So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Matthew 24:26-27

Christians are interested, sometimes to the point of obsession, with the second coming of Jesus. But this can be a crutch. After all if, if the end of the world is coming right this very minute, feeding, clothing, housing and caring for my neighbors is not as urgent as making sure my own soul is ready.

Of course, this crutch is flimsy. When we stand firm in the faith, we see plainly that Jesus wanted us each to live as a servant, as he did. When we love our neighbors, we begin to make the love of Jesus visible to everyone around us. That way, we can make it totally obvious, here and now, who Jesus is.

Ethan Kirl