(2 Peter 3: 8-15a)
Like a thief in the night. You never know when they’re coming so you have to be alert and ready. No truer words were ever spoken. Back when I was a field training officer with the Houston Police Department training rookies fresh out of the academy, I had one of those rare experiences of actually catching a thief in the act. It was a little after ten in the evening, approaching the end of our shift, when I spotted something out of the ordinary. We were stopped for the light at the intersection of Westheimer Street and Buffalo Speedway when I saw a commotion in the parking lot of the local grocery store that caught my attention. I saw a Ford Mustang doing quick circles in the parking lot and a man in a white shirt and tie chasing a young man who was trying to get to the Mustang. The man in the white shirt appeared to be really upset, waving his arms and yelling. I looked over at my partner who was in the passenger seat and said; “John Henry, I believe those boys just tried to rob the Safeway store.” I told him I would get him close and put him out to chase the one on foot and I’d check with who was obviously the store manager to see if it really was a robbery. When the Mustang saw us coming with lights and siren it split leaving their partner on his own. He didn’t have a chance as John Henry ran him to ground. And yes, they had tried to rob the store and had cranked off a round inside the store just to let the manager know they meant business. The manager knocked the pistol out of the would-be robber’s hand and the chase was on. What the thief didn’t anticipate, other than a crazy manager who would not be robbed, was the presence of a couple of police officers who were alert and anticipating the unannounced arrival of a thief in the night who would catch him in the act.
And that’s what the Apostle Peter is talking about in our scripture reading for this morning. The day of the Lord will come like a thief. Nobody knows the day or time, and those who are not prepared and alert will be caught off guard, and it will be too late. Peter says; But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. It’s natural for us to put everything on our timetable. We need a begin date and an end date for all of our little projects. When can you start and when can we expect you to be finished? Working within God’s time frame is like working with a building contractor. There will be unexpected delays, other projects that pop up, and issues to address along the way that are sure to impact the timeline. All very frustrating. It’ll be finished when it’s finished. Peter says that the Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. Peter is making two points here. The first is that God’s perception of time is different than ours. God is not slow or delayed as it may appear to us in our impatience. Second, and here is the conclusion about the proper framing of interpretations, the audience ought to perceive the delay not as belated apathy or tardiness, but as patience toward you. The divine motive that Peter is revealing to his readers and us is that God does not want anyone to perish but wants all to change their hearts and behavior for the better. God’s mercy is for everyone, and God’s patience is the extending of God’s mercy to all. Peter’s readers and others were constantly being told that Christ would return, and they naturally assumed that this return would occur during their lifetime. I think that’s a natural assumption and, had I been there, I would have thought the same thing. Things were bad in the first century so a change like the one promised by the Messiah would be a welcome relief to Followers of the Way.
Peter also warns that the day of the Lord will not be deferred forever when he says; But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed. The day of the Lord will come when no one is expecting it, even the most vigilant. The heavens will end with a bang and the earth will be consumed by fire. And, that all sounds very scary and disconcerting. I’m not sure I want to be around to witness the terrifying end of the world. But then Peter asks; Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of person ought you be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? He’s saying that you basically have two options; live like there’s no tomorrow or live like there is. He’s asking what kind of life do you want to be leading when Jesus returns? What do you want Jesus to catch you doing in the act? The deep question Peter is asking is; if the cosmos in which evil and injustice exists will be dissolved, will be no more, then what sort of people ought you be? What he’s saying is that all that is wrong with the world will be gone and only the good and righteous will be left standing. If we want to be here for the good times, we must live holy and godly lives in the meantime.
So, this begs the question of what can we do to speed up this process? There have been a couple of occasions during my lifetime when, during a presidential election, I would hear or read of a Christian or a group of Christians saying that they were going to vote for a particular candidate because that candidate was more likely than the other candidate to get us into a global war that would help trigger the second coming of Christ. If God wants to use some world leader as a catalyst to the second coming, that’s God’s call, not ours. If nothing else, we should vote for leaders who will do what Jesus would do while we’re waiting. What we can do to speed up the day is to do all that we can to do God’s will and His work while we have breath in our bodies. It’s not like we can bargain with God by living holy and godly lives in order to force the hand of God. Rather, it is more like our taking the hand of God and walking in righteousness, which invites God’s certain future into the present practices and customs of a community that embodies the way of righteousness and readily creates spaces where righteousness is at home. So, think of it this way, when you wake up in the morning and before your feet hit the floor, you ask God: What are we going to do today God? In your daily walk with God by your side you look for opportunities to do something righteous. It doesn’t matter how big or how small, just as long as it’s righteous. And, we do the same thing with our church by building a community of believers that embody the way of righteousness and create a space where righteousness is at home so that when God says somebody oughta do something, our response is: “You’re right, let me see what I can do. What we can do as a church.” This should be the mission of every church no matter the size, denomination or location. Everything a church does is geared towards establishing righteousness, justice, peace and mercy within and without its walls.
You have to understand that God’s character is one of patience with the end goal of inviting the changing of hearts and lives. I mean, after all, isn’t that what it’s all about? Jesus is purposely waiting to give us as much time as needed so more sinners will repent and turn to him. He’s waiting patiently to give us time to get up off the couch and get engaged in the mission field right outside our own door. We must not sit and wait for Christ to return, but we should live our lives with the realization that time is short and that we have really important work to do. We must be ready to meet Christ at any time, even today; yet plan our course of service as though he may not return for many years to come. With the right attitude we can joyously look forward to the restoration of God’s good world even in the midst of trouble and turmoil. I mean, who wouldn’t want to live in a good world? One ruled by peace, justice, mercy and love.
So, what should we be doing? The possibilities are endless, and we are only limited by our imaginations. We should be talking to people about how Jesus has changed our lives and how he can change theirs for the better. It can be as simple as making bean soup mix, sorting warm clothing for our clothes closet, making fire starters, stocking our food pantry, working at the food bank and all the other mini ministries that come our way. Think about it, when Christ suddenly comes unexpectedly wouldn’t you like to be caught in the act of service, doing what Jesus would do?
Please pray with me.
Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heaven, to earth come down; fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown! Gracious Father, how we long for the return of your Son Jesus Christ who is all compassion, pure, unbounded and full of love. Move us by the Holy Spirit to each do his or her own part in bringing about the world as you would have it. When we get lazy or complacent, invigorate us to step up and step out as your disciples of your Son for the transformation of the world. Keep us mindful that the coming of your Son will not occur until the world is transformed. Keep us ever busy doing your work and your will so that when Jesus comes, we will be caught in the act of service to your holy kingdom. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.