All for Salvation
There are people of every generation who read the texts for today and claim, “Now is the time!” Their argument is that their time is worse than it has ever been. They look to the earthquakes and chaotic weather, to wars and human suffering and tell us that the time is near. We also know that every past prediction was wrong. In fact many of the signs they point to are the work of human hands and greed. We are the ones who make war. We are the ones who have wreaked havoc on our climate, not God. I wonder if these predictions come from a desire to ignore our hand in these problems and God’s call to help those who suffer from these disasters, natural or human made. But I digress, these texts were not meant to give us an insight into when Jesus will return. Instead, these texts are to remind us of the assurance of Jesus’ presence when disaster strikes. It is interesting that no one seems to proclaim the return of Jesus when times are good.
We read the accounts of the end time in Daniel and Mark because we are at the end of the church year. Remember we start the year off in Advent waiting for the coming or our Savior. We end the year with the promise of Jesus’ return as King (next Sunday is Christ the King). It is a reminder that our whole life is surrounded by Jesus. That Jesus is our Alpha and Omega. We are surrounded by God’s love. Therefore, whatever happens, wherever we find ourselves, Jesus is there. In good times and in bad. When our life is traveling smoothly along and when we find ourselves in the midst of chaos and trouble we are in the presence of Jesus. How often do we forget this? When times are good and going the way we desire we pat ourselves on the back and proclaim how smart we have been. When times are bad and life seems to be against us we blame God. (it is probably the other way around.) That is not a new phenomenon. That is why the writer of Hebrews reminds us, with Jeremiah’s words proclaiming the new covenant, that God has made with us.
No longer does the priest have to offer sacrifice each and every time for our sins. Jesus offered his own life, once and for all. We have been washed clean in his own blood and are surrounded by God’s love. Not because we deserve it but because God loves us. Your whole life is surrounded by the love of God: in good times or bad, in joy or sadness, in abundance or want. Which means you always have something to give to the world – God’s love. You do so, not for a reward but because God has surrounded you with God’s love in Christ Jesus. Act boldly then. Be the mouthpiece, hands, and feet – the body of Christ – and share the gift of Jesus with all the world.