St Luke 21:25-36/Malachi 4:1-6/Romans 15:4-13
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
God created the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day of creation. He gave them to us for two reasons: they were to be lights for the earth and they were to be markers of time, for signs and seasons, for days and years.
The rising and setting of the sun mark the day. The phases of the moon mark roughly a month. The earth’s movement around the sun and its relation to the other stars marks the seasons and the course of the year. These heavenly bodies are God’s gift to us that help us order the times of our life.
They also point, though, to more than just the passage of time. They point to the fulfillment of time, to the end of time, to Him who is the Lord of time and eternity. The heavens proclaim Jesus! Remember how it was a heavenly body, a star, that led the Wise Men to the Christ-child. Jesus’ first coming was marked by a sign in the heavens.
Remember also how, when our Lord Jesus died on the Cross for the sin of the world, that there was a sign in the heavens. Luke 23: It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. Noon to three. This was not an eclipse, since they don’t last for three hours! Recall it was the Passover – always around the time of the full moon, so no eclipses anyway. Rather, the sun, as it were, bowed it head and dimmed at the sight of the Son of God ripped and bleeding and dying upon a Cross to redeem our fallen world from the clutches of sin and death.
So in similar manner, Jesus says, there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars marking His second coming; His return in judgment. With these words Jesus call to mind how He is like Joseph in the Old Testament. You remember that Joseph had a dream in which the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him. It was a sign of how one day God would make him ruler in Egypt and his family would kneel before him as he provided grain for them and saved their lives.
In the same way Jesus is our greater Joseph. He provides the Bread of Life for us and saves us eternally. He is the One to whom every knee shall bow, in heaven and under the earth, and all of creation, at His coming. The sun, moon, and stars will not only bow down to our returning Lord Christ at the end, but they will eventually bow out all together as this creation passes away. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Word will never pass away.
Jesus says that as men observe the signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, and the power of the heavens shaken, their hearts will fail them from fear. That’s the way it will be for the world. Those who don’t fear God must fear almost everything else – the economy, the environment, politics, their health, family issues – all of it becomes an obsession and a stress an a worry.
When we are run by fear, we are increasingly drawn into the delusion of finding our happiness and security in the things of this world. And in the end, that only leads to despair. Or the reverse of the same – a hedonistic pursuit of pleasure; “eat, drink, and be merry – what does it matter?”
And so Jesus says, Watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and care of this life, and that Day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Our Lord warns us about the coming judgment and destruction of the earth not so that we would be terrified, or even that we would be looking for it. When are the nations not raging? When are there not signs in the heavens?
But Christ does not tell us to watch the stars or pay attention to the headlines. He instructs us to watch ourselves, so that we will learn not to fall in love with what it passing away. The Word of Christ drives us to insecurity in ourselves, so that we might look only to Him for our security. We are driven to despair of ourselves, so that we will look only to His Word for our hope and life; that we would learn to fear, love, and trust in Him.
Repent, then, of your attachment to this passing life. Repent of the fleshly loves that would cling to this world above the life of the world to come. Turn away from all that would keep you from praying, “Come quickly Lord Jesus. Come to us now.” In short, repent of whatever is not Christ. Remember the Law of His servant Moses and pray that He take from you all idols and misplaced love and trust. Call upon Him in the day of trouble. He will deliver you.
In truth, Judgment Day and the second coming of Christ is ultimately not something to fear; rather it is something to greatly desire and eagerly anticipate. Even when everything around you seems to be coming apart at the seams and the whole world is coming unglued, you have reason for great hope. Our Savior is close at hand. Jesus says, When you see these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your Redemption is drawing near. Your redemption draws near for your Redeemer draws near, and your life is in Him.
For us, judgment day has already happened: Good Friday. A day filled with signs – not only was the sun darkened, but the nations, the Romans and the Jews, were in an uproar, there was an earthquake that broke open many graves, the Temple veil was torn in two. That day and the Last Day are inseparably joined.
The One who will come at the close of the age is the same One who already came to rescue you from all that would ensnare you and drag you down to hell. Jesus allowed Himself to be snared and weighed down with your sin and death in order to break their power over you. He did not escape the judgment of death so that you would have the gift of everlasting life. All your sins where answered for on the tree of the Cross. Believe that is so. You, the baptized, who fear the Name of the Lord, His faithful ones, have nothing to fear and everything to look forward to when He comes again.
This is the only way we can understand those words that sound so terrifying, Pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man (Lk 21:36, NKJV). How can we possibly hope to stand on that day, to be counted worthy? The Psalmist says, If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared (Ps 130:3-4). You are counted worthy to escape the terrors of the end and to be left standing before the Son of Man, simply and only because He Himself has made you worthy by His Blood. You are given a holy standing before the Father because of His sheer mercy and grace and forgiveness in Christ.
Despairing of yourself and confessing this truth, trusting in Jesus as your Redeemer, is what is means to fear the name of the Lord, as the prophet Malachi says. Therefore, on account of the work of Christ for you, the coming day of judgment is not to your terror, but to your comfort. For you who fear My Name, the Sun of Righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. Christ, the righteous Son of the Father comes with the healing of your body in the resurrection, and purification of your soul from sin.
You cannot judge the eternal things of God by what you see and feel and experience. Rather, listen to the Word of the Gospel, His blessed Word of comfort and kindness and love. You must endure only a little while longer. You Savior is at the very gates of heaven, about to return for you. Do not loose hope, though the wicked prosper and the ungodly rage all around. They shall be burned up like stubble on the Day of the Lord, but you shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.
The kingdom of God is near. Hold on to Christ. And on that Day you shall be like Him for will see Him as He is.
“Come quickly, Lord Jesus; come to us now,” we pray. Behold He comes to you; the Righteous Son dawns over His Altar, bringing you endurance and encouragement in His living Body and Blood. And with one voice you glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, lifting up heads and hearts unto the Lord in His Eucharist, welcoming one another as Christ has welcomed you. He comes to cover you with His own forgiving mercy.
Offering up His own Flesh and Blood for the life of the world, Christ Jesus gives you the very fruits of His Sacrifice of Thanksgiving. Beloved, He is the God of hope, who fills you with all joy and peace in believing, as He fills you with Himself, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
God created the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day of creation. He gave them to us for two reasons: they were to be lights for the earth and they were to be markers of time, for signs and seasons, for days and years.
The rising and setting of the sun mark the day. The phases of the moon mark roughly a month. The earth’s movement around the sun and its relation to the other stars marks the seasons and the course of the year. These heavenly bodies are God’s gift to us that help us order the times of our life.
They also point, though, to more than just the passage of time. They point to the fulfillment of time, to the end of time, to Him who is the Lord of time and eternity. The heavens proclaim Jesus! Remember how it was a heavenly body, a star, that led the Wise Men to the Christ-child. Jesus’ first coming was marked by a sign in the heavens.
Remember also how, when our Lord Jesus died on the Cross for the sin of the world, that there was a sign in the heavens. Luke 23: It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. Noon to three. This was not an eclipse, since they don’t last for three hours! Recall it was the Passover – always around the time of the full moon, so no eclipses anyway. Rather, the sun, as it were, bowed it head and dimmed at the sight of the Son of God ripped and bleeding and dying upon a Cross to redeem our fallen world from the clutches of sin and death.
So in similar manner, Jesus says, there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars marking His second coming; His return in judgment. With these words Jesus call to mind how He is like Joseph in the Old Testament. You remember that Joseph had a dream in which the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him. It was a sign of how one day God would make him ruler in Egypt and his family would kneel before him as he provided grain for them and saved their lives.
In the same way Jesus is our greater Joseph. He provides the Bread of Life for us and saves us eternally. He is the One to whom every knee shall bow, in heaven and under the earth, and all of creation, at His coming. The sun, moon, and stars will not only bow down to our returning Lord Christ at the end, but they will eventually bow out all together as this creation passes away. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Word will never pass away.
Jesus says that as men observe the signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, and the power of the heavens shaken, their hearts will fail them from fear. That’s the way it will be for the world. Those who don’t fear God must fear almost everything else – the economy, the environment, politics, their health, family issues – all of it becomes an obsession and a stress an a worry.
When we are run by fear, we are increasingly drawn into the delusion of finding our happiness and security in the things of this world. And in the end, that only leads to despair. Or the reverse of the same – a hedonistic pursuit of pleasure; “eat, drink, and be merry – what does it matter?”
And so Jesus says, Watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and care of this life, and that Day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Our Lord warns us about the coming judgment and destruction of the earth not so that we would be terrified, or even that we would be looking for it. When are the nations not raging? When are there not signs in the heavens?
But Christ does not tell us to watch the stars or pay attention to the headlines. He instructs us to watch ourselves, so that we will learn not to fall in love with what it passing away. The Word of Christ drives us to insecurity in ourselves, so that we might look only to Him for our security. We are driven to despair of ourselves, so that we will look only to His Word for our hope and life; that we would learn to fear, love, and trust in Him.
Repent, then, of your attachment to this passing life. Repent of the fleshly loves that would cling to this world above the life of the world to come. Turn away from all that would keep you from praying, “Come quickly Lord Jesus. Come to us now.” In short, repent of whatever is not Christ. Remember the Law of His servant Moses and pray that He take from you all idols and misplaced love and trust. Call upon Him in the day of trouble. He will deliver you.
In truth, Judgment Day and the second coming of Christ is ultimately not something to fear; rather it is something to greatly desire and eagerly anticipate. Even when everything around you seems to be coming apart at the seams and the whole world is coming unglued, you have reason for great hope. Our Savior is close at hand. Jesus says, When you see these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your Redemption is drawing near. Your redemption draws near for your Redeemer draws near, and your life is in Him.
For us, judgment day has already happened: Good Friday. A day filled with signs – not only was the sun darkened, but the nations, the Romans and the Jews, were in an uproar, there was an earthquake that broke open many graves, the Temple veil was torn in two. That day and the Last Day are inseparably joined.
The One who will come at the close of the age is the same One who already came to rescue you from all that would ensnare you and drag you down to hell. Jesus allowed Himself to be snared and weighed down with your sin and death in order to break their power over you. He did not escape the judgment of death so that you would have the gift of everlasting life. All your sins where answered for on the tree of the Cross. Believe that is so. You, the baptized, who fear the Name of the Lord, His faithful ones, have nothing to fear and everything to look forward to when He comes again.
This is the only way we can understand those words that sound so terrifying, Pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass and to stand before the Son of Man (Lk 21:36, NKJV). How can we possibly hope to stand on that day, to be counted worthy? The Psalmist says, If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, that You may be feared (Ps 130:3-4). You are counted worthy to escape the terrors of the end and to be left standing before the Son of Man, simply and only because He Himself has made you worthy by His Blood. You are given a holy standing before the Father because of His sheer mercy and grace and forgiveness in Christ.
Despairing of yourself and confessing this truth, trusting in Jesus as your Redeemer, is what is means to fear the name of the Lord, as the prophet Malachi says. Therefore, on account of the work of Christ for you, the coming day of judgment is not to your terror, but to your comfort. For you who fear My Name, the Sun of Righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. Christ, the righteous Son of the Father comes with the healing of your body in the resurrection, and purification of your soul from sin.
You cannot judge the eternal things of God by what you see and feel and experience. Rather, listen to the Word of the Gospel, His blessed Word of comfort and kindness and love. You must endure only a little while longer. You Savior is at the very gates of heaven, about to return for you. Do not loose hope, though the wicked prosper and the ungodly rage all around. They shall be burned up like stubble on the Day of the Lord, but you shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.
The kingdom of God is near. Hold on to Christ. And on that Day you shall be like Him for will see Him as He is.
“Come quickly, Lord Jesus; come to us now,” we pray. Behold He comes to you; the Righteous Son dawns over His Altar, bringing you endurance and encouragement in His living Body and Blood. And with one voice you glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, lifting up heads and hearts unto the Lord in His Eucharist, welcoming one another as Christ has welcomed you. He comes to cover you with His own forgiving mercy.
Offering up His own Flesh and Blood for the life of the world, Christ Jesus gives you the very fruits of His Sacrifice of Thanksgiving. Beloved, He is the God of hope, who fills you with all joy and peace in believing, as He fills you with Himself, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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