THE DAY GOD CAME

by Jim Corner

As I looked out my window, I had never seen a more beautiful day. When I strolled outside to pick up the morning paper, there was a nice cool breeze and a sky that seemed to jump at me with the most gorgeous blue color I had ever seen. I had thought that this was just another typical Sunday morning but as I stood outside, I could sense that this would be no ordinary day. I returned to the house and something told me that the paper could wait and so I dressed immediately. We only live 3 blocks from the church building so I rushed through breakfast, helped my wife with the kids and off we went.

There was an excitement in the air that I had never experienced as we made our short trek. As we reached the building we looked down the road and about a half mile away it appeared as though a large number of horses were marching down the street. Indeed, as they drew closer I saw 70 of the most stunning coal black stallions that I had ever seen. The precision with which they marched in step was finer than any military unit that I had ever witnessed. All of a sudden, I couldn't believe my eyes because there were two men flying above the stallions. They appeared to be heavenly beings so I pinched myself, but all I received was pain rather than the shattering of a dream. The men were crying out as they approached the building but I couldn't understand what they were saying. As they drew closer I could hear them clearly and I couldn't believe my ears. I turned to my wife and said, "do you hear what I hear?" Her eyes were riveted on the men and she merely nodded yes. The cry, "The Lord is Coming" rumbled through the air. I then looked behind the 70 stallions and saw 8 of the most beautiful animals that I have ever seen, I say animals because I really don't know what they were. My eyes had never partook of such majesty. They were pulling a most luxurious coach. The wheels had jet black spokes with diamonds encased throughout. The chassis of the coach was made of shiny brass and above sat the finest piece of workmanship that I had ever seen. The arrangement of the different jewels was simply gorgeous. The driver appeared to be, could it be, another angel? I noticed some of the neighbors as the entourage made its way toward us. One man opened his door, in only his pajamas, shut the door quickly and apparently in no time returned dressed in his Sunday best. House after house emptied as people ran to the church building and by the time that the coach stopped in front, there was a large gathering.

The angel stepped down and opened the door and out stepped GOD! He didn't look like I had pictured Him. Oh, he was tall and strong looking, but His face had the gentle look of a soft, spring day. He had a priceless crown on His head that was dotted with magnificent jewels. His long flowing robes were made of the most exquisite material and the different hues had a beauty that was truly heavenly. As He walked into the auditorium, two strange phenomena took place. First, everybody was quietly trying to sit near the front! Secondly, there was a quiet like I had never heard before. Indeed, you could have dropped a pin and it would have rang out loud and clear. Those who had been inside earlier had been reading their Bibles or praying or leafing through the songbook but as He entered, we all rose in quiet and reverent unison. As He walked toward the pulpit, He appeared to be carrying a magazine or some such thing. When He reached the pulpit, He told us to sit down. I then noticed that He had been carrying our local church directory!

The silence was deafening as He called out the first name. "Jerry Adair" and Brother Adair proudly and yet humbly said, "here, Lord." Next He said, "Mary Adamson" and she responded, "here, Lord." He then called out, "John Allen" and a hush fell on the crowd. Once again He called out, "John Allen" but there was no response. The silence was broken when a brother near the back of the auditorium apologetically said, "I believe that Brother Allen was out late last night so he's sleeping in." I braced myself as I prepared for the stern rebuke that I knew was coming but instead I looked, and could it be, a tear? "God doesn't cry", I thought, and yet He was. I had to turn away from looking as I pondered over all of the times that I had brought sorrow to the Lord. His presence led me to a deeper desire to put Him first in my life. I sensed His knowledge of my thoughts as He smiled at me. The warmest feeling that I have ever experienced engulfed me. He continued to call out everybody's name and then as He called the last one He announced, "let us worship."

I have never experienced the kind of worship that we had that morning. The song leader seemed to have an enthusiasm that I had never noticed before and the volume of our singing was nearly enough to raise the roof. In the prayers this day there were no 'catch-all' phrases, but carefully worded thoughts to our Father. The Lord's Supper took longer than usual because everyone seemed to be taking it more seriously. The preacher was at his best, inspired by the presence of Almighty God! As the service came to a close, the Lord mounted the pulpit again with this charge: "Children, I enjoyed your praise this morning but am saddened that some of your fellow brethren chose to miss this service. I would appreciate it so much if you would try to talk to them because I am returning tonight!"

He then walked slowly out of the building as we all stood in humble reverence. When He got outside, however, instead of getting into His coach, He began to talk with us personally and that thrilled us all. We had the most wonderful period of fellowship and then He departed. Many of us rushed home and got on the phone while others made personal visits to our missing brethren. When we told them that the Lord would return that evening, they all made plans to attend. Sure enough, when 6 o'clock rolled around there were only 3 members of the entire body absent. Two were on vacation and the other was in the hospital. Not only did we have the vast majority of the body present, but many had invited friends and the evening service was even better than the mornings. As I walked home that evening, I said to my wife, "this has truly been a great day" and she nodded in peaceful agreement.

This story is not nearly as unrealistic as you may think. The next time that the Lord's Church meets for worship, the God of the universe will be present. WILL YOU?

©2001 Buckingham Road Church of Christ