by Rev Douglas Brauner

Living with the promise of Jesus’ return.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.”
Revelation 3:11 English Standard Version

Welcome to May Day in Colorado.

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

As Richelle Hecker mentioned in a recent blog, you don’t plant anything until after Mother’s Day in Colorado Springs. Even then you’ll probably need to cover the plants, to protect them from frost, sometimes in May.

We residents of Colorado Springs seem to be called to wait for flowers longer than most regions of the United States, even some areas that are further north than we are. That’s what you get for living at over 6,000 feet elevation.

Much of our lives are spent waiting, aren’t they?

• Waiting for graduation
• Waiting for our pay check
• Waiting for the birth of our child

Whether we’re waiting for something good, or something bad, it is hard to wait. Waiting can lull us into complacency, which seems to be the case as the Christian community waits for Christ to return.

Five times in the book of Revelation Jesus said that he is coming soon. It’s hard to know what “soon” is in the economy of God’s time. For me, soon usually means that Jesus is going to return in my lifetime. That’s what Christians in the early church expected. It’s what Christians in the Middle Ages expected, and it’s what Christians today expect.

As we wait for the final revelation of the King of Glory, we pray the prayer of Revelation; “come Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). Come quickly and free us from our bondage to this broken, sinful, world. Come quickly and bring us into your presence, that we might finally see what we have believed. Come quickly and wipe away the tears of grief that have filled our lives.

As we wait, and as we pray, let’s remember Jesus’ words that his return will be like a thief in the night. We don’t know when Jesus is coming, but we do know he’s coming back.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado