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PASTOR RUDY SHEPTOCK JULY 26 2024

I have been involved in radio for over 40 plus years. I was also raised with an AM transistor in my pocket so I could listen to the music wherever I was. Before a Walkman or an iPod were even invented, I made sure that the sounds of the day’s greatest hits would become an important ingredient within the soundtrack of my wanderings. For almost every significant event I have ever experienced, I also have a song for that! Just hearing the opening notes will transport me right back to the place and time when that moment was taking place. Like Richie Cunningham of the classic television program “Happy Days” would always start singing, “I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill,” whenever there was romance in the air; I know the actual ballad blaring from the dashboard of my car the magical instant of my first real kiss. Some saw fireworks, but I heard Barry Manilow.

Another rather frequent announcement that the airwaves communicated to us on a regular basis, much more regularly in the 1960’s than they do so today was the blaring of a siren followed by the assurance that we were all just being tested. The authoritative voice would proclaim, “This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. The broadcasters of your area in voluntary cooperation with the Federal, State and local authorities have developed this system to keep you informed in the event of an emergency. If this had been an actual emergency, the signal you just heard would have been followed by official information, news or instructions. This station serves the New York City and northern New Jersey area. This concludes this test of the Emergency Broadcast System.” I still get a bad feeling in my gut today whenever I hear, “We interrupt this program for the following special bulletin.” It makes me always go to the worst-case scenario that something horrible has just taken place. Those of us who heard that ominous introduction before can readily think of Walter Cronkite informing us of the tragic assassinations of JFK, Martin Luther King and RFK . To be honest, I wanted to get back to the music as soon as possible and just escape into fantasy land rather than face the truth that evil has reared its ugly head in our world again.

People don’t do well without tests. If a teacher or professor ever informed the class that the material they were about to dispel to us would not be on an upcoming exam, I took no notes and daydreamed that period away. I wish I could tell you that I participated just for the joy of learning but what was driving me was to get an “A” in every class that I had so my parents would be happy, and I’d be recognized as a smart kid. I still claim today that what I really excelled in was memorizing facts and figures and scoring 100% even when I had no working clue of what I was talking about in those little blue books where our essays would be expressed. The fear of failure motivated me to be prepared so that a “pop quiz” could never burst my academic bubble. But would “duck and cover” really have protected us from nuclear war? I didn’t think so then, but I faithfully went through the motions whenever the call was given.

Another pet peeve of mine was the timing of some of these drills. In junior high, I had physical education during the 8AM hour and this was when they required us kids to purchase and wear the official gym suits during the session. I can’t believe that we guys used to brag and compete for the smelliest shirts and shorts in the grade. No wonder the girls wanted no part of us. You could smell us from the next county. So, we all would get ready for the calisthenics that included squat thrusts which I haven’t done since then and all of a sudden we would hear, “Ding! Ding! Ding!” Nobody had to explain on the intercom what was going on. It was a fire drill. Was there a fire in the school? Was there even a fire in the state of New Jersey? Had there ever been a fire near that place? It didn’t matter, out into the bitter cold 20 degrees of a Chester winter, we lined up and got into our places so that if there ever was a fire, we would be ready. I used to joke that it would be warmer if someone would have lit a fire outside in the parking lot but none of the educators thought I was funny.

All of this leads to something I have done with the people I have worked with since I first became a Minister back in 1982. Crowds remember what they should forget and forget what they should remember. Christians are not much better when it comes to a promise that Jesus made to all that belonged to Him many years ago. Jesus told His disciples that He was heading back to Glory for a while to prepare a place for us so that where He is we would forever be. Just like He came the first time to a clueless religious sect who would have known He would be born in Bethlehem if they had only paid attention to the prophet Micah who spelled it out quite clearly. Jesus gave us His word that He was coming again. Paul the Apostle wrote about this to the Church in Thessalonica (I Thess 4:16-18) “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” Believers back in the Bible days would greet each other with the encouraging phrase, “Maranatha,” which means Jesus is Coming! Do you know that one day very soon Jesus will show up in the sky and “catch up” all those both dead and alive who belong to him. The Latin phrase for “snatched up” is “Rapture!” The Lord is going to show up like a child who is ready to close out the game, “hide and seek,” by shouting, “Ready or not! Here I come!”

I had the idea one Sunday to begin to do what I called, “Rapture Practice.” Like the tests and drills that came before us, I would get up when they least expected and shout, Jesus is Coming!” and then we’d hear the sound of trumpets, usually borrowed from a Chicago Record and boom, we would all climb up to the highest thing in the room and together we shouted, “One Two Three- Jesus is Coming!” and then we would all jump. If we hit the floor then today was not the day so I would always try to show wisdom in how high you climbed, but the whole lesson was that soon and very soon, the Lord is coming back, and it should not hit those who say they follow Jesus as a surprise they had no pre-instructions for. I have done “Rapture Practice” at the Shamokin Alliance Church and found myself jumping from the stage to the floor and in my mid 60’s, let’s just say my knees are not what they used to be, but I want us to be ready.

I’ll come and run a “Rapture Practice” for you and yours if you want me to. I got plenty of brass to take on the challenge! I don’t want us to be in the dark about the things to come especially when the biblical Books of Daniel, Ezekiel and Revelation give us insights so that we won’t be shocked by Jesus on the day He returns. Jesus is not coming like a “thief in the night,” to those who believe in Him. Like we put out milk and cookies on Christmas Eve for Santa, perhaps we should put out reminders all thru our homes and places of business to remind us that one day it won’t be just a test, and this is one exam that nobody must fail for whoever receives Jesus as their Rescuer and Coach will not perish but have everlasting life. And I have a song even for that! “We’ll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again!” Now Maranatha! and be ready to pass from this world with honors!