***
“Students, please take out two sheets of paper and a sharpened pencil. Begin answering the questions on the board. You’ll have thirty minutes to complete your work.”
“Yes, this is a pop quiz.”
***
In high school, those five alarming words – this is a pop quiz– made my stomach drop. It felt like some of my teachers just loved to torture us.
Anyone who didn’t do the previous night’s readings or who fell asleep during yesterday’s math lesson was doomed to fail.
As an achiever who tried earning good grades, being caught off guard or unprepared was the worst feeling ever.
***
In the Gospel, Jesus tells us to, “Be like servants who await their master’s return.”
Like a high school teacher announcing a pop quiz, we simply don’t know when he’s coming back. It’s best to be ready.
But is the Lord’s return something we should fear? Or is it something we should welcome?
I suppose a large part of our answer depends upon our image of God. So who is God to me?
***
Is God like a distant father figure? Or maybe a stickler for rules who holds me accountable for every little misstep?
Yuck!
Or is God my shepherd, my friend, even my lover, who loves me in spite of my failings?
***
Part of Luke’s motivation for writing his Gospel is to help shape our view of God.
In particular, Luke is writing to the second generation of Christians who, like us, didn’t have direct contact with Jesus.
Their elders expected the Lord to return immediately, but since Jesus didn’t, some left the faith and became morally lax.
God became a distant figure, someone they’d deal with at the end of their lives – if he’s there at all.
It’s a temptation that people still fall into today.
Frankly, most people aren’t concerned with the second coming of Jesus. They’re more worried about their grocery list or what’s next on Netflix.
Yet at the same time, Americans have become increasingly fragile, even obsessed over the truth of our own mortality.
Think of the random shootings that happened in El Paso and Dayton this past week.
Some parents are now sending their children to school with Kevlar bulletproof backpacks!
Even though the chance of being caught in such a nightmare is minimal, it’s strong enough to put fear in our bones.
The truth is, we know our end is somewhere on the horizon, but many treat it like something they’ll deal with tomorrow.
If God’s there, we’ll deal with him then.
***
But Jesus says to, “Be like servants who await their master’s return.” What, then, does it mean to be ready?
Simply being at peace with God – and at peace with one another.
***
Am I at peace? Or is there unresolved tension in my life?
***
This is why I try examining my own conscience at the end of each night, asking myself questions like:
Where did I encounter the Lord today? How kind was I to my neighbor? Did I grow in love? Do I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness?
It’s a simple way to stay accountable – to stay ready.
***
“Students, please take out two sheets of paper and a sharpened pencil. Begin answering the questions on the board. Yes, this is a pop quiz.”
Now just as I cannot borrow another student’s work, I cannot borrow another person’s relationship with God.
I have my own – and you have yours.
The beauty is, however, that there’s no competition. Everyone has the opportunity to enter into the kingdom of God.
How, then, can we grow in peace with God and with one another?
***
Doing so will only prepare us for the journey ahead.