Sudden change

Being fascinated by history, I am following the 100th anniversary remembrance of the Titanic disaster with interest. It isn't a question of ghoulish obsession with the fate of so many hundreds of passengers. Yet it is sobering to think of all those people setting out on a luxury cruise, excited maybe, but not suspecting any danger. They found their way to their berths and cabins, sorted out their luggage and established a new routine for the duration. A few days later there would be an abrupt change. All around them there would be chaos, cold and darkness. They would meet with death or, if they survived, their lives would never be the same again.

In more recent times there was a spate of terrorist hijackings of aircraft. On one occasion an observer saw people boarding a certain flight. The following day that flight made the news headlines because it was the subject of a particularly nasty hijack. A few passengers lost their lives. The rest were put through a terrifying ordeal lasting many long hours. Again, on boarding, their behaviour was ordinary and routine. They had no inkling of what was about to happen to them.

What is it like to live as though a life-changing event was only days or even hours away? We couldn't cope with living life that way all the time! Yet, as I read through the gospels again, Jesus constantly taught His followers that anything could be just round the corner.

"No-one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back — whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the cock crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'" (Mark 13:32-37 NIV)

We are creatures of habit and regular routine is comforting for most of us. Some people learn to live with constant change and even welcome it, but that is not everyone's cup of tea. The Bible tells us that we can depend on the routine of day and night and the changing seasons. But if we have not made at least one change in our lives - the change of turning our lives round, receiving Jesus as Lord and Saviour and preparing for His glorious return - a sudden and unpleasant reckoning faces us.