Sunday Reflections: Waiting for the End

By Rev. Dai Morgan

It looks like we made it! December 21, 2012 has come and gone and the end of the world has not occurred. You know what I’m talking about, the Mayan doomsday prophecy.

Well actually, the Mayans never predicted that this would be the end of the world. That idea came from New Age interpreters. On the Mayan Long Count calendar, this date was regarded as the ending date of a 5,125-year-long cycle. However, there is no evidence to believe that they thought that this would result in any kind of cataclysm.

The end of this epoch was certainly recognized as a significant moment by the Mayans. However, it is contemporary New Age thinking that added the apocalyptic element. New Age speculation ranged from the ideas that the people of the earth would undergo a “spiritual transformation” to the arrival of extraterrestrial aliens to the catastrophic ending of the world.

We’ve been hearing about this for the last several years. The end-of-the-world scenario has attracted the most attention in the popular imagination. What a bust! I was kind of looking forward to it.

From a Christian perspective, it seems to me, the end of the world is actually a good thing. The Gospel writer Luke quotes Jesus as saying, “Then the Son of Man will be seen, coming in a cloud with great power and glory. When all of this starts happening, stand up straight and be brave. You will soon be set free.” (Luke 21:27-28)

I suppose this will all be a little frightening … but you have to admit, it will also be pretty awesome! Who knows, maybe it will happen tomorrow? Could we be so lucky as to be the generation who witnesses the Lord’s return? The last words in the New Testament are, “So, Lord Jesus, please come soon! I pray that the Lord Jesus will be kind to all of you.”

Again, who knows when the Lord will return? In the meantime, let’s pay attention to the first coming of Christ. May the Lord Jesus be kind to all of you. 

Merry Christmas!

The Rev. Dai Morgan is pastor of Living Spirit Ministry-Swissvale United Methodist Church.

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