Reunion in the Clouds - December 5

Today’s Readings:  AM Psalm 20, 21:1-7; PM Psalm 110:1-5, 116, 117; Isa. 4:2-6; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Luke 21:5-19

For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord for ever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thess 4:16-18)

A dear family friend died from COVID-19 yesterday. His name is Larry and he was a good and kind man. His older daughter Katherine and I grew up together, and his younger daughter Elizabeth and my sisters were the same age. We have remained close friends for more than 40 years. Our families lived in the same neighborhood and carpooled together through elementary and high school. Since there were two Katherines, Larry always called me “KT” (my maiden name is Terry). The Dixons welcomed me into their home on the eve of Christmas Eve every year; we celebrated friendship, Larry and Gaynell’s wedding anniversary, and caught up from the year behind us, looking to the year ahead. We shared stories of present and laughed about tales from childhood. Now, I hold onto those sweet memories, as I can still see Larry sitting in his armchair by the back door in the living room, with a kind smile on his face and a sparkle in his eyes. While he had a public role as a State Senator, I knew him as part of the fabric of time that felt like home. Larry loved God, his wife and daughters, his sons-in-law, and adored his grandchildren – playing golf was high up there, too.

Lamenting Larry’s death and praying for Gaynell as she continues to struggle with COVID-19, the words from Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians will have to be enough today. Paul’s hope in this message is to bring comfort in grief, reiterating a promised reunion and God’s unbreakable love. He wants to encourage them, as their eyes sting with tears, that the dead are not lost but will rise first. He uses imagery of clouds, angels, trumpets. I am struck by the cloud…that cloud of protection from God we hear about in Isaiah is the very same space where we, when we rise, will bump into those we have loved and lost. We will be “caught up in the clouds together”.  On a different day, I might wander through this phrase more, holding up how Paul’s expression about our participation in ascension has influenced the thought of some Christians about what happens in the Rapture. Today, I imagine a holy and joyous traffic jam enshrouded with fog and mist, where we are reconnected with other “heart people” from earlier in time. And together we will meet the Lord.

Though there are times when tears fill our eyes and our hearts feel heavy, let us still find space to encourage one another and proclaim Alleluia!

-- Katherine+

Questions for Reflection

For whom do you mourn today? Who do you hope you’ll bump into in the hereafter? Who do you hope to avoid? And what do you think of the concept of Heaven put forth by the Apostle Paul?

Daily Challenge

Take time today to call someone meaningful to you. Perhaps you share a friend or family member in common who has died. Talk with them about this passage from 1 Thessalonians. What do you look forward to about a holy reunion? Explore hopes and questions.