“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24:44
It is not infrequently that I am asked whether or not the end of the world is near. Back in December of last year, an older man knocked on the door of the church and somewhat in fear, asked what our sign in our south yard meant. What he had read was the Bible verse “The kingdom of heaven is near” (Mt. 3:2) and from what I could understand, he wanted to know if we knew something that he did not. In other words, if we knew when Jesus was returning.
Certainly that same question has been in the back of people’s minds recently. The question has been raised due to concerns with Covid, vaccinations, raging fires and massive floods, political machinations and economic uncertainties. What is happening?
Easy here would be to take a few paragraphs to describe times in the past when such events have occurred simultaneously throwing many into panic. Scholars like to point, for example, to the 14th century in Europe when the Great Famine (1315-17) was followed by the plague (1347-51) which killed at least half the population, even as what has been called the “Little Ice Age” began bringing more brutal winters to the area.
It is not that we should not be concerned about current events. We know that Christ will return in power and great glory (Lk 21:27) and that before His return, there will be great tribulation (Mt. 24:21). About such tribulation we really can do nothing. Absolutely nothing.
So what should we do?
Well Jesus told us what to do: “Be ready.” But how is it that we ready ourselves as we live in these times of challenge and trouble?
We remain in Christ.
And how do we remain in Christ? We remain in Christ by remaining in His Word and remaining in his sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
And such “remaining” does not consist of an annual event, or an occasional interaction, but of a daily and weekly interaction: Daily via home Bible reading and devotions; weekly via participation in communal worship with other Christians here at Prince of Peace.
Think here of the athletes that competed at the Olympics in Tokyo. In order to prepare for such a momentous event did they work out once a year? Once every few months? Every other week?
Or did they work-out every day? Every single day in preparation for Olympics?
So our life as Christians. It is a life of being ready for the return of our Savior. Of preparing daily for His return.
If you find yourself having slowed down in your preparation, or even stopped, it is time to start again.
