The Steadfast Love of the Lord Never Ceases

Lamentation 3:22-25
The book of Lamentations was inspired by the Holy Spirit and written by the prophet Jeremiah who was called by God to prophecy the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. He lived to see his prophecy come to pass and was an eyewitness to the judgment God promised.

Lamentations begins with Jeremiah’s view of the utter destruction and ruin that befell Jerusalem and the temple.

Most of the people have been carried off into slavery—those who remained starved to death. The city and the temple were destroyed. The false prophets and unfaithful priests who cried out “peace, peace” were utterly mistaken and were slain in the temple that they never thought would fall. The soldiers who defended Jerusalem lay dead in the streets.

Jeremiah saw all of it—he was an eyewitness to the destruction and death he prophesied—and he knew the reason for God’s judgment. He wrote:

Jerusalem sinned grievously; therefore she became filthy…her transgressions were bound into a yoke and laid upon her neck…and the Lord gave her into the hands of those she could not withstand… for she rebelled against the Lord’s word.

The words of Jeremiah found in Lamentations are read in the Jewish liturgy when they commemorate the destruction of the temples and they are read in the Christian calendar on Good Friday in the service of darkness that commemorates our Lord’s death on the cross. They are the Old Testament lesson at our funerals.

The words of Lamentations give voice to the profound sorrow of the human heart when we see the destruction and judgment that our sins deserve and bring.

But it is right in the midst of these words of sorrow and suffering that the prophet Jeremiah is renewed in hope. He says: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases.

The love of the people for the Lord had failed. Time after time, in countless ways, they had shown that they had divided hearts—that they were guilty of spiritual adultery. So it is for us too—and with the same result.

While it is not utter destruction that we look upon in our country on this day of national thanksgiving—it is indeed spiritual darkness.

Our political leaders are paralyzed and poll after poll shows that our fellow citizens hold them in contempt. Our economic life is stagnant. What passes for entertainment has become cruder and coarser. Pornography is everywhere. Babies are murdered because they are inconvenient. And people we ought to be able to look up to—people who ought to be leaders—commit the most despicable crimes.

Can anyone doubt that the stained, torn fabric of our common life together is unrelated to the declining commitment to the Lord in our nation?

Can anyone doubt that the pilgrims who came to this country and our Lutheran forebears would be astounded and appalled to see that the Ten Commandments and public prayer and the emblems of Christianity are forbidden in more and more places in our nation?

Can anyone doubt that rapidly declining church attendance is unrelated to the declining moral fiber of our people?

In our nation, love for the LORD has grown cold and hearts are divided in their loyalties and all we can confess is that we justly the Lord’s temporal and eternal punishment.

But we too- along with Jeremiah- are renewed in hope—even in dark days—because the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases. The love that God has for us is not like ours for him. It never ebbs and flows. It never changes. It is never divided. It does not depend upon anything within us at all --but is reflective of who God is in his very being.

Even in the midst of the destruction that God had allowed to chastise his people, Jeremiah was certain of one thing: that the love that God had for his people was still in effect and he would mercifully come to their aid. He wrote that:
The LORD’s mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Mercy is the attitude and aid given to one who is weak by one who is powerful—it’s what unceasing love looks like in action towards those in need.

It was there between God and his people from the very beginning. God could have destroyed Adam and Eve after their sin—but he didn’t—he did what only he could do and forgave them and restored them to their original purpose as the mother and father of all the living.

God came to the aid of his enslaved people in Egypt when they had fallen so far as to have forgotten his name. He brought his people back from exile in Babylon. And he sent his own Son into the world to save those who could not save themselves.
God’s love is shown again and again in his mercy. The One who is mighty and powerful and strong to save—reaches out in love to help those who stand in need of his mercy and aid.

That is the certain promise that is made to us tonight in God’s Word: The Lord’s mercies never end. His willingness and power to aid his people is always present and can be counted on no matter how dark the day.

When a nation is on the wrong track—when we are afflicted with a terrible illness—when we are faced with economic ruin—when our own personal failures stand before our eyes—God’s mercies are new every morning.

Each morning when we open our eyes to begin a new day we can count on the Lord’s mercy, strength, and provision being sufficient for the day. That is why we don’t ever have to worry about what the future holds and indeed, are commanded not to worry—for the Lord has promised to use his might and power to come to our aid.

This last year has been a testimony to that promise for those assembled here. We sit here tonight fed and clothed and sheltered—our needs met—because the Lord has daily renewed his loving mercy towards us over this last year.

He has done this despite the fact that we have not served him as he deserves—that we have not loved him as he loves us—that we have not remembered to thank him for his provision. He has done this despite our faithlessness. It is this very thing that leads the prophet Jeremiah to say of the LORD: Great is your faithfulness!

We find the same sentiment in our catechism when we are asked: what it is that moves God to preserve, provide, and protect us. And Luther answers: God does all this purely out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. But then Luther goes on to ask us, what then do we owe our Father in heaven for all this? And the answer: It is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey him.

That is why we are here tonight—to thank and praise God for his faithfulness—that he has provided for us and protected us over this last year and promises to do the same in the year to come.

But what about those times like Jeremiah was going through—times when it seems like every good thing has been ripped away? Still we can give God thanks for: "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him."

Can you imagine wandering the streets of Kingsville, seeing everything that is familiar and loved brought to ruin? Of coming here to Tenth and Doddridge and seeing our beloved sanctuary destroyed and defiled? Of coming across your friends and loved ones lying in the street, dead and dying?

That was the scene that greeted Jeremiah as he wandered the streets of Jerusalem and yet he knew that the one thing needful had not been stripped away from him and indeed could not be lost: that the LORD was his portion. His life with God could not be harmed by terrible things that happened to him in this life-- and so it is for us.

God grant that we never go through what Jeremiah went through or see what he saw—but we should also never forget that there is coming a day when every earthly thing will be stripped away: our health will fail, loved ones will die, and we will return to the dust of the earth.

It may happen slowly over many decades or it may happen in a moment-- but we too will know what it means to lose everything that our eyes have seen and our hands have touched.

That is why it is such good news that we cannot lose the one thing needful—the one thing that really, eternally matters: and that is our life with God. The LORD himself is our portion because Jesus Christ has taken away our sins and restored our relationship with God. And because the LORD is our portion, no matter how dark the days—there is hope for the future.

Hope looks forward to the future with the confidence of faith. And that is possible—even when death comes—because there is a future for us that death will not end. Jesus’ resurrection IS our hope. He is the promise that even death need not cast a dark cloud over our lives.

And so we too look forward to the future expecting good from the Lord. Jeremiah writes: The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

We don’t know what the new year will hold for us and for our nation. But we do know that the One who is the Author of history—the One who wisely guides our lives—the One who has brought us to this time and place safely—will continue to be the same kind of merciful, wise, good God that we have known in this last year. The Bible promises us that ALL things work for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose.

This promise of goodness from the Lord (a promise that he has never failed to keep) is the encouragement we need to trust him in those times when he seems slow to act—to trust him in those times when we would chosen differently for ourselves-- and know that God is patiently working for our good in the midst of it.

The Lord’s goodness, mercy, and love give us the confidence we need to put him first in our lives. We don’t have to worry that we will somehow miss out on some good things when we serve and obey him because we can trust his steadfast love to graciously give us all that we need for body and soul—just as he always has. Amen.

This Week at Mt. Olive

Good evening, fellow redeemed!

Attached is the 2012 church and school budget. Please peruse this in preparation for 11 DEC.

A few things for this week that are of importance:
Wednesday, we'll be covering the remainder of chapter 11 and jumping into chapter 12 of Revelation at 9:30 a.m. Those words are graphic in chapter 12: "And war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought..."

Thursday, Thanksgiving Day Service, at 9:30 a.m.

The youth of Mt. Olive will once again be journeying to see the Nutcracker on 18 DEC (Sunday, gather at 1, performance at 3 p.m.). If you wish to go and have the youth fund take care of part of your ticket, I need to know by this coming Sunday, November 27. The cost for you is $5 and the rest is co. If that's a problem, I want you to go. Please get with me. Absolutely, positively, I need your reservation by Sunday morning, if not sooner. Do not tell me as you're leaving church, or as you're coming in. Do not pass go... Oops, sorry 'bout that! Please send me an email indicating your desire to go by Sunday morning at the very latest!

Finally, a few important dates:
24 NOV - Thanksgiving Day Service, 9:30 a.m.

No Christmas Program practice or Confirmation Instruction on Sunday, November 27.

30 NOV - Advent Midweek Services begin at 12:15 and 7:15 p.m.

4 DEC - Confirmation Class (12:00) and Christmas Program practice (1:30 p.m.)

11 DEC - Confirmation Class (12:00) and Christmas Program practice (1:30 p.m.)

18 DEC - Youth to Nutcracker, no Confirmation Class or Program practice

20 DEC (Tuesday) - Christmas Program Practice at 6 or 6:30 p.m. (to be decided yet)

22 DEC (Thursday) - Youth Christmas Cookie Baking and Caroling (time TBA)

24 DEC (Saturday) - Christmas Program (6:30 p.m.), Christmas Eve Candlelight Service (11 p.m.)

25 DEC (Sunday) - Christmas Divine Service at regular worship times (8 and 10:30 a.m.)

Psalm 114 recalls the deeds of the God of Israel and His deliverance of His people. Christmas is a time when the Last Days begin. Read Psalm 114 as part of your devotions this week to hear of the awesome deeds of the true God in the past, and to wait with holy expectation for His awesome deeds to come.

God bless1
PKJ

The Final Judgment

Matthew 25:31-46
The Bible has much to say on the subject of the end times in both the Old and New Testaments—in Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation-- but much of what is written in these apocalyptic books is difficult to understand. Bookstores are filled with books all claiming to know and teach the truth about the End Times—but they all seem to have a different take.

In contrast, the church has always followed the Lord’s own plain words and confessed that Jesus will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. We confess it every week in the creed.

Today in our Gospel lesson, in simple language, we hear just exactly how the final judgment will take place from the one who will judge the world. Jesus says:

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

On judgment day every person who has ever lived—including you and me--will stand before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ-- and we will be judged.

Before a word is spoken—before the evidence is given--the Son of Man will separate all the world’s people into two groups—one group on his left and one group on his right—just as a shepherd separates sheep from goats.

That separation is the judgment—and there is no changing sides at that point. The day of grace that we enjoy today- to repent of our sins and believe in Jesus- to amend our lives--will come to an end with that division.

Shepherds have no problem making a distinction between sheep and goats because there is nothing that a shepherd knows more about than the difference between sheep and goats.

So it will be on the Last Day as the Good Shepherd separates those who are his (those who have believed in him and followed him) from those who are not his (those who have rejected him and went their own way). Every person in the world—including you and me-- will fall into one of those two groups.

The unbelieving world around us sees fine moral distinctions, with many shades of gray, when it comes to their relationship with God—they say that surely it cannot be so simple, so cut-and-dried as those who believe in Jesus and those who don’t. But it is just that simple.

When it comes to your relationship with God—you are either righteous in God’s sight through faith in Jesus—blessed by God from the foundations of the world with all that is needed for salvation from beginning to end—OR- you are cursed by God because you have not counted yourself worthy of his salvation and have rejected the forgiveness and eternal life that comes through faith in Jesus.

The basic division of all people into one of these two groups is not always evident because faith in Jesus is, finally, a matter of the heart.

But that division between the saved and the lost will be plain for all to see on the Last Day when the Son of Man comes to judge the nations and presents the evidence for his perfect, righteous judgment. Jesus will say to the saved on his right hand:

‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'

There is nothing here that is difficult to understand: those who had faith produced the fruits of faith--those saved by grace were gracious people to others—those who received the mercy of God in Christ extended that mercy to others—those who were forgiven were forgiving. In other words, the life of Jesus was seen in the lives of those who were his.

The evidence that is given for a true and living faith is found in the small acts of mercy and kindness and generosity given to others simply because those who are saved by the loving sacrifice Man of the Cross--want to live loving, self-sacrificing lives like their Savior’s.

Another really remarkable thing about those who are saved is that all the things that we have failed to do-- are not even brought up.

We haven’t fed every hungry person or clothed every naked person or housed every homeless person—but these sinful failures to be all that we have been called to be-- have no part in this judgment because they have been taken away by the blood of Jesus Christ along with the wrong we have done.

But for those who have rejected Jesus Christ it is a very different story. Jesus will say to the lost on his left hand:

“'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'

The great tragedy is that it never had to be this way. Hell was not prepared for people but for the devil and the other angels who rebelled against God at the beginning of the world. But when a person rejects Jesus Christ, they choose to align themselves with the devil and the fallen angels and they will receive hell as their eternal punishment.

And just as there are no great works of faith that are mentioned for the redeemed, so there are no great sins that are mentioned for the damned.

Those who had no faith-- simply failed to produce the fruits of faith that come from being saved and will hear the terrible judgment of all who die apart from faith in Christ— “depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire.”

As a final proof that our Lord’s judgment is valid, we hear the reactions of each group to the Lord’s verdict—their own testimony to the truth of the Lord’s verdict.

“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

The Good News for the child of God is that on judgment day, not only will our sins not be remembered, but all those small acts of mercy and kindness and generosity that we have forgotten about—that we would never have dreamed to lift up to the Lord as deserving of eternal life— will be remembered by him-and counted as if we had done them all for him.

That the Lord’s people are astonished by his accounting is a sure sign that they were not afflicted with the spiritually fatal disease of work’s righteousness—they simply did good to others out of love for the Lord—not to earn heaven for themselves.

Acts of love, done in faith, require no accounting on our part. They are simply given in the context of our ordinary, daily vocations. When we are forgiving with our family; when we set a good example at work; when we are compassionate and merciful to those in need; when we are concerned for the needs of others; we show ourselves to be the Lord’s people. On the other hand, those on the King’s left will answer, saying:

“'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

The lost, even at that late hour, exhibit no sorrow or repentance to Jesus or even compassion for those who have gone without food and drink and clothing and shelter through their faithless neglect. Their only desire is to call into question the righteous judgment of a perfectly just judge.

We are tempted to believe that faced with hell, even the most hardened sinner would come to their senses, repent of their sins, and beg for mercy—but it is not so. Those who were not concerned for others will never be concerned. Those who have rejected the Lord throughout their life will continue to reject him for eternity.

That is why judgment day is merely a final demonstration of what was true: in a person’s life—at the moment of their death—and then forever in eternity as they “go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

And so what does this plain and simple teaching from our Lord about the final judgment and the Last Day have to do with our lives this week? What does the Lord want us to do as a result of his words? How then should we live, knowing that we will stand before the throne of Jesus Christ and be judged?

First and foremost, no one ought to leave this sanctuary today without knowing for sure that they are one of those whom the Lord will call righteous and blessed on the Last Day. That confidence comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

None of us, by nature, are worthy to stand before a perfectly righteous judge—each of us deserves hell. But God sent his Son to save us from what our sins deserve. Jesus suffered hell for us on the cross. He paid for our selfishness and sins with his shed blood—and he rose up from the dead to give us eternal life. We receive the salvation he accomplished by believing the Gospel as it is preached and given in Holy Communion. As we do so, we can face the Last Day with confidence.

Secondly, we should measure our lives by Christ’s standard of what really counts and not the world’s. On the Last Day there are no questions about how much money we had, how important we were in the community, what car we drove, or what we did for a living.

Instead, the only thing that matters on judgment day is that we showed with our lives that we belonged to Jesus by caring for those around us. Nothing miraculous is required of us, but only that our faith in Jesus would bear the fruit of good works as we deal with others in the same gracious, generous, merciful, forgiving way that we have been dealt with by Christ.

And finally, we should live our lives this week -and always- in expectation of our Lord’s immediate return.

All of the worries and trials and temptations that we are faced with daily-- become something altogether different and altogether smaller when they are seen in the light of that glad and glorious day when the Lord says to each of us:

‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world!

May God graciously grant it to each of us for Jesus’ sake! Amen.

Rev. Franke's Theme Thoughts

Advent 1, Series B November 27, 2011

Lessons for The First Sunday in Advent

Isaiah 64:1–9 ~ We wait eagerly for the Lord to come set things right with our world and in our lives.
Psalm 80:1–7 (Antiphon: Psalm 80:7)
1 Corinthians 1:3–9 ~ We wait eagerly for Christ’s return, knowing that He will keep us secure in faith.
Mark 13:24–37 ~ We wait eagerly for the Son of Man even in distressing times, because we know His love.

GATHERING THE TEXTS: Peace and Patience in our Waiting
In spite of the fact that our lives are so hectic, we are often waiting -- for healing, for comfort, for peace. With Isaiah we cry out, “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!” We must be ready at all times for that rending appearance of our Lord. We can be patient in our waiting when we recognize with St. Paul that only God’s mercy in Christ will keep us blameless on the day of Christ’s return.

PRAYER BEFORE THE SERVICE: Lord, give me patience in my waiting that I may be ready for Christ’s return knowing that you have claimed me for yourself. Let each new day remind me that this world is drawing closer to your kingdom of glory. Amen.

STEWARDSHIP THOUGHT: Through our stewardship God makes us channels of blessings to many, partners with Him and co-workers in ministry – investors in an eternal estate!

OFFERING PRAYER: Gracious God, You send the Prince of Peace.
Make us ready for His coming,
As we use these gifts to share His peace
And in our lives express His loving. Amen.

CONVICTION AND COMFORT: When conditions in society around us and in the distress within us make us shout with anxious cry, “How long, O Lord?” we are strengthened by the promise that the One we await is the One who loved us so much that He gave His life for us. Although everything else is questionable, one thing is certain: our Savior is the Lord who has already reconciled us to Himself.

SEASONAL NOTE: Most people find Advent a difficult time---the world around us rushes headlong into Christmas and the Church seems strangely out of sync with the Advent themes of waiting and preparation. This is a time of quiet yet purposeful waiting for the right time to celebrate God’s gracious gift in the birth of His Son in human flesh.

As Lightning Rends the Sky
Isaiah 64:1-9

As lightning rends the sky with thunder crash
and mountains quake with molten lava flow,
we yearn for God to come with power and dash
the wretched curse of sin. Then all would know
there is no other God! The prophets told
the awesome deeds that glorified His name.
God’s saving actions made His people bold,
and they in turn were proud to spread His fame.
But now in gentle form and human skin
God comes to melt our crusty hearts today.
He holds us in His hand, and once again
He turns our broken lives like potter’s clay.
Trust God to mold you in His will, and then
He’ll fashion you according to His plan.

– Gilbert A. Franke, 11/18/08

This Week at Mt. Olive

Good evening, fellow redeemed!

In the Old Testament, false prophets had a trite and overused theme: peace and security for Israel. The problem, of course, was that there wasn't peace and security under many of the kings of Israel and Judah because of their kings' idolatrous habits.

These days, the same theme of peace and security are proclaimed by a sort of false prophets, those who proclaim our best life is right now, or that our society and world are constantly improving. If either of those were the case, we wouldn't have obesity, diabetes, and heart disease attacking at earlier ages all the time.

Paul calls us to our senses in today's Epistle (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11). Will this downward spiral ever end? Paul responds, "For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him."

Kind of gives us that feel from the explanation to the seventh petition of the Lord's Prayer in the Small Catechism:
But deliver us from evil.
What does this mean?
We pray in this petition, as in a summary, that our Father in heaven would deliver us from all manner of evil, of body and soul, property and honor, and at last, when our last hour shall come, grant us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this vale of tears to Himself into heaven.

This Week at Mt. Olive:
Tomorrow evening, the Church Council continues its meetings in leading up to the December Voters Meeting. We should have a date for that meeting after tomorrow, and I'll publish it later this week.

Lutheran Book Club will NOT meet this week since we finished the book last week.

Three of Mt. Olive's young people have achieved success in the dramatic arts.
-Trevor Johnson will be appearing in W. B. Ray High School's production of Crimes of the Heart. Performances are scheduled for this Thursday and Friday nights at 7 p.m. Cost of admission is $5.

-Abigail and Sarah Waddle will be appearing in Tuloso-Midway High School's production of Anatomy of Gray. Performances are scheduled for this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. in the Tuloso-Midway Middle School auditorium. Cost of admission is $5.

The youth of Mt. Olive will be attending the Saturday evening performance of Anatomy of Gray. Stay tuned for more information about rides, etc.

This coming Friday, Mt. Olive Lutheran School hosts its annual Thanksgiving Feast for students and their families.

Prayer Concerns:
Those who serve in our armed forces and their families: Rob Vadney (Ft. Campbell, KY)
College students and families who will be traveling over the next couple of weeks - they'll be numerous and we pray for God's divine protection on their journeys
Schools as they prepare for Thanksgiving breaks
Our brothers and sisters in the faith at Lord of Life and Our Savior as they await the Lord's gift of a pastor
The Church Council

This Week at Mt. Olive:
Monday, November 14
6:30 p.m.
Zumba Aerobics

7 p.m.
Church Council

Wednesday, November 16
8:30 a.m.
School Chapel

9:30 a.m.
Bible Study (Revelation 11)

Thursday, November 17
Happy Birthday, Kathy!

Friday, November 18
11 a.m.
School Thanksgiving lunch feast

God bless!
PKJ

The Day of the Lord

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
I think that most of us know the name of Harold Camping—the religious broadcaster who twice last year predicted the end of the world. What you may not know is that he did the same thing in 1994. Of course, he is not the only false prophet of the end times. The Jehovah’s Witnesses have predicted the end of the world half a dozen times in the last 100 years. Hal Lindsey said it would end in 1988. Joseph Smith of the Mormons predicted it and got it wrong as did Ellen White of the Seventh Day Adventists. And so it goes all the way back to the time of the apostles despite the plain and simple words of Jesus: that no one knows that day or hour of his second coming.

But while the day and hour is unknown, our Lord’s return in glory to judge the world—what the Bible calls “the day of the Lord” --is certain.

Jesus promised that he would come again to take us to heaven. At his ascension the angels promised that he would return in the same way he left. And we heard from the apostle Paul last week that, with the voice of the archangel and the sound of the trumpet of God, Jesus will descend from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise from their graves.

And so, if we cannot know the day and hour of our Lord’s return and if we do not need to know it, what do we need to know about the day of the Lord? Paul writes:

Concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

Christians do not need to know anything about the specific timing of our Lord’s return because what we do know is enough: that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. These are the same words that Jesus used to talk about his second coming—that it will be sudden and unexpected. And that’s all we need to know about the timing-- because that knowledge is more than enough to be prepared for that day—a day of destruction that the world around us chooses to ignore. Paul writes that:

While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

The great danger of the Harold Camping’s of the world is that they lead people to ridicule the second coming of our Lord and ignore or explain away the signs of his return and remain unprepared to face the judgment of God.

Before that day, Jesus says that there will be wars and rumors of wars—that nation will rise against nation—that there will be earthquakes and famines in various places—that lawlessness will increase and false prophets will lead many astray. And so it is -and so it has been- since Jesus spoke these words and prophesied these signs.

That’s the point—that at any time we are to be expectantly looking for our Lord’s return and we are to view the world around us through that lens of final judgment and eternity—not explaining away the signs or expecting that the next peace treaty or economic upturn will establish heaven on earth—but that Jesus is coming again to make a new heaven and a new earth by destroying all that is broken and evil in this one.

The day of the Lord will be a day of destruction. That may not sound like good news—and it’s not for those who are opposed to God—but it is good news for God’s people for justice will be done.

The day of the Lord will be a vindication of God and his ways and his people and the judgment and destruction of evil. According to the prophet Zephaniah, those who live by violence and fraud will be punished. Those who have misused power to oppress the weak will kneel before the Lord in submission. And those who have lived for wealth and material things will see them destroyed.

No one who has opposed the Lord and his ways and his people will escape destruction on the day of the Lord. The Bible knows absolutely nothing of a second chance after the Lord’s return for those who have rejected him up until that day. Zephaniah pictures the Lord searching high and low and seeking out every dark place where his enemies might hide to make sure that none of them escapes the judgment he brings. But we who live in the light of Christ have nothing to fear from that day. Paul writes:

You are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness.

How often do we shake our heads at the sinful foolishness of the unbelieving world—at the things that we read in the paper and see on the news and hear on the radio-- and wonder to ourselves: why on earth do they live the way they do and think the things they do and value the things they do? It’s as if we see things completely different from those who don’t share our faith. And of course, in many ways—that’s true.

The Bible says that those who don’t believe in Jesus are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God and in their ignorance and hardness of heart give themselves up to sensuality and every kind of impurity.

But we are not in darkness. The light of Jesus Christ has shone into our lives and opened our hearts and enlightened our minds. When Paul was converted to faith in Christ the Bible says that something like scales fell from his eyes—a vivid picture of what is spiritually true for every Christian.

We are children of the light who know that Christ is coming again and that this world as it is will not endure that day and we are called to live our lives in light of the knowledge—ready for Jesus’ return at any time. Paul writes:

Let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.

It’s self-evident that Paul is not talking here about the physical sleep which God gives that refreshes our bodies-- but spiritual sleepiness that keeps us from being awake and ready to meet the Lord when he comes again—what the prophet Zephaniah called “complacency”—the notion that-- as things are now, so they always have been and so they always will be, and so there is no need to expect or do anything different.

That is absolutely untrue! We have been spiritually awakened to look for the dawn of the day of the Lord and we must not hit the spiritual snooze-alarm and fall back into the self-satisfied warmth of spiritual slumber.

Neither must we let anything dull our minds to the realities of that day. Paul distinguishes between sleep and drunkenness—both of them happen in spiritual darkness—but there is a difference. Spiritual complacency is a part of our flesh. We have to fight against the temptation to let the Lord’s return fall to the back of our mind.

But drunkenness is something else. It is the intentional choice to make use of that which dulls our spiritual awareness. For the people of Zephaniah’s day it was wealth and so long as they had plenty of money they thought they had nothing to fear. Many people have that same trouble today.

But it’s not only money that dulls our spiritual awareness. Alcohol and drugs and pornography and the press of daily life and the constant need to be entertained can also dull us to the need to constantly repent of our sins and be renewed in our faith in Jesus. Anything that dulls our readiness for the Lord’s return needs to be put aside so that we can instead be filled with those things that make us spiritually aware and awake. Paul writes:

Since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

The image that Paul uses here would have been familiar to anyone living in the Roman Empire---Roman soldiers marching through the streets, prepared for battle, their armor flashing in the sun. The Christian likewise is to be prepared for the spiritual battles that will most definitely come as we wait for the day of the Lord by daily renewal in faith, hope, and love by hearing God’s Word and receiving Holy Communion.

These three Christian virtues constantly appear together in Paul’s letters and there’s a reason for that: they encompass the entire Christian life.

Faith directs our eyes to the past and the accomplished facts of salvation history. Jesus Christ the promised Messiah entered into the world in a particular moment in history. He died on the cross under the rule of Pontius Pilate and rose again three days later. Who he is and what he has done is the content of our faith—and because we are looking forward to his return—he is also the hope for our future.

Hope directs our faith to the future and the promises that still remain to be fulfilled—Christ’s return and the resurrection of the dead—and a new creation.
Far, far from being afraid of the future and fearful of God’s judgment, we look forward in hope to a future that is filled with every blessing of body and soul because God’s faithfulness in the past is our assurance that our hope will not be disappointed.

And because Jesus is the content of our faith and our hope for the future he is also the one who guides and directs our lives right now in the ways of his love.
We don’t know when Jesus will come again but we do know what he wants us to be doing in the meantime—loving one another in the same way he loved us—doing good to our neighbor and forgiving those who hurt us. This is the way we are to live until the day of the Lord when we receive the fullness of salvation. Paul writes that:

God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Moment by moment throughout history God has been carefully, wisely, lovingly ordering the world so that we could come to faith in Jesus and endure in faith and so receive the fullness of salvation. We are the reason that God sent his Son into the world—that believing in him we would be saved.

Much too often we think of salvation only in terms of forgiveness of sins—and certainly it is that! But it’s everything else that comes from being forgiven and right in God’s sight: it’s having peace with God and the assurance that he is with us and a life filled with joy and purpose. But salvation also extends beyond this life into eternity.

That God has saved us by the death and resurrection of his Son means that we have been restored to what God wanted for us in the beginning—a life with him as his children that even death cannot end. Salvation means that God will restore everything broken by sin—that there will be a new heaven and a new earth—that we will enjoy perfect fellowship with God forever.

The Day of the Lord is the culmination of God’s saving work. It is not a day of wrath for us that we need to fear-- but the day of salvation when the fullness of what Christ has done in his dying and rising will be ours forever. May this Good News of our Lord’s return grant us courage to live as God’s people!

Rev. Franke's Theme Thoughts

Proper 28, Series A November 13, 2011

Lessons for The Twenty-Sixth Sunday After Pentecost

Zephaniah 1:7–16 ~ Those who think God does not care about their sins will surely be judged.
Psalm 90:1-12 [Antiphon: Ps. 90:17]
1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 ~ God has given us salvation in Christ, so we may live in the light of His grace.
Matthew 25:14–30 ~ God calls upon us to invest His forgiveness through our lives of service.

GATHERING THE TEXTS: It’s Time to Take a Risk!
Zephaniah brought God’s word of warning to complacent merchants and rulers of Jerusalem at a time when they thought they could count on political and economic stability without figuring on God’s investment! Jesus described the coming of the Kingdom in terms of a wealthy merchant who is looking for considerable returns on his investments. St. Paul reminded early believers that they have an inside track on the Kingdom market, living in the light of the grace of God, and so are able to risk faith, hope, and love to build up one another in a rich life for God just as Christ risked His life for us.

PRAYER BEFORE THE SERVICE: Lord Jesus, wake me up with the light of Your day so that I am not complacent or haughty about Your judgment. Make me aware of Your claim upon me so that I will be aggressive in my investment of Your love and grace in my life as I await Your return in glory. Amen.

OFFERING PRAYER: What a privilege it is, Lord, to use the wealth You give
For the building of Your kingdom in the faithful way we live.
Keep us always watchful as we await our Lord’s return
So we see and help the need we meet at every turn. Amen.

STEWARDSHIP THOUGHT: God has given us great material blessings and expects us to use His goods to build up His kingdom, not to advance our own gain or position. The faithful steward invests capital in the Master’s business.

CONVICTION AND COMFORT: We recognize many occasions when we have “buried our talents” – not being willing to risk our goods or our gifts to advance the kingdom of God. The comfort we have is that God has invested us with great gifts, grace beyond measure. He has entrusted us with the message of Christ’s redeeming love. While this parable sums up the warning of the unexpected return of the Lord and encourages faithfulness in our use of his gifts, it also points forward to Jesus’ identity with the needy and outcast, that we apply his investment of love toward their needs.