What if Jesus Interrupts Us?

My guess is that nearly all of us in this season are in the process of working toward something. It might be a degree or a license, a promotion or a business, an engagement or a marriage. It might be any number of things. 

And regardless of what the thing is, the question is whether our aim in working toward that thing is really to honor Jesus or not.

Well, here’s one way to find out: Consider how you might respond if Jesus were to interrupt your pursuits.

See because the fact is, one day, Jesus is going to interrupt us. He’s going to come again, cast out darkness, and make all things new. And when he does, our present pursuits are — at least in some way or another — going to change, or even be replaced, or even be stopped altogether.

When that happens, will we be found saying: “Jesus, I’m so glad you’re finally here.” Or, “Jesus, could you come back later, I’m not quite finished with my pursuits?”

Jesus, I’m so glad you’re finally here? Or Jesus, could you come back later, I’m not quite finished with my pursuits?

Prayer of Confession

Father, we confess this morning how often we pray: “God, help me to make progress toward this goal,” and how little we pray: “Come, Lord Jesus.” This disparity exposes our pride and self-focus. It exposes our passion for building our own kingdoms, and our relative ambivalence toward pursuing yours.

Make us different. Not that we’d drop our efforts and sit on our hands, but that we’d take up our efforts and say: God, by this, be glorified. By this, be magnified. And if you’d rather be glorified and magnified, by interrupting all of this instead, by the coming of your son — oh, how much better that would be. Change us Father. Turn us from our sin, and do so, even now, as we confess these and our other sins to you in this moment of silent confession…