Loving God, even when we seem to be surrounded by chaos, you are in our midst, giving life and light and salvation. Teach us to put our trust in you, and never to stray from following your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Without knowing the end of the story, there are a lot of things that can seem like the end of the world. A community gets destroyed by fire. A flood comes through and damages homes and businesses. An earthquake reduces an entire area to rubble. People go to war against one another. A whole area is devastated by drought and famine. For many people, events like these are enough to simply give up all hope and act as if life is over.

The same is true for many events that affect people's lives on a more individual basis. A person is diagnosed with a terrible illness. Employment is terminated. A loved one dies. Your car is ruined. A prized possession gets stolen. Sometimes when things like these happen, people feel as if their lives are over. Yet, we know the end of the story. No matter what is going on in our lives and in the world around us, God is in charge. The end has not come. The world continues, and Jesus has been given power over all things.

Now, this is not to say that our lives will always be easy or that no wars or disasters will ever affect us. All of these things are simply part of life in this world. However, when we go through times of suffering and turbulence and difficulties, we have one who walks with us who has suffered the worst pain that we could ever imagine. We also have the promise that our lives are in God's hands, whether in life or in death, and that everlasting life awaits all those who faithfully follow Jesus Christ.

And so, when disaster seems to surround us, we have a different point of view as people of faith. For example, if everything we own were to be destroyed by fire, we could approach it with at least two different attitudes. We certainly could view it as the end of life as we know it - all of those memories and irreplaceable items simply gone. We could give up on life, and no longer have the strength to do much of anything. On the other hand, we could approach it with the understanding that all things in this world are temporary and able to be destroyed. However, the presence and power of Jesus Christ has not changed, and the end of the story has not changed. The inner life cannot be taken away from us, and our life continues, in this world and the next.

In the books and sections of the Bible that are called "apocalyptic," this is the message: "Everything will be all right. God is in control." The word "apocalypse" actually means "revelation" and such books are reminders to God's people of the end of the story. Without fail, such books were written during times of great suffering and persecution for God's people. The message of hope might be summarized in these words from Revelation: "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev. 2:10). Suffering and persecution will happen, but this is not the end of the world. God is in control. Everything will be all right.

Now, I mention this because our first lesson today is from Daniel, which is an apocalyptic book. At the same time, our gospel reading is from a section of Mark that is usually called "apocalyptic." They look towards the time of the end, reminding God's people that the end for them will be everlasting life in the presence of God. However, the passage that we read today from the gospel of Mark also serves another purpose. It warns people against jumping to the conclusion that the end is already here, and there's good reason for this. Already in the first century after the birth of Jesus there were people who had decided that the end was already here, and thus they didn't need to do anything. In fact, the apostle Paul addresses this problem in his second letter to the Thessalonians.

Paul mentions in this letter that somebody has been telling the believers at Thessalonika that the day of the Lord - judgment day - is already here (2 Th. 2:1-3). Because of this, some of the people have stopped working. They are not working for the common good. They are not doing much of anything, for if the end is here, why bother? The whole situation leads Paul to say that anyone who is unwilling to work should not eat (2 Th. 3:10).

Now, it is important to understand that anybody living in the sixties would not have had much trouble convincing people that the end was already upon them. (And when I say "the sixties", I don't mean the 1960's, but the 60's in the first century after the birth of Christ.) The first-century Jewish historian Josephus writes about what was going on at this time:

"The story Josephus tells of the sixties is one of famine, social unrest, institutional deterioration, bitter internal conflicts, class warfare, banditry, insurrections, intrigues, betrayals, bloodshed, and the scattering of Judeans throughout Palestine.... During the years of siege (66-70 C.E.), stories spread of popular messiahs, prophets crying out woes on the city and temple, mock trials, and crowds creating tumults at the times of pilgrimage. There were wars and rumors of wars for the better part of ten years and Josephus reports portents, including a brilliant daylight in the middle of the night..." (Mack, A Myth of Innocence, pp. 315-6).

It is easy to see why people would have thought that they were witnessing the end of the world and the Day of the Lord.

And so, in the gospel of Mark, Jesus says to his disciples, "Beware that no one leads you astray.... When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed... Do not worry... You will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved" (Mk. 13:5, 7, 11, 13).

The disciples might well have responded with fear and worry. Or, they might have simply stopped doing anything at all, believing that the end was already here. However, neither of these responses are what Jesus asks of his followers. Instead, Jesus asks his followers to love one another as he has first loved them (Jn. 13). He asks us to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and visit those who are sick or in prison (Mt. 25). He asks us to do everything within our power to make the kingdom of God known here on earth (Acts 1). He asks us to continue to do these things in all circumstances, knowing that the end of the story is good.

Yes - there will be times of trial. Even structures as magnificent as the Jerusalem Temple can be thrown down and destroyed. Yet, in all times and places the presence and power of God continue. The life of Christ lives within us by the power of the Holy Spirit. That power continues, and can never be destroyed. Even though everything around us might seem to be crumbling, the life of Christ and the hope that is ours through him remain. God is in control. Everything will be all right. Our lives are in God's hands, whether in life or in death.

Thanks be to God for the gift of Jesus Christ, who lived the life that we cannot, who died the death that we would never want to, and who conquered death in order that all those who live believing in him might have eternal life. Amen.

Proper 28(B) Mark 13:1-8
November 19, 2006
St. Luke's Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison Moore
? 2006 Lynne Hutchison Moore All Rights Reserved