Do you remember the giddy feeling you had when you heard those words?  Your spot was all planned out.  You had squished in behind the couch and pulled the blanket over, you knew you would never be found, and then you heard those words,  …” Ready or not here I come!”  You knew the searcher was coming, but you  never quite knew when she would show up.  When you think of the return of Christ is that the feeling you get?  Is it eager anticipation?  You know He is coming back but you are not quite sure when that will be.

Gallop’s latest religion poll is telling us that those who consider themselves agnostic or atheists are growing larger and larger as a group.  These are folks who do not anticipate Christ’s return.  In fact, they have pretty much rejected the whole idea as ludicrous.    In contrast, I was raised in Christian home.  I never experienced a time in my life where I did not anticipate Christ’s return.  In between these two perspectives are those who have heard of the idea of Christ returning but they don’t really pay attention to it.  It holds the place of some future far off event that we can’t do anything about, so why let it consume our brain?  

The answer is because Jesus dis not want us to be of the sort who were surprised.  God wants us to know.  Not to the exact moment, year or day.  We can’t start a dooms day clock that is ticking away and just check on it once and a while, or somehow solve a mystical mathematical code so that we can sell our houses and dawn white sheets and head up to the top of the hill. But neither did He leave us blind, so that it could show up at any moment.   He told us about signs that would be obvious (for those keeping watch) to know when the time is close. 

What are the signs and events that will precede the return of Christ?  What did Christ tell us? What did the apostles understand and tell us?  What will His return be like?  That is the topic for this weeks sermon.  

Come be encouraged as we watch!

Pastor Chris