Apologies to Elvis Costello and REM.
*And we request you, brothers, over the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our being led together upon Him, unto you, not quickly to be shaken from the mind, nor to be scared, not through spirit nor through word nor through a letter as through us, as that the Day of the Lord has stood. May no one seduce you, not according to any way; because if ever the apostasy not come first, and the man of lawlessness be revealed, the son of the destruction, the one who lies against and lifts himself up over everyone being called a god or object of reverence, and he into the temple of God to sit, showing himself that he is God....And we are obligated to thank God always concerning you, brothers, having been loved by the Lord, that God selected you from the beginning unto salvation in holiness of spirit and in true faith, into which He called you through our gospel, unto procuring of our Lord's glory, of Jesus Christ. Really, then, brothers, you stand and you hold fast the traditions which you were taught whether through word or through our letter. But this our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father, the One having loved us and having given eternal comfort and good hope in grace, may He comfort your hearts and may He fix firmly in every work and good word.* The end of the church year focuses on the last days of life on this earth. We are waiting for the end of the world; "Dear God, we really hope You're coming, cuz You sure have started something." Paul pulls no punches about the challenges we face in these last days. They are times of tribulation for the Christian church, so much so that Jesus Himself pondered if He'd find faith on earth at his return. This tribulation is worsened by the man of lawlessness. In other places he's called "antichrist". This trouble-maker arises from inside the church to destroy the gospel. He lifts himself up over all others, making himself an object of reverence. He sits in God's temple, claiming that what he speaks from his seat there are revelations of God himself. This man of lawlessness is none other than the Pope. >From him and other antichrists, the gospel you believe is condemned. If you hold to what scripture teaches, that you are saved by grace through faith as a gift of God, apart from works, you are anathematized, headed for hell in their eyes. It can't be that simple, or that free. You must contribute to your believing, or your receiving, or the very works by which eternal life is merited, they say to you. But don't believe these antichrists in these last days. Do not be shaken in your mind, or disturbed by these false accusations. For Satan will seduce you, especially through apostasies that take place within Christendom. But just because someone claims to be a Christian doesn't make it true. If their message differs from God's scriptures, avoid it, confront it, and reveal it as the lie that it truly is. Instead, remember that God has selected you from the beginning unto your salvation. God didn't wait to see what you did or said or thought first, and then decide you were worthy of saving. No, He wrote your name into the book of life before the creation of this world. You were predestined by God, elected to life eternal by His unanimous vote, more reliable than the old Solid South. Father, Son & Spirit voted for your salvation, as you are named by this same Triune God in your saving baptism! Remember also that in this ever-darkening world, you are enlightened by God to a holiness of spirit and a true faith. These are not a result of your efforts, but from the workings of God Who called you to faith through His holy gospel. Your faith came to you by hearing this gospel love of Jesus to you from the +. You believed that Jesus loved you as your Savior, and that His holiness is given to you as a free gift of God's grace. Your sins He became, so that His righteousness be yours, via faith. Be reminded also that God will hold you steadfast in the true faith in the traditions handed down. For through these traditions, you actually procure Christ's glory. For when you come up to the Lord's Table, it is the glorious body of Jesus which you eat. The glory of His blood shed for you is the forgiveness of your sins, purchased for you through Jesus' sacrifice at Calvary. Jesus died for you, so that you now live in Him, for He is the God of the living, and you live now eternally because of Jesus! So the end of the world is on its way. But don't look for substitute saviors here on this earth as you wait for the end. Instead, you await Jesus, your only Savior, for Him to return in glory on the last day, to judge the living and the dead. Yet you don't fret the judgment you will receive. For you were chosen by God from the beginning, made holy in the blood of Jesus, and have procured His Own lasting glory as your own. So you may say, "It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine!" Amen. John C. Drosendahl, Pastor .
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