Foretaste of the Sermon to Come

A little nibble of the Revised Common Lectionary

Sunday’s readings are Daniel 12:1-3, Hebrews 10:11-14, 19-25, and Mark 13:1-8 

Our Old- and New Testament scriptures were written during times when God’s people were living under the extreme duress of evil, corrupt and unjust regimes – Daniel in Babylon and Jesus under Roman rule.  These scriptures have bad news and good news for the readers of the time, and for readers of all time.  For the readers of the time, they heard the good news that their tribulations would be over, but the difficult news that their worlds would be in chaos until that time.  Ever since these words were written, religious leaders and the faithful alike have mapped their particular worldviews into the words of Daniel’s and Jesus’ prophesies because there have been unjust and violent regimes up to and including today – was that earthquake and tsunami a sign of the end?  That hurricane?  That tribal war and its resulting famine?  The worship of idols of wealth and celebrity rather than the One True God?  Times of anguish, wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, and false prophets are not going to finally make their appearance on the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord; they’ve been happening for millennia without an end on a timeline.  So, for readers of all time, instead of mapping individual prophesies to specific current events, the message is that we’ve been in the end times for a loooong time.

I’m really glad that we have the words from the writer of Hebrews on Sunday, the sweet creamy gospel filling between the 2 layers of apocalyptic cake.  Jesus told his disciples to be on the lookout, to be ready, and Daniel told Israel in captivity that those “written in the book” will one day rise to everlasting life.  The sweet creamy filling is Jesus’ gospel promise that he is the resurrection and the life, the one whose once-and-for-all sacrifice has covered all people with his righteousness, received by faith, for all time.

So, now that we have been made righteous through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, do we just hide in terror during prophesied disasters for him to come again and rescue us?  As Paul would say, certainly not!  In Christ’s death, God tore open the temple curtain and burst out and into the hearts of all believers – we are free to act corporately to encourage one another and to “provoke one another to love and good deeds,” that is, we can be Christ to the world.  We can live freely, sanctified in baptism and forgiven and fortified at the Lord’s Supper with Christ’s body and blood, assured of everlasting life by his promise.  We are free to love our neighbors who are victims of whatever natural or political calamities might befall us locally and globally.  And, we are free to share this promise with others.  Thanks be to God!