My wife and I enjoy watching SOME quiz programmes on the ‘Telly’.  One in particular, chaired by Stephen Fry is of course, QI.
Having watched the first broadcast of the current week’s edition, we watched the extended version the following evening.  The one where they edit out less and found why the previous evening there was a reference to ‘The Rapture’  It was in fact part of the unseen first question when the participants were asked ‘What was the big disappointment?’  Fry was alluding to the big ‘con’ of 1844 when people had predicted the return of our Lord and millions of people were disappointed, having sold up their homes etc and one man even leaping from a tall building at  midnight expecting to be swept up in the angels arms.  Very sad.
But alo Fry said that leaders of this original group still went off and developed other ‘religions’ such as Seventh Day Adventist’s and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
He went on to explain that people were still trying to forecast the return and referred to the descriptive phrase with American origins – ‘The Rapture’.  Indeed 2012 is also being mentioned in some circles.  And  interestingly he alluded to further disappointment because he didn’t see it ever happening.
How should these ideas affect us? First of course, is the fact that as Christians we do believe that Christ will come again – as celebrated recently at Christmas.  But secondly, we don’t want to fall into the trap, however fascinating it might be, to try and establish when that might be. In fact our Lord warns us against doing that and Luke 12 vv 33ff records that it will be ‘when you do not expect him’ and that basically he wants to find us, not sitting there waiting, but getting on with our God-given tasks.
Let’s make sure we aren’t wasting time waiting, but will be found prepared and doing what he told us to do – preaching the Gospel, making disciples and developing a deeper love for each other, in unity.


May God bless you

Gerald