“Excitement and Joy!”

 

“After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,”  they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” *

One Friday morning I heard our golden retriever barking excitedly and hurried outside to see what was happening. Both he and the black lab were standing on their hind legs at the gate, tails wagging. Rick, the yard service person who takes care of many yards in the neighborhood, stood at the gate scratching their heads, all the while saying apologetically,

 “No treats this time, guys. I’m sorry. I forgot them.”

“Hi Rick!” I said, as I tried to calm them down. “So nice seeing you again.”

With warmer weather, the ground had thawed out, lawns were ready to be mowed and Rick was back!

 Fridays are Rick’s usual days to come to our neighborhood and somehow the dogs know when to expect him. They had spotted his truck and trailer as soon as he pulled up and parked in the large graveled space in front of our house. The parking place is conveniently located right next to our neighbor’s property so that he can get into his riding mower and have easy access to their front yard.

 Rick is a dog lover; and even though he doesn’t mow our lawn, he always has a couple of treats in his pocket for Teddy and TJ. Somehow, he finds time between the mowing and edging to give them plenty of rubs and attention, which they love.

They are now also quite trained to expect treats from Rick. They can be sound asleep, but instantly wake up when they hear the sound of his mower. Then, Teddy begins a constant round of barking until Rick stops whatever he is doing and comes over to distribute dog bones. Thankfully we live next to a cemetery on one side, so those “neighbors” aren’t disturbed!

He apologized several times to me for not having treats; however, I told him that was fine, the dogs had plenty to eat and would survive without them. They really didn’t seem too upset—more overjoyed to see their friend again.

 After he had finished up his work and had left, the dogs settled down. I assumed that we would see him the following Friday, unless it was raining too hard to mow the lawns.

It was a surprise the next day, around mid-morning when Teddy began to yelp and whine…not his usual barking at the dogs passing by on their leashes. He kept it up, so I stuck my head out the side door to see what was happening. There was Rick standing at the gate. This time he had no truck or trailer, but was on his fat-tire bike. And riding along with him in a small carrier on his chest was a furry little dog named Oliver.

“Hi! I’m back with their treats,” he said.

“What? You rode your bike over here just to give them treats?” I asked incredulously. “How far away do you live?”

He explained where he lived, several miles round trip from our house. While we chatted, Oliver kept his eye on the dogs from his carrier. After giving the surprise treats to his fur buddies, Rick turned around and headed for home.

All of this commotion and excitement at the sight of Rick reminded me of the wonder the disciples must have felt at seeing Jesus alive after witnessing his dying from crucifixion on a cross. Their emotions probably took a roller coaster dive when forty days after his resurrection, they watched him ascend into heaven.

What a shock to see Him go…and another shock at the appearance of two angels, who told them that Jesus would return…the same promise that Jesus himself had given them several different times before his death. He had also promised that until then, He would always be with them.

So here we are, over 2,000 years later, still waiting for Jesus’ return. If He should come in our lifetime, I wonder if we will greet Him with great joy and excitement. Will we be ready?

*Acts 1:10-11 NIV