And I believe this. Hope and a future. That is God’s plan for us. But we have to be here for each other, to love, to listen, to encourage, to cry with, to just do this life together.

            It’s not hopeless. There is hope. There are people that love you.

            Call this number if you need to talk, or give this number to someone you know:

                        1-800-273-8255  National Suicide Prevention Hotline.

                        Or text “TALK” to 741-741

There is Hope. And His name is Jesus.