Longing for There...Fully Present Here

The past two weeks have been especially difficult for me. The difficulty arises, not from the stresses of ministry, but from an increasing longing to depart. Over a month ago, Carol, my wife, and I made reservations for a 7 nights stay on Florida's emerald coast. We've never been away for such an extended period strictly for recreational purposes, and in such a beautiful area. As the time for the trip has neared, I've struggled to remain "engaged" in my work.

When we first made these reservations, I created a calendar, complete with pictures of our destination, so we could "mark off the days" as our trip neared. As the large "x's" through each day increased on this homemade calander, our whole family's excitement increased proportionately. Food for the trip covers our dining room table. Floats, beach chairs, and a variety of swimming accoutrements are neatly placed in our garage, just waiting to be loaded in our van. With all of this stuff "sanctified" for a particular purpose in our home, I found myself "already there" while I have "not yet" fully experienced the beach. I've even picked up some of this stuff, pretending to be relaxing on the sugar white sands of my home state--sounds weird, I know, but I just couldn't help myself.

This tension of living between the times, however, speaks to our Christian reality--at least I think it should. New Testament writers spoke of the eschaton, the consumation of the ages, in expectant terms (cf. Romans 8:18-25; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; 1Peter1:3-9). For them, they were "already there" but had "not yet" fully experienced this ultimate reality. They were "marking the days" when they could be fully present with the Lord.

Two particular points come to mind as I'm reflecting on such eschatological concerns. First, Christians need to recapture a sense of "longing to be there." I wonder to what extent I've become too attached to this fallen world--the world that is in the process of "passing away." I admit, my microcosm is not that bad of a place to live. Nice family. Nice house. Really nice Church. Perhaps this might be one reason why Christians in the United States in particular have become so complacent over the years--why I've become so complacent. Do I, like the early Christians, begin my day with the sincere desire: "Maranatha," (O Lord, Come)?

Second, the longing for the consumation of the ages does not mean that we disengage from our current world--at least it shouldn't mean that. In some way, it--the entire physical creation--is the object of God's redemptive work (Romans 8:18-25). While we might debate the specific details of this eschatological dimension, God is working to reverse the curse from every aspect of His creation. And, His people are to join him in that struggle. "Maranatha" on our lips, then, is not so much a wistful longing to leave this world, but a battle cry for God's kingdom to fully dawn. Didn't Jesus teach us to pray, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven?"

Well, that's enough reflection for today. After all, I'm leaving for the beach tomorrow!