He Will Come Again

 

At each Mass we recite the words of the Nicene Creed. Embedded within the Creed are these words: He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. This essay appears in my first book, We Believe: Forty Meditations on the Nicene Creed. I am in the process of revising the book to reflect the current (2011) translation of the Creed. But for now, I thought to reproduce this essay from the book, since the revision did not change this section.

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He will come again

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you also may be. (John 14:3)

It shouldn’t have surprised me. For two weeks, the highway department had posted notices that they planned to resurface the asphalt, fill in the ten million potholes and smooth the roadway. They couldn’t fix the road soon enough. I’d slammed into the craters so many times my teeth were loose.

I suppose it’s because I saw the notices each day that I stopped paying attention to them. Before long, the signs disappeared into the background as I swerved down the street, trying not to crack the front axle. So when I left the house that morning and turned the corner, the unusually smooth ride startled me. For the first time in months, the mini-van didn’t rattle with each rotation of the tires. I didn’t have to dodge potholes or worry about losing my teeth. When I stopped for the traffic light at the next corner, I noticed even my palms were dry.

Asphalt highways are not the only places ravaged by potholes. Many of us slam into craters along life’s highway. Heartaches jar us to the roots of our teeth. Failures break our confidence. If you’re like me, you’ve had your share of troubles. Maybe more than your share.

Then one day we see notices posted along the path. One promises, The rough places will be made smooth (Isaiah 40) In the twinkling of an eye we shall be caught up to be with the Lord (1 Corinthians 15), says another. I will come again and receive you to Myself (John 14), declares a third.

There are so many declarations we have to slow down to read them all. Over and over, season after season, we hear them. We talk about them. We debate their meaning. Before long, they become old friends.

But, perhaps because they become so familiar, we stop paying attention. The signs get lost in the busy-ness of punching time clocks, fighting traffic, washing clothes, paying overdue bills . . . . We focus so much on dodging potholes, we no longer remember the promise that one day all who belong to Christ will leave the house, turn the corner -- and find the road paved.

When we recite the words of the Creed, “He will come again,” we remind ourselves to not become complacent or grow weary in waiting. We remind ourselves to focus instead on Scripture’s unshakable promise -- Christ will come again.

And when He returns for those who have placed their trust in Him, He will bind every shattered dream, broken heart and splintered life with His eternal love. Never again will we worry about rough roads.

Sometimes I think it can’t happen soon enough.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus. We long for Your appearance. Make us faithful in our journey that we may gather in Your presence with joy. Amen.