If the Lord returned on Christmas Day...Image credit - Unsplash.com 1 Thessalonians 4 v 13-18 13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
One of my favourite hymns over many years...It may be at morn, when the day is awaking,
When sunlight through darkness and shadow is breaking,
That Jesus will come in the fullness of glory,
To receive from the world His own.
Refrain:
O Lord Jesus, how long, how long
Ere we shout the glad song,
Christ returneth!
Hallelujah! hallelujah!
Amen. Hallelujah! Amen.
It may be at midday, it may be at twilight,
It may be, perchance, that the blackness of midnight
Will burst into light in the blaze of His glory,
When Jesus receives His own. (Refrain)
While its hosts cry Hosanna, from heaven descending,
With glorified saints and the angels attending,
With grace on His brow, like a halo of glory,
Will Jesus receive His own. (Refrain)
O joy! O delight! should we go without dying,
No sickness, no sadness, no dread and no crying.
Caught up through the clouds with our Lord into glory,
When Jesus receives His own. (Refrain)
If the Lord returned on Christmas Day...On 25 December at 12.00 noon GMT London, it will be early afternoon in Tel Aviv and Cape Town, it will be early morning in New York, it will be midnight in Kamchatka and the middle of the night in LA. So actually, because of the world's time zones; all of the verses in the above hymn could be sung quite literally at the same time!(see below link: world time zone . com) Be honest; if the Lord returned on Christmas Day, could it seem (to some) like an untimely inconvenience? What if we are just about to open our presents? What if we are giving thanks for Christmas dinner? What if we are settling down in the evening to watch TV or relax with family and friends? Will we be anticipating the return of the one whose first coming we are supposedly celebrating? What is Christmas really about?Oh yes, of course, it is a celebration of the birth of Christ. It is a time to remember that God sent His Son into the world to save us from sin. And yet, could the Saviour Himself prove to be an inconvenience if He 'interrupted proceedings' on the very day we are 'celebrating' His birth? For those of you who are waiting on His return this is certainly not the case. O joy! O delight! should we go without dying,
No sickness, no sadness, no dread and no crying.
Caught up through the clouds with our Lord into glory,
When Jesus receives His own. Pray for Christmas Rain in Australia! More to follow... | 
