Yep. This is another Rapture diary. You are all probably tired of them by now. But here's another one.
I'm surprised I never made this connection before; in retrospect it seems so obvious. Perhaps the reason is that my own church does not teach Millenialism and tends to downplay End Times Theology in general, and so I don't think a whole lot about Judgement Day. But in thinking about the recent Rapture-palooza, I realized that I had seen it all before, in a pumpkin patch.
I have always regarded the Great Pumpkin from the Charlie Brown cartoons as a satire on Santa Claus-- and to a certain extent it is. But Linus' attitude towards the Great Pumpkin is also a satire on the attitude some have towards the Second Coming. Linus is obsessed with the Great Pumpkin; he goes door-to-door in order to share the Pumpkin Gospel with others; he has selected the Most Sincere Pumpkin Patch -- for the Great Pumpkin will only favor the Most Sincere Pumpkin Patch with his presence -- and worries that the slightest molecule of doubt might damn his chances of ever seeing the Great Pumpkin.
He persuades Sally to wait in vigil with him for the Great Pumpkin's arrival, forgoing the fun of trick-or-treating with her friends based on Linus' assurances.
And when Halloween night is over, Linus is disappointed. And Sally is pissed.
Linus' faith, however, remains unshaken. Next year, he vows, he'll find an even better pumpkin patch; and then he will see the Great Pumpkin rising out of the pumpkin patch to deliver toys and presents to all...
As I've said, my church tends to downplay the Second Coming. Oh yes, we believe it will happen, and that it is a good thing to watch and pray and to be ready for it when it does; but we do not make it the tent-pole of our doctrine.
When St. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, there was a situation where people were expecting Christ's return any day; so some had quit their jobs so that they could wait for it. This is why Paul said, "If anyone does not work, neither shall he eat." He wasn't talking about Welfare deadbeats, he was talking about the misguided Rapturists of his day. I've mentioned before the remark attributed to Luther that if he knew for a fact that Christ was coming tomorrow, it wouldn't stop him from planting an apple tree today.
I guess I have a fatalistic attitude about it all. Christ will come when he comes. He came right out and said that nobody would expect it when it happens, so it would be foolish to try second-guessing God. Rather than get bent out of shape anticipating the Day of the Lord, I would do better to make the most of this Day that the Lord has given me, working to share God's Love with my neighbors and seeking to make our world a better place.
It beats sitting up all night in a pumpkin patch