Living as People of Hope ~ Mark 13:1-8 ~ 25th Sunday after Pentecost

It used to be that I’d watch 24-hour cable news channels as a way of boring myself to sleep...  I stayed awake long enough to see the headlines, and once the news started repeating itself, I’d nod off and the sleep timer took care of the rest...

That was before September 11, 2001...when the world became a much scarier place to live.

Anymore, You can’t NOT pay attention to the news because it is so disturbing...  Every day we hear of wars and terrorist attacks, political upheaval, natural disasters, and economic turmoil...

Now that the election’s over, we’re faced with the “looming fiscal cliff,” which threatens our fragile economy with a tidal wave of tax increases and a tsunami of government debt.

All told, our world is not all that dissimilar to what Jesus is describing in today’s Gospel.  So what are we to think?  Is the end coming soon?

There are many prominent voices within modern Christianity, telling us, that yes—we are living in the end times.

There are best-selling books and blockbuster movies, all of which place the end times in our time. 

Some people go as far as to pinpoint the exact date of judgment day, claiming that the Bible revealed it to be so.  And, sadly, they have led many astray. 

When Jesus’ disciples ask him for signs as to when the end will be, Jesus gives them no time-table—because there’s none to be had.  That information simply isn’t for us to know.

All Jesus says is that there will be great trials and tribulations in the world before his return.  Disciples will be hated and persecuted on account of their testimony.  Families will be divided—and lives will be lost—because of Jesus.

And none of these events shall serve to tell us when the end will be.  All we can know is that the end is coming.  And while this may sound like frightening news, Jesus does not speak these words to make us afraid.  Jesus gently warns us of these things so that we won’t think it unusual when they come to pass.  When persecution and suffering come to pass, the devil is going to be right there telling us either that God has rejected us, or that God isn’t real.  Jesus does not want you to be fooled.  Persecution and suffering are the norm for a disciple of Jesus. 

Yet this is good news.  If we are dragged into court on account of our faith, Jesus promises that the Spirit will give us the words.  If parents or children turn against us, Jesus will still be on our side. 

As the earth trembles, as waters rage, as the nations war, we have nothing to fear.  We will be okay in the end.  Jesus will meet us in our hardships—and care for us every step of the way. For it is in suffering and turmoil that Jesus is born into our lives. 

So let us not get caught up in trying to know the “ifs” and “whens” of Christ’s return.  This is one case where the devil truly is in the details—because you won’t see Jesus if you’re trying to know the unknowable.  Jesus’ work is redeeming the world he loves from the destructive forces that torment it.  So this is where we need to be.  This is where we will see Jesus.  This is where we receive his power.

When death and destruction strike, let us fight back by caring for those who are broken.  When evil strikes, let us fight back by remembering that God’s enemies will never have the last word.  When all signs point to our faith being in vain, let us fight back by remembering Jesus’ promises, and remembering all the ways he’s helped us in ages past.  Nothing can take Jesus away from us—and therefore, nothing can take away our hope.

Hope.  That is what our neighbors need, that is what we need.  This world and its ways are tearing people apart.  And because of that, people need communities of faith just like ours to make it through. With so many lonely and isolated, people need the genuine community of love and support we can provide.  With so many in poverty, people need our gifts of time, talent and treasure.  With so many afraid at what tomorrow may bring, the world needs our church to proclaim the words of God, telling us all that we are going to be okay.  The church may not be what it was in yesteryear, but the world’s need for the church of Jesus is growing by leaps and bounds.  Jesus is our hope—and our work is to make that hope a reality.

We are not a persecuted church—and this is a freedom that not all Christians know.  So let us be good stewards of this marvelous gift by sharing the good news, until the whole world hears the truth.  Christ has overcome the world—and so shall we.  In the meantime, God will take care of us—and see to it that we make it safely to the end, to be raised to new life.

So come, Lord Jesus, come.