In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit
Few people regard the beauty of spring and summer as a foreshadowing of Judgment Day. We think of fire, brimstone, lightning, thunder, clouds, and otherworldly spectacle when we think of how Christ will visibly return in judgment.
It should strike our ears as strange when Jesus tells the parable of the fig tree in Luke chapter 21. Jesus says to His disciples, when [the trees] are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these [signs in the sun, moon, and stars] happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.
Only Jesus could come up with a comparison as striking as the budding of trees to the end of the world. His parable puts our focus where it should be: constant vigilance for the Last Day.
The world doesn't have time for Judgment Day. There's too much fun out there to worry about the end. Cable television talking heads never mention that one day soon they will run out of things to talk about. Newspapers never print a countdown to the end of the world because they neither know when the end will be nor probably care. Publicizing the end of the world means they might lose subscribers and advertising dollars. If the media won't talk about Judgment Day, then most of the world won't mention it either. The sun comes up and the sun goes down. Every day seems to be the same as it ever was. Babies are born; the elderly die. Tragic accidents happen. Mundane moments pass quickly into the ether of time. Rarely do citizens of this world ever stop to think that the clock will soon stop ticking and Christians won't worry about time anymore. It is this trap of complacency that the devil uses to lure you and me into thinking that our Lord delays His coming again. Every year about this time we awake out of our complacency when we hear Saint Paul proclaim last week it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The same may be said about Malachi's powerful prophecy: the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up that will leave them neither root nor branch. Paul and Malachi's words are not child's play. They are dealing with eternal life and death. When we fall asleep at the wheel of life and find ourselves burdened with cares and concerns of this life rather than watching and waiting vigilantly for Christ's second coming, we will be burned alive in the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his followers. Living happily ever after in sin is not child's play. It's not something that should be ignored or glossed over until a later date. That later date may never happen. Jesus could come ready to judge the world before I finish this sentence. It's not as if Jesus didn't warn us! Malachi prophecies Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. John the Baptizer has come and gone, yet the world thinks him a liar and a crackpot as they did of Jesus. Vigilance comes with a price. We may lose friends and family members because they could care less about Christ's final judgment. We may not have time for all those creature comforts we think we need. Those who live of the world rather than in it might think we are foolish to wait with patience and hope for Jesus' return with clouds descending. The price paid is worth it. When Christ triumphantly returns we will see our eternal hope face-to-face. We will see those nail-scarred hands and wounded side with our own eyes. The Words of Sacred Scripture will be proven to the world to be true. For some it will come as a shock and surprise. For those who trust in Jesus as their Savior from the bitter pains of death it will be far from surprising to see Him return. It's quite comforting to hear about trees budding and blossoming mere days before winter begins. Though the world expects trees to burst out with leaves and flowers to wear their finest every spring, we Christians should welcome summertime with an eye toward the eternal summer that awaits us because of Jesus. Our Lord is a summer sort of Lord. He destroys the bleak mid-winter of the devil's grip by His innocent suffering and death. No longer does the cold chill of the Law have us in the vice grip of death. Jesus takes our place, standing naked before the world upon a cross to make the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Jesus' death ushers in a new age of hope long prophesied before Jesus took on flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary. This new age is a long, slow countdown toward an eternal season of joy and hope believing that this sin-sick world will soon come to an abrupt and fiery end. As there was no room in heaven for Lucifer and the angels of darkness in Revelation chapter 12, so there will be no room in eternity for Satan and those who cast their lot with everlasting death.We know these things will come to pass because Jesus says heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. The force of these words in the original Greek language is one of not something that is within the realm of possibility. It's the surest wager of all: Jesus' words will not be going away anytime soon. All of us had better get used to hearing them because they will be here, God willing, next week, next month, next year, and for all eternity. The words by no means fill us with joy and hope in believing. The Lord's everlasting words with water in Baptism washed away our sins, wrote our names in the Lamb's book of life, and united us with Christ's life, death, and resurrection from the dead. The Lord's everlasting words with bread and wine feed us with the sustenance of forgiveness and faith in His Holy Supper. The Lord's everlasting words proclaimed from the pulpit, spoken in psalms, and sung in hymns deliver the comfort and joy the world cannot deliver. We are indeed looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells, even the righteousness from the righteous Branch of David Who will call His sleeping faithful from the grave and make them stand before Him with those alive that Last Day. We will, by His grace, escape all these things that will come to pass and live with the Lord God in the eternal summer of the paradise yet to come. Even so, Lord Jesus, quickly come. In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit -- Rev. David M. Juhl Our Savior Evangelical-Lutheran Church Momence, IL http://oselcmomence.googlepages.com ___________________________________________________________________________ 'CAT 41 Sermons & Devotions' consists of works that are, unless otherwise noted, the copyrighted property of the various authors; posting of such gives members of this list implied consent for redistribution _with_ _attribution_ unless otherwise specified by the author, as well as for quoting or use in a congregational setting _with_or_without_attribution_. Note: This list's default reply is to the *poster*, NOT the list. Do *not* reply to the list with your comments, but to the poster. Subscribe? Send ANY note to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe? Send ANY note to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archive? <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/> For more information on this or other lists offered by Confess And Teach For Unity, you can contact the CAT 41 list administrator at: Rev. Fr. Eric J. Stefanski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
