Luke 21:25-36; Romans
15:4-13; Malachi 4:1-6
In the Name of the Father and of the
+ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
In Advent, when we speak of the three-fold coming of
Jesus – that He came as the Babe of Bethlehem; that He is coming
as Lord, King, and Judge; and, that He comes to us now in Word and
Sacrament – we must remember that we are dealing first and foremost with a
great mystery. Thus, we understand the three-fold coming of Jesus incorrectly,
or, at least, incompletely, if we understand His coming as three unique and
unrelated events. For, the Son of God did not come into being only upon
His incarnation in the conception and birth of Jesus, but He has always been
with God, in the beginning, begotten of the Father before all
worlds; and He was God before the incarnation, and He is God still
after becoming a man, having died and having been raised. Likewise, His death
and resurrection did not happen merely in Jerusalem nearly 2,000 years ago, but
He is the Lamb of God that was slain from the very foundation of the world.
Further, to say that Christ is coming again, a second time, is not to make Him
to be a liar when He says, “I am with you always, even unto the end of the
age.”
Thus, when we consider Jesus’ teaching concerning the
end times and His parousia – a word commonly translated as second
coming, but which literally means presence – we must submit our
reason and our linear conception of time and events and, with ears to hear,
listen to the Word of God in faith. For, what Jesus is teaching us is that His
kingdom, which is coming, is in fact, already near and already
present.
Jesus spoke the Words of our Gospel lesson to His
disciples just two days before His crucifixion and death on Good Friday. He
spoke of signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of
nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people
fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. These
signs, Jesus says, indicate that the Son of Man is coming and that redemption
is drawing near. Now, the common interpretation of these words of Jesus is
that these signs of celestial and earthly turmoil will come at some time in the
future before the second coming of the Lord in glory. And, yes, that is
certainly a part of Jesus’ meaning. However, at the same time, we cannot help
but observe that these signs are present in our world today: Wars and rumors of
wars, the threat of global warming, tsunamis, earthquakes, terrorism, the
economic crash, etc. Further, such signs have been common to every age. Are we
then to conclude that our Jesus is a liar? That He has failed to come? By no
means! For, listen to His Word and what He truly says: Truly, I say to you,
this generation will not pass away until all has taken place.
Jesus’ Word to His disciples, that very generation,
was that all these things would happen within their lifetime – and they most
certainly did! Within thirty years the Romans laid siege to Jerusalem, surrounding
the city and forbidding the carrying in of food and other necessities and the
carrying out of refuse. Within a few weeks, hunger, disease, and death began to
ravage the population so that the people resorted to the abandonment of
children and even cannibalism. Surely,
for the people then, it must have seemed like the end of the world. However,
such signs are common to every generation at all times and in all places.
Thus, Jesus compares these signs to that of common
flora – the fig tree: Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as
they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is
already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that
the kingdom of God is near. Each year, decade after decade, century after
century, millennia after millennia, the trees bud out, leaf, bear fruit, and
wither, and then the cycle continues: this has happened in the past, it
is happening now, and it will continue to happen until the Last
Day. In a similar way comes the kingdom of God: the kingdom of God has come,
it is coming now, and it will come. Therefore, we can watch the
signs and be prepared, for the signs are as obvious as those of the fig tree
and of all trees. The kingdom of God is already, even now,
present, in hidden and veiled forms to sustain and keep you in the faith. Even
now, you stand in the kingdom of God as you live in this generation, thus
you have nothing to fear from what is coming on the world.
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come
again. This is the three-fold mystery
of faith. For, you too have died with Christ and have risen with Him through
baptism into His death and resurrection. For you, to live is Christ and to die
is gain. The life you now live you live to God, and nothing can separate you
from Him but yourself. Now, the devil, the world, and your own sinful flesh
will tempt you to not believe this, thus you must remain vigilant and watchful
for the signs of the Lord’s parousia, His coming, His presence. Those
signs are in heaven and they are in earth, for Christ fills all things. Those
signs are in His death and in the death of all things, and those signs are in
His resurrection and the resurrection of all things. And those signs are in His
Word, preached and taught in its truth and purity. Those signs are in the water
by the power of His Word and Spirit. And those signs are in the bread which is
His body, and the wine which is His blood – because He has spoken so by his
Word – for the forgiveness of your sins, for the strengthening of your faith,
and for life everlasting – past, present, and future.
In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.
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