Keeping Secrets

It's now about 10:30 p.m. on Friday night, and I just got back from the airport to welcome some visitors to the island. One of them is the U.S. Ambassador to Portugal and his wife; the couple that came with them is Gov. and Mrs. Jeb Bush of Florida, Pres. Bush's brother. Gov. Bush was in Lisbon for the day, participating in some conferences at the invitation of Amb. Al Hoffman, who is from Florida, which helps explain the close relation between the two men.

I'm writing this now, but it won't be posted until after they have left the island on Sunday morning. This is a private visit, and for well over a month we have been in the process of preparing matters on this end for their brief stay here, to keep it as discreet as possible. For security purposes (as well as privacy matters) knowledge of the Ambassador's trip has been limited to the fewest people possible (for police protection, limousine services, and lodging), and the identity of his guests has been even more closely guarded.

I couldn't help but think of another Person Who is coming at some point in the future; I reflected on the contrast between the preparations for this visit this weekend and the other one still to take place. The point of this visit is that as few people as possible even know the Ambassador and the Governor are here; Jesus, on the other hand, wants us to tell everyone He is coming. The more we publicize His coming, the better. "Every eye shall see Him," we are told in Rev. 1:7. And every heart had better prepare to meet Him. For most, the news of Jesus' coming is a warning; for those who believe in Him, the news is our blessed hope. In either case, there's no reason to keep silent about it.

UPDATE: Sunday night...

We left the house this morning at 9:00 and went straight to the airport, staying until Gov. Bush and his wife had embarked on the small business jet that would take them straight back to the US. The Ambassador and his wife, along with their assistant and the body guard left on a commercial flight back to Lisbon at 11:30, but we drove on to church and didn't wait for them to board the plane.