He's coming for His Community
Annual Council Devotion, October 11, 2007
By Erika F Puni, GC Stewardship Director
When Jesus comes, He will come for a community of people(s) - a "great multitude" from every nation, tribe, and language whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life (Rev 7:9; 13:6). When He comes the second time, He comes for His friends - individuals who personally know Him as their Savior and Lord of their lives. When Jesus comes again, He will come for His family - a people who have acknowledged their heritage together with Him through faith in His life and death. With the Second Advent, Jesus will come for a community of believers who are faithful in their worship and witness, and are ready for Him to take them to their eternal home.
But let me take you back to our Bible passage for this week, John 14:1-3 (NIV).
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." My emphasis for this morning is the phrase in verse three (v13) "I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
Let me suggests at the outset of this devotional study that the issue in this phrase is not a matter of whether He will come or not because the certainty of Jesus' return is stated in the affirmative - I will come back! The issue and focus of these words is fellowship and community. Jesus' desires to be with his people, His disciples, the twelve in the upper room and the church in the twenty first century (and even generations in between and before His first Advent). Such yearning for intimate togetherness in community is fundamental to the very nature of God because He is a God of peoples and relationships. And to help us appreciate this emphasis on community in this passage let me cite a couple of Biblical examples to make this point.
Ruth and Naomi in Community (An Old Testament Example)
The setting was a journey home from a foreign country (Moab) to the home country (Judah). The travelers were three widows: one a mother-in-law, and we know her as Naomi; the other two were daughters-in-law (Orpah and Ruth). The situation was borne out of a tremendous loss - their husbands, their community! On the way and with Naomi's prompting, Orpah made the decision to return to her people; but Ruth clung on to her. In this context of parting (for Orpah) and bonding (for Ruth) we read of a beautiful exchange of deep mutual love and respect between Ruth and Naomi. And with determination and a commitment to maintain community with her mother-in-law Ruth said. ""Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me" Ruth 1:16,17 (NIV). What was the motivating factor in this decision? Perhaps, there we many; but I'd like to suggests that it was a desire for fellowship and community! "Where you go, I will go."
John and his Far-way Community (A New Testament Example)
The setting this time was the Island of Patmos (a foreign land), and John the Revelator was being isolated from his faith community - God's people in the mainland of Palestine - his home. The circumstances of persecution for Christians were severe and very often results in abandonment and death; and for John at this point in his ministry, Patmos could be the end of the road for him. This rocky island was so far-away from any center of Christian believers, and it felt like the ends of the earth. In his isolation, he longed for fellowship with the household of God and to be reconnected to his community of Christians abroad. But He was not alone, for while he was living the life of an exile in Patmos Jesus came to him in vision. In the words of that vision John said, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea" Revelation 21:1 (NIV).
I must admit that growing up as a youngster in Samoa, in the South Pacific, I was deeply troubled with this new heaven and earth where there is no sea. It can't be! There's a river of life, and surely it must empty itself into a sea, an ocean, or lake or something. No, this must be an image or metaphor that stands for something else. And indeed in the context of Revelation 21, the sea was a physical barrier that prevented John from having community with his people in Jerusalem and other places. The Aegean Sea for him was the ultimate expression of isolation, and this cannot be repeated in the new heaven and earth. And so in the bigger picture of Revelation 20-22, John was in fact yearning for fellowship and community in his home to come - the new heaven and earth where there will be no more separation.
So what more can we say about Jesus' statement "I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am?" I want the audience this morning to look back at verse three (v.3) in your Bibles, and take specific notice of the word "you" which is repeated twice in the phrase: come back for "you," and to be with "you." I'd like to suggests that the object of Jesus' coming in this verse is the "you," a community of peoples; and that the emphasis for community with Jesus (to be with him) in heaven is the "you." But who are they, who is this "you" community that Jesus' is returning to and taking to heaven to be with him? Allow me to make three observations of the text in trying to describe this community of the saved.
1. A Serving Community (John 13:12-17)
Understanding their carnal nature, and being aware of their personal agendas for self promotion and greatness, Jesus had to teach and model for His disciples the Kingdom principle of "service." For Him, service was more than a right code of behavior; service was an attitude of mind - a value to be lived out in the community of His people waiting for the parousia (His appearance). In fact, it was more than a spiritual value; living a life of "service" is what He expected of His immediate followers who were waiting for the Kingdom to come. "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you" John 13:15 (NIV). And so with the basin of water and towel he washed His disciples' feet, a powerful imagery of cleansing that comes only from God in Christ Jesus.
So who is Jesus coming for? The context (John 13) of the events of the Thursday night and prior to the cross would indicate, at least for me, that Jesus is coming for a community of people who are willing to serve from a position of humility; persons with the "mind" and heart of Christ who consider service a privilege and an honor (Philippians 2:5-8). To this community He would say, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me" Matthew 25:35, 36 (NIV).
Of course, when he spoke these words, I don't think Jesus was thinking or talking about ADRA or FEMA or any other humanitarian agency who labors hard in building peoples and developing communities all over the world; but I believe He was speaking specifically to a small band of Adventists then - His disciples (Matthew 24:1-3) and even to Adventists now; reminding us of who we are as His community - the church. Going home to be with Jesus and serving the needs of the poor, the underprivileged, the homeless, and the untouchables of today's society are part and parcel of the same reality. It's a basic component of our preparation for the Second Coming, and it's what makes us His church - a serving community.
2. A Loving Community (John 13:34-35)
But there is more to this serving community, because Scriptures also identifies them as a loving community (John 13:34, 35). "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." This executive command and spiritual mandate for the twelve to love each other was not only necessary but critical for a group who was determined (at least on the surface) to go wherever their Master would go. For Jesus, the matter of love and care for one another in the present was a value to emulate and practice if they (the twelve disciples) were serious about going and being with Him at His "Fathers house."
Christ's message on agape (divine love) on the night of the last supper flowed out of His heart for the whole of humanity (John 3:16); and His emphasis on loving the un-loveable was a challenge to the selfish desire of the disciple's worldview to love exclusively; loving only those of their kind and within their closed circle of friendship and network. This limited and prejudiced view of life was contrary to God's divine love which cuts across cultures, class of people and social distance. That true love would not discriminate because of one's language, the color of their skin, or their choice and preference for clothing. For Jesus, love would ensure the continuity of His community on earth, and their mission and ministry in the world. Love is a public expression of personal witness - telling the world through their lifestyle that they belong to Him.
In our global village of today, the Adventist church is a culturally diverse family; and our challenge like the disciples in their time, is to love one another within our community of faith in spite of our differences. As the Body of Christ, the last community of the Church on earth, we should never allow our regional peculiarities and interests, or cultural bias to influence our ability to make right decisions; or take away our combined effort for unity and love for each other. As elected and appointed representatives of this administrative unit of the church, we should commit ourselves again this morning to fostering the bonds of love across the continents, nations, and Islands of this planet. That we, collectively as a committee, and by the grace of God will pursue with great fervor our horizontal relationships with all peoples while at the same time maintaining the vertical dimension of our spiritual connectedness with God. This is what God is looking for in His people, a loving community.
3. A Trusting Community (John 14:1)
Finally in His desire to encourage their hearts and in anticipation of his own death soon to follow, Jesus said "Trust God and trust me." Trust God because death is not the end of the journey. Trust God that the Son of Man will come back. Trust God that there are rooms enough for everyone who acknowledges that Jesus is Lord. Trust me, said Jesus, because I want to have community with you in my Father's house. In this promise of the Second Advent, this prophesy of eschatology, and in this proclamation of the good news of heaven, Jesus was building a community of people to ever and always trust Him even in matters of the unknown. The servant of the Lord, Ellen White was right, we should never fear the future unless we as a people forget the way the Lord has lead us in the past. This is a call for faith, and faith is the product of an intimate relationship with Jesus and that's why we can trust God.
Jesus is coming for a trusting community, people who believe that their salvation is a gift of God alone. Jesus is coming again for a community of people(s) who will trust Him more even in the face of persecution and the unpredictable circumstances of this world. Jesus is coming, and it's more than just a promise; it's a certainty grounded in the reality of His first advent. We can trust Him!
I know for some of us today the return of Jesus to this world has been a long wait. To others in our midst, the waiting for our King has been a painful experience because of personal illness and the death of our loved ones. What our parents thought was going to be a short run - a sprint - has now become a marathon and we're still running and waiting to see the end of the race. But take heart and lift up your eyes for "He who is coming will come and will not delay" Hebrews 10:37 (NIV). Remember this, God's time is always the right time, and He will come for a trusting community of Adventists.
There's a Community Reunion when Jesus comes
It was 8:00AM on the Sunday morning when I was called into the Principal's Office at Fulton College, Fiji, in the South Pacific. The day was November 18th, 1979, only a few days away from my graduation from the Theology program. I had received my call already to a church in American Samoa, and my anticipation of being a field minister was increasing daily as the graduation and the end of the year drew near. But back in my home in Apia, Samoa, all was not well. My father, Pastor Fereti Puni, was very ill, in fact dying. The meeting with the Principal and the Head of the Theology Department on that Sunday morning was to inform me of a telegram from my family that came over on the Friday night requesting my return home immediately. You must realize, however, that I'm a Samoan and the family - my immediate community is at the heart of my being and my worldview. It is true that the College gave me a choice to stay a few days to sit my final exams which was scheduled to start the next day, Monday; but I also had the choice to return to Apia at the request of my community. I chose the later, and that afternoon I caught a flight from Suva to Nadi, and off I went to Samoa. I was the last of the family to arrive home.
On arrival in Apia I was taken directly to the hospital where my dad was in the Intensive Care Unit. Already he was in a semi-coma state. And for the next few days that followed I decided to be at his side at the ICU for as long as I was able to. Of great significance to me were the occasions during this time when in his sleep and struggle for life that my father would start to sing, "God is so good." The tune was there and though the words were not very clear, I knew that my dad even in those moments when life was only a flicker showed that he trusted his God still. But as a son, a young minister who had been waiting for the opportunity to minister together with my father and counting on him to be my mentor, would I trust God now?
Friday, November 23, came very quick, and as a family we could sense that dad's life was slipping away slowly. At 4:30 in the afternoon, my eldest brother and also a physician at the hospital called the family together to say our farewell. In the room there were tears of sadness and sorrow; and as a family - dad's immediate community - we were at a loss for words but we tried our best to encourage each other. He was tired and with his last ounce of strength he bade us farewell saying, "Good bye, but see you in the morning." For us siblings and our mother, dad's final words were a reminder and a challenge that there is a family reunion coming when Jesus comes for His community. And so on the head stone on his grave, the morning of the resurrection is highlighted, "Peacefully at rest awaiting the resurrection."
August 26 this year we received an email from a young lady whom we know well but dying with leukemia in Sydney, Australia. The email was her last letter and message to her family and close friends. Let me share with you a few words of her correspondence. "Death does not scare me and my one clear request to my palliative care doctor is that when my time comes, all I want is a quick painless death." She continued, "I will not see many of you again and shall do my very best to leave you letters. As this may be the last direct email you receive from me, I just want to say how thankful I am that each of you came into my life and enriched it as you have. I have been a better person and a kinder human being for having known you each and everyone. There's a great reunion party brewing in Heaven, one mighty bash I sure ain't gonna miss! Let's make it a date to catch up there! We'll be honoured guests of the Host of the Universe Himself!" On September the 19th, we received an email from Sarona's family telling us that she has passed on to her rest. We were sad, and our hearts were heavy. She was only thirty four!
But Sarona's death reminded me again that this world of sin, suffering and tears is not our home; and thank God that we're only passing through for our real home is the Father's house in heaven. In His house, there are many rooms and space for all of us, and I want to be there!
Will there be a serving, loving and trusting community when Jesus comes?
Jesus is coming soon, I know; and there is a new heaven and a new earth. And in that Land of endless days, there is no death, no tears, no pain for God will make all things new. The question for this committee today is NOT whether Jesus is coming; but "will He find a serving, loving, and trusting community when He comes?"
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