Thin Mints, Box Cars, and the Second Coming

Why Is Jesus Taking So Long?

Apostles’ Creed Posts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, now reading 7

It’s that time of year—Girl Scout Cookies!!! (You’re not as excited as you should be…) Take all our grocery money because the Kyles are eating cookies at every meal. Of course, we each have our favorites. Where does yours rank among the TOP 5 most popular Girl Scout cookies EVER?

#5 Trefoils (also known as Shortbread): … also known as a waste of time! NEXT.

#4 Do-si-dos (Peanut Butter Oatmeal Sandwiches): This reminds me of Babe (the movie). “Dat’ll do, pig. Dat’ll do.”

#3 Tagalongs (Peanut Butter Patties): My #2’s current fav. This iconic cookie is completely covered in chocolate and filled with peanut butter. Fantastic choice.

#2 Samoas (Caramel deLites): My wife and I’s favorite! Coconut, creamy caramel, and a chocolate drizzle, all in the shape of a donut. Give me Sa-mO-a! Out of this world!

#1 Thin Mints: My oldest daughter loves these. While making school lunches, #1 explicitly instructed me not to let #2 have any. No correction was given because I agree completely—no one should be forced to share their Girl Scout cookies, period.

My time in Boy Scouts was short-lived. I had one goal: to build and race in the Box Car Derby. I raced this speed demon to 3rd place and quit shortly after.

Both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts share a well-known motto: Be prepared. It’s the essence of scouting—every task, challenge, and adventure is meant to teach boys and girls to remain alert and ready. Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, explained: (Picture Ron Swanson or Dwight Schrute saying this.)

“The meaning of the motto is that a scout must prepare himself by previous thinking out and practicing how to act on any accident or emergency so that he is never taken by surprise.”

With Powell’s words in mind, the Scout’s motto is intense. Be prepared… for anything! But what if Christians took this motto just as seriously? How can believers be prepared?

(Let’s Go, Scouts! Today, we’re going to survive a waterfall.)

The Christian de facto motto—the Apostles’ Creed—invites us to prepare for Jesus’ return. The final statement regarding Christ in the Creed proclaims:

“From thence, he [Jesus] shall come to judge the quick and the dead.”

Focus on those words: “He shall come.” That is, Jesus will come again!

But waiting is hard. We have to mature before we’re promoted. Debts are settled after thousands of dollars over 30+ years. My love and I waited four years before marriage. And most beautiful babies won’t leave their mom’s wombs until they get their nine months. Nealy all good things take time, lots of time.

So, our sin is refusing to wait.

We want love at first sight, meteoric success, and instant results. Our culture invented instant coffee and QR codes (quick response). We check texts within three minutes of receiving them and respond within 90 seconds. If our colleagues don’t hear back from us in 15 minutes, they’re annoyed. If we don’t reply to our family in an hour, they call our spouse to see if we’re okay. And your spouse? They’re statistically the worst at waiting. If you don’t respond to their text in five minutes, you could be sleeping on the couch!¹

How do I get from here to there? First, where is HERE??? Admit it, we’re lost! Photo by Maël BALLAND

The Scouts can prepare us for every emergency, waterfalls maybe, but none of us are prepared to wait. So, honestly, we’re all frustrated that Jesus is taking His sweet time in Heaven. It’s been 2000 years! What’s taking You so long, Lord??? Here’s the good news:

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9

(Oh) It turns out the Lord is patiently waiting for our salvation. (I take it back, God… Thanks for waiting!)

Our Scout’s motto can apply one more time to the Creed. Be prepared because the next time He comes… “He [Jesus] shall come to judge the quick [living] and the dead.”

I once heard that when the director of a play comes on stage, the play is over.

So it is with Jesus.

When He returns, the time for repentance will be over.

Jesus will return as a fair and righteous judge. Romans 2:6-8 warns that all who reject the truth of Jesus will face God’s wrath and judgment, but those who repent and believe will fully experience His glory, honor, and peace.

Okay, Scouts, it’s time to prepare your hearts! Christ will come back. In the meantime, let’s prep for His return. We can start by praying the corporate confession:

Pray with me:

Lord Jesus, You have promised to return, yet we grow impatient. We confess that we demand instant results while ignoring Your perfect timing. We grumble at the wait when You are mercifully calling sinners to repentance.

Forgive us for our restless hearts. Teach us to wait with faith, not frustration. Prepare us, not just for the day of Your return, but for every moment of obedience until that day.

Amen!

Thanks for praying; God Bless You! I hope you’ll read and pray with us next Saturday at 8:30 a.m. (NEW TIME)

1. See: https://www.viber.com/en/blog/2017-11-06/text-message-response-times/

See: https://blog.htc.ca/2022/05/18/response-time-expectations-in-the-internet-age-how-long-is-too-long/