Good morning and a happy Memorial Day weekend!  May we all take time to remember our loved ones gone before, especially those who served in the Armed Forces.  This time of year we give thanks to God for the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.  This time of year we remember who we've lost.  It's hard losing someone you love, and their passing may even leave us feeling abandoned.  This is a common feeling at death, even part of the reason some get angry when someone they love dies.

          Have you ever been left behind?  Maybe as a child you were playing at your friend's house after church and your parents drove home and left you, thinking you were with your big brother.  Or perhaps you took too long at the store and your Dad left you behind to find your own way home, hoping to teach you a lesson.  Or maybe you fell asleep at your cousin's and your parents left you there all night.  All that happened when I was a boy and each time it was a memorable experience.  Discovering you have been left behind leaves an impression.  It can also teach a lasting lesson.  A number of years ago there was a comedy called, "Home Alone," about a little boy accidentally left behind by his parents who went on vacation.

          The words of our text come after our Lord's resurrection.  His disciples were so glad to be with Him again.  He had already left them behind on Good Friday, though they had abandoned Him first.  It's important we remember that God never leaves us alone for any reason, and knowing this gives us hope.  No matter what, God will be there for us.  But we people may leave Him behind in many ways.

          Think of all the reasons people will find this summer to leave Jesus behind as they head to the mountains or out on the road on vacation or to the lake, missing regular worship.  I hope each of us will remember to take Jesus with us in our travels and not leave Him behind.  God never takes a vacation from us, so we need not vacation from Him.

          On the first Ascension Day Jesus and His men were standing on the Mt. of Olives, a mile east of Jerusalem.  It's a glorious place with a million dollar view of the city, especially when the sun comes up giving the Holy City a golden hue.  He was telling them the future and what was going to happen to them.  He said, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;  and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

          What a great assignment!  They would be His witnesses all over the world.  They would receive the Holy Spirit's power He'd promised them, power to be His witnesses starting right there in the big city.  Then they'd take the message on to the countryside of Judea, then into the foreign lands of Samaria, and finally "to the ends of the earth."  It was a big job, but they weren't worried because they really believed He'd stay with them to get the job done.  What they didn't know was that He would be leaving them behind.  In just a few moments they'd be left behind, but for a purpose.  They wouldn't be abandoned, but empowered.  Yet one of them thought that the time had come for Jesus to show His power in a big way.  One of them asked, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6)  No thought here that Jesus would leave them!

          But He did because He had to.  So long as He was there, they'd never know their calling.  So long as He was with them, they'd never grow up.  They needed to stand alone to stand tall.  We're all like that.  Until we're on our own, we can't grow up, especially in our relationship with God.  Until we face life on our own, we'll never understand faith, what it means to really trust God.  It's like one of those motion sensor lights where you have to step out into the darkness to make the light come on.  If we don't step out in faith, we won't know what faith can do.  If Jesus had never left His disciples behind, they'd have spent their whole time counting on Him to solve their problems.  So He left them behind for a purpose - to tell others about the Lord.

          Some of you may have read a book in the series called Left Behind.  Authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins have created quite a stir writing about the "rapture," the moment some believe Christ will come to establish an earthly kingdom and snatch up the faithful directly into heaven.  But unfortunately their theology is completely faulty.  On the basis of one passage in Matthew 13, LaHaye and Jenkins have written several novels about what they think will happen when the so-called "rapture" occurs.  It all comes from a passage in Matthew 24:  "Two men will be in the field;  one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding with a hand mill;  one will be taken and the other left.  Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come." (Matthew 24:40-42)

          Taken by itself, without regard to anything else Jesus said in that section, it almost sounds as if they are right;  some will be taken and others left behind.  Trouble is, this not what Jesus intended to say.  He'd been explaining to His disciples how quickly the end of the world would come, as fast as the lightening flashes in the sky.  He likened the end of the world to the great flood that surprised all the unbelievers and saved only Noah and his family.  Like Noah was taken and the others left behind, so also it will be at the end of the world.  Some will be taken to heaven and others left behind, going to hell and separation from God.  Being left behind for Tim LaHaye means getting a second chance, but Christ meant there'd be no second chance.  Once the end comes, it's all over.  If you're ready, well and good.  But if not, you're left behind!

          The modern idea of a rapture became quite popular in the late 1960s with a novel by Hal Lindsey, The Late Great Planet Earth.  It was a novel that sold millions and convinced millions the rapture was real.  Even some Lutherans believe in "The Great Snatch", as they call it, that some will disappear and the rest be left behind.  Ever saw that bumper sticker:  "If the driver of this car disappears, grab the wheel!"?

          But why do people believe such fiction, at the same time ignoring the timeless truths of the Bible?  Why do they read Left Behind but don't read the Bible?  All this reminds me of a conversation between a preacher and an actor.  The preacher asked the actor:  "Please explain to me, Why is it that the people are ecstatic when you talk about fiction, but they fall asleep when I proclaim biblical truths?"  The actor responded:  "The secret is that I talk about fiction as if it were truth, while you preach about truth as if it were fiction."  How true!  People are spending less time in the truths of the Bible and more time reading the fantasies of men.  And when God's people share their faith, they often do it so hesitantly that others immediately become disinterested.

          The disciples were left behind for some purposes, and so are we.  First thing, we need to get ready for the Lord's coming.  If we're sleeping when He comes, we're sunk.  If we're so busy getting, spending, working, enjoying life while being spiritually asleep, we'll miss it all!  So the first thing is that we're ready with a living and active faith in the Lord, so that when He comes, we won't be asleep.

          Then we must be ready to tell our story.  We're His witnesses too.  We all have a story of God helping us in life.  We all have a story to share that will show the reality of Christ.  We know Jesus died and rose for us, and because He did, sinners can come to heaven.  We can't keep this life-saving news to ourselves.  How selfish it would be if we fail to share the hope we have simply because we're embarrassed or afraid.  St. Peter said all Christians must "Always be ready to give... reason for the hope that you have." (1 Peter 3:15)  Like the Disciples, you and I are left behind for a purpose, to share Jesus and the story of His love.

          We must start at home.  The witness of a godly mother and father is invaluable.  Bringing our children to regular worship and Sunday School leaves an indelible imprint on them.  Praying for our loved ones daily is powerful, and sharing with them the hope we have in Jesus is the best witness there is.  The Disciples were left behind for a purpose and so are we.  And when our time on earth is done, He'll come to take us home.  I pray you're all ready for His coming.  Then you won't be left behind for no purpose.  You'll be with Him in glory forever.  God grant this for Jesus' sake, amen!

Copyright © 2001 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.