Carol and I just returned from visiting our son and his wife in Phoenix.  Going there brought to mind a small secret I should confess.  Not only do I love the farm, I also love the desert, especially Arizona.  I have seen all John Wayne's westerns, including many of his "B" movies of the '30s.  I guess I'm a "closet cowboy."

          I own a cowboy hat, a vest, a belt with a big buckle, and even a western shirt and string tie - I just don't wear them much.  I enjoy cowboy music but not country western, because the two are definitely not the same.  I once owned a six-shooter, and still have a lever action Winchester in my closet.  I rode horse some back in North Dakota and even participated in a real roundup or two.  And I've read most of Louis Lamour's westerns, but we don't need to go there.  Let's just say I wouldn't be good for much on a ranch today, but that doesn't keep me from thinking about it a lot, especially every time I go to Arizona.

          I'll tell you another secret.  God must like cowboys too, because one day He's going to have a great roundup, and maybe sooner than we think.  His roundup on the Last Day won't be of animals but of people.  The day is coming soon when the Great Rancher will gather everyone before Him and separate the good critters from the bad.  When it's time, it will happen like lightening - no time to pack, and no second chances.  God will come when He's ready, not when we think we are.

          Today's text tells us how fast it will happen.  Two are standing there and all of a sudden there will be only one because one will have been ripped away, either to heaven or to hell.  Some folks think this passage is about who God will take and who He will leave, or that some folks will have a second chance.  But that's really not the point.  This passage is about how quick it will happen.  The separation will be fast and it will be permanent.  There will be no second chance.  Miss the plane and there is no later flight.  Those going up will know God's presence and love.  Those going down will know His condemnation and the pain of separation from God.  It's best not to try reading things into this passage that aren't there.

          We corn-fed Americans, as well as most of the rest of the world, don't spend much time thinking about the roundup.  We're so tied up with affairs of this world, with getting and spending, that we all but forget about the future.  Satan has bamboozled most people, including some in the church, that we forget there ever will be a roundup.

          Some think God is so meek and mild that everybody will end up getting green pastures.  And that's where we can really go wrong.  Contrary to popular beliefs, all paths don't lead to heaven.  And only having faith in Jesus will get you there.  Jesus is not just ranch foreman, He owns the place, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit.  And people are either working for Him, or against Him.  There's no middle ground.  And there's no room for rustlers, no matter what they're called.  If we don't follow Jesus Christ, we'll never get there.  Christ is a bit like the Trail Boss who's leading the herd, the One who wants all His creatures up there in green pastures.  He doesn't want to lose a single one.

          That's why Jesus Christ came to earth, to pave the way for us, to be the one we can follow, so that we don't get lost along the way.  Christ watches out for us.  While we're here He makes sure we have a bunkhouse, chuck wagon and all we need.  He gives us paths to follow as well as open vistas to enjoy.  The Boss loves all His hands, and trains them, so they know what to do.  There will always be work to be done, so nobody should get lonely on the drive to better pastures.

          The Boss doesn't care much for loafers or know-it-alls.  There will always be critics and those who can do it better.  And there are getting to be more and more of those who don't believe there is a Boss, that somehow all the grand canyons, fertile plains and majestic mountains came about by accident.  But anyone with common sense knows better.  They know He put them there.  But so long as there's a world, it will have more than enough fools.

          But the point of today's Bible text is that we're ready for the Roundup.  Just don't forget there's going to be a Roundup.  Don't get so wrapped up in this life as to think it won't happen, because it will.  We all need to be ready.

          There once lived a Danish philosopher named Kierkegaard who knew a lot about people, especially cowboys.  He once told a story of a variety show where the song and dance acts were really good.  In fact, each act got better than the last, and pretty soon all the folks forgot it was all just a show.  Then all of a sudden the stage manager came to the microphone and shouted, "Fire, fire!"  But everyone thought it was another act and so they laughed and gave him a big hand.  The manager begged and pleaded with them, because there really was a fire, but no one believed him.  By the time they all felt the smoke and flames, they were trapped and the whole place burned up, including the fun-loving audience.  "And so," said Kierkegaard, "might our age go down in fiery destruction to the applause of a crowded house of cheering spectators."

          Life is not just a show to be watched, a good time to be had.  This season of Advent is all about being ready, of doing what needs to be done so we're not caught empty-handed.  To help with this, over the years Advent has picked up certain words to help us, words like Repent, Rejoice, and Behold.  Today's word is Watch.  Keep your eyes open.  Don't be sleeping or distracted.  Go to church and watch.  Read the Bible and watch.  Pray and watch.  Be good to people and watch.  Whatever you do, whether young or old, whether at work or on vacation, watch for the Lord, because you don't know when He's coming.

          It's a real good thing our Boss loves us.  No matter what we've done before, He still cares for us.  He's patient and doesn't get too bothered when people get all absorbed in the wrong kind of stock market.  The Boss even has a plan where all people can get out of that burning building.  All we need do is know where the exits are and trust He is the Way that leads to heavenly pastures.

          There was a day long ago when the Boss didn't make it.  There was a terrible storm that came up and He stayed out, rescuing every last critter.  But He Himself didn't make it back.  He sacrificed His life so that you and I would be saved.  After that deadly storm was over, they buried Him in a grave and thought that the jig was up, as cowboys will say.  Thankfully He didn't stay dead.  The Lord returned to life like He said he would, and today He says that all who trust Him will not perish from fire or storm, but will live with Him in everlasting joy.  All it takes is faith.

          When Bishop Philip Brooks, author of "O Little Town of Bethlehem," was seriously ill, he requested no friends come to see him.  But when an acquaintance named Ingersoll came to see him, the Bishop allowed him to come in right away.  Now Ingersoll was a strange person to let in his room because he was an atheist, and though friendly towards the Bishop, he was very anti-God and antichurch, even in his writings.  Ingersoll said, "I appreciate this visit very much, bishop, especially when you aren't letting any of your close friends see you."  Bishop Brooks said, "Oh, I'm confident of seeing them in the next world.  You, however, I may never see again.  Let's talk!"

          We need more people like the good Bishop.  I've often called Epiphany the "Church of the Roundup," where strays can all find a home.  This world won't last forever, and we all need a corral where we can live until the Lord's Roundup.  So if you're wandering, come join our campfire.

          You're probably bone-tired of this analogy, but let me end with some cowboy wisdom.  "If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.  If you think you're a person of influence, try orderin' someone else's dog around.  Don't squat with your spurs on, and never miss a good chance to shut up."  Except if it's about the Lord - then talk all you want.  Happy trails!  Amen

Copyright © 2004 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.