Chapter 19: The Great Gathering
"Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him" [2 Thessalonians 2:1]
The text which heads up this page contains an expression which deserves our most careful attention. That expression is--"Our being gathered."
"Our being gathered." Those three words ought to find a response in every part of the world. Man is by nature a social being: he does not like to be alone. Go wherever you want on earth, and you will find that people generally like meeting together, and seeing one another's faces. It is the exception, and not the rule, to find children of Adam who do not like "being gathered together."
For example, Christmas is noted as a time when English people "gather together." It is the season when family gatherings have almost become a national institution. In cities and in the country, among rich and among poor, from the palace to the home of the poor, Christmas cheer and Christmas parties are universal experiences. It is often the one time in the whole year for many to see their friends. Sons snatch a few days from the business district to run down and see their parents; brothers take vacations from the desk to spend a week with their sisters; friends accept long-standing invitations to pay a visit to their friends; students rush home from school, and rejoice in the warmth and comfort of their parent's house. For a little while business comes to a standstill: the spinning wheel of ceaseless labor almost seems to stop spinning for a few hours. In short, all over the nation, there is a general spirit of "being gathered" together.
It is a happy land where such a state of things exist! Long may it last in our country, and may it never end! Poor and shallow is that philosophy which sneers at Christmas gatherings. Cold and hard is that religion which frowns at them, and denounces them as wicked. Family affection lies at the root of a well-ordered society. It is one of the few good things which has survived the fall, and prevent men and women from being mere devils. It is the secret oil on the wheels of our social system which keeps the whole machine going, and without which the power of the machine is useless. May the Christmas day never arrive when there are no family gatherings!
But, despite what I have just said, earthly gatherings also have something about them that is sad and sorrowful. The happiest parties sometimes contain disagreeable members. The merriest Christmas parties last only for a short time. Moreover, as the years roll on, the hand of death makes painful gaps in the family circle. Even in the midst of Christmas merriment we cannot help remembering those who have passed away. The longer we live, the more we feel that we are standing alone. The old faces will rise before the eyes of our minds, and old voices will sound in our ears, even in the midst of holiday merriment and laughter. People do not talk much about such things, but there are few who do not feel them. We need not intrude our inmost thoughts on others, and especially when all around us everyone is bright and happy; but there are many, I suspect, who reach middle age, who would admit, if they spoke honestly, that there are sorrowful things inseparably mixed up with a Christmas party. In short, there is no unmixed pleasure about any earthly "gathering."
But is there no better "gathering" yet to come? Is there no bright prospect on our horizon of an assembly which will far outshine the assemblies of Christmas and New Year--an assembly in which there will be joy without sorrow, and merriment without tears? I thank God that I can give a plain answer to these questions; and to give it is the simple object of this paper. I ask my readers to give me their attention for a few minutes, and I will soon show them what I mean.
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