near

Monday June 2^nd, Acts 1: 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.  10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."  All too often we too find ourselves standing there looking up, hoping to find some sign that we too are the special ones of God.  In reality we are just trying to get out of work by giving the appearance of being special and holy.  As long as our eyes are heavenward, we can justify not using our hands and feet to do heavens bidding.  Jesus will return, not in some sadistic fiery apocalyptic way, that is all made up stuff and is as Barbara Rossing calls it in her book, “The Rapture Exposed” a racket.  But Jesus is there each and every day in the eyes of the neighbor being served as well as in the eyes of the one doing the serving.  Looking up only keeps us from looking into the eyes of God in our neighbor.  Praise Music is fine, and looking up helps us feel holy, but it only becomes holy when we once again look down at the least, lost and lonely and then do something about them being least, lost and lonely.  The risen Christ calls us instead to look around and announce in word and especially in deed what is already here.  Go so your neighbor that the Kingdom is near.