Unannounced and Unexpected

Happy Sunday!

Matthew 24:44-51 says, "So you can avoid trouble by always being ready for my unannounced return.  Are you a wise and faithful servant of the Lord? Have I given you the task of managing my household, to feed my children day by day? Blessings on you if I return and find you faithfully doing your work. I will put such faithful ones in charge of everything I own!  But if you are evil and say to yourself, ‘My Lord won’t be coming for a while,’ and begin oppressing your fellow servants, partying and getting drunk, your Lord will arrive unannounced and unexpected, and severely whip you and send you off to the judgment of the hypocrites; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."(Living Bible).

Unannounced and unexpected...don't miss this!  This month several people that I know, have lost loved ones.  For us these deaths were "unannounced and unexpected".  That's just the way the Word describes the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But the scripture passage we just read identifies a specific group of people that will be shocked by the Lord's return.  Those that are wise and faithfully doing their work, have nothing to fear.  The scripture says that Blessings will be upon them.  But the other group that assumes they have plenty of time to get ready, will be surprised and punished.  Which group are you in?

If you have been reading Happy Sunday from it's inception, you will know that Bishop Alexis A. Thomas was the inspiration for many of them.  I started the Happy Sunday emails when I lived in Minnesota, by the time I arrived in Arizona I had almost vowed never to attend church again.  Oh, I wasn't mad at God, but I was tired of some of the folks that claim to represent God.  I Googled churches in Phoenix, and researched them a bit never really thinking I'd attend.  A few friends in the area, told us not to go to Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church.  One person even called it "Club Pilgrim".  Now, don't get me wrong...everything was not perfect or done perfectly.  But Bishop Thomas never disappointed.  He was funny, encouraging, charismatic, and compassionate.  He'd been preaching since he was 7, and the Pastor at Pilgrim Rest since he was 16.  The messages always blessed me, and I have shared so many with you.  He also passed away this week.  

The first stage of grief is denial.  I saw posts about Bishop's death on Facebook, and Instagram.   I disregarded them, and waited for more concrete verification.  Some of my loves emailed me and texted me...and I quickly moved past anger, bargaining, and depression and came to acceptance.   Acceptance?  Yes, I understand that if the Lord Jesus delays his return we may die as well.  But death is nothing to fear when you know where you will spend eternity.  The Apostle Paul wrote, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."(Philippians 1:21, KJV).  The Apostle went on to say, "As long as I’m alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I’d choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it’s better for me to stick it out here. So I plan to be around awhile, companion to you as your growth and joy in this life of trusting God continues."(Philippians 1:22-25, Message).  

What I want people to know is that the number of years we live on this earth does not determine the impact we can have.  There are people in their 90's that can't say that they have touched people and changed the world like Bishop Thomas who died at 50 years old.   Capital One Credit Cards had a catchy slogan, "What's in your wallet?"   I believe we should modify that slogan and say, "What's in your Life?"  What have you done with this precious life you were given?  What is your purpose here on earth?  Do you know who Jochebed was?  Were you paying attention in Sunday School at all?  She was Moses' mother.  She is mentioned in Numbers 26:58 and Exodus 2.  During that time, the King of Egypt commanded the midwives to kill all the baby boys born to the Israelite mothers.  Jochebed knew that there was something special about Moses, and she refused to allow him to be killed.  She made a little vessel for him, and at just the right time floated him by the King's daughter.  The very river that he was supposed to be killed in, was used to float him to destiny.

Love and prayers, Cynthia