| “…so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.” |
| —Hebrews 9:28 |
Please let me begin this blog post with a true story to illustrate a point.
When I was eight years old, my father began an every-two-weeks’ tradition that lasted through each summer until I turned twelve years old. To understand this bi-weekly event, I need to explain that my dad was a salesman of hotel and restaurant supplies, including a custom blend of locally roasted coffee. He called on customers over a significant geographic area in a two-week rotation.
In addition to hotels and restaurants, he also called on a wide variety of mom and pop stores. So, every two weeks, on a Wednesday, he made a swing through Derrick City, Duke Center, Rixford, and Eldred. These little central-northwestern Pennsylvania towns were all located in McKean County, not far from my hometown of Bradford.
I loved to swim. But, because as a young child I had been severely bullied, I was afraid to use the community swimming pool in my hometown. Fortunately, on this bi-weekly route, my dad drove past the community pool next to the Otto-Eldred High School. Since no one there knew who I was, I could swim safely without fear of being bullied.
My dad would drop me off at about 11:30 in the morning. I would sit on a park bench and eat a snack. When the pool opened at Noon, I would enter and spend the afternoon in the water. Yes, I do realize that leaving an eight-year-old alone today would be unheard of—even possibly be cause for police intervention. But, it was a safer time back in 1955.
As the afternoon drew to a close, I would get dressed and wait for my dad to pick me up. Sometimes, because the pool closed at 5:00 p.m., nearly every other person would have left by the time my dad arrived. I would sit there waiting, never really afraid that my dad wouldn’t come, but often greatly anticipating his arrival. When I would spot his car turning into the parking lot, a surge of joy would course through my body. My dad had returned and I was always very glad to see him.
What I would feel on those long ago days is very similar to the kind of anticipation the writer of the Book of Hebrews draws upon when he writes these words in Hebrews 9:28:
…so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
We wait for Christ’s return with eager anticipation. We know He will return. We don’t know exactly when our Savior will come back. And, we don’t know whether we will graduate to Glory before He does so. Nevertheless, whenever we pause from the tasks He has given us as His ambassadors, we sit on the “park benches” of our lives and look at the horizon toward eternity consumed with both joy and a very special peace—knowing that the time of His return is near. As the Apostle Paul writes to his “son in the faith” in 2 Timothy 4:8:
Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
We long for Christ’s appearing. Let’s remember that fact as we move forward into this new day. And, let’s anticipate our blessed Savior’s imminent return and wait for Him with eager anticipation and with hopeful joy.
Based on a blog originally posted on Thursday, June 16, 2016
