1. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Trust in the midst of trouble. That is what our Lord calls us to experience today as He speaks to us from Mark 13:24-37 for the Last Sunday of the Church Year. The message for today is entitled, “Trust in the Midst of Trouble,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. During the height of the COVID pandemic, quarantining led to something new: Quaran-teaming. Quaran-teaming was a practice where people formed social pods or teams to help them get through the isolation. For example, if your family formed a quaran-team with your neighbor's family, you promised one another you would observe safe practices in all your social interactions so your children could play together without masks.
3. I found this process interesting. Separation led to closeness. In the presence of suffering, people developed intentional relationships built on mutual trust. Although our world was breaking apart and daily interactions were limited and the sick and the infirm were isolated, individuals came together. Closely. Intentionally. For care and support. Like a child reaching for her mother's hand in the face of danger, trouble brought trust to light. Trust in the midst of trouble. That is what our Lord calls us to experience today.
4. In our gospel reading from Mark 13:24-37, Jesus is speaking to a few of His disciples about the end of the world. The vision He offers is frightening. Nature breaks apart. The sun and the moon no longer give light. The stars no longer hang in the sky. They fall from the heavens. Everything is falling apart. But trouble brings trust to light.
5. As Jesus unfolds this frightening vision, He offers His disciples a comforting promise. The Son of Man will come. He will gather His people from the ends of the earth. And He will reveal what has always been true - that He rules over all things (Mark 13:26) and His word is to be trusted (Mark 13:31). Amid these frightening changes, one thing remains the same, Jesus, who promises to be there for you.
6. Jesus will come with the clouds of Heaven. He will no longer be someone you can spit on and torture and nail to a cross. He will no longer be someone you can worship if you have the time or if you do not have anything else going on that weekend. No, He will reveal Himself as Lord of all. All things are under His control. When He comes with power and glory, angels go forth at His bidding. From the ends of the earth and the ends of the heavens, He gathers His people. And His promise of salvation, of eternal life in His Kingdom, will fully and finally come true.
7. So, “watch,” Jesus says. His words to you are life and His promises will never pass away. In the end, you will see He has conquered sin, conquered death, conquered Satan, for you. Our risen Lord Jesus is the reigning Lord Jesus. Even now when He is so hard to see.
8. I was reading a story the other day about a little boy who wanted a wristwatch. Day in and day out he pestered his parents, but they continually put him off. Finally, he drove them to the breaking point. The father told the youngster that he didn’t want to hear another word from him about a watch. So, for the rest of the week the lad said nothing about it. He knew that to do so would only invite punishment. But, Sunday soon rolled around and in the evening the family was gathered for devotions. It was a custom in the family for each member to learn a new verse of Scripture and recite it during the devotion. Every other member of the family had said his Scripture verse when it came time for the small boy to quote his. Looking up with a very solemn face, he quoted the final verse of our text perfectly, “What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” (Mark 13:37).
9. Now I’m not sure if that little boy got his watch or not. But I do know that he was persistent. And it is that same sort of persistence and single-mindedness that God desires of us when it comes to watching for Christ’s return. “Whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn” (Mark 13:35), Christ will return. Washed with his mercy and forgiveness in Baptism, and reassured by his Word, we are constantly vigilant for that glorious day when he appears. Then sin, death, and the devil will be banished from our lives forever. What we know by faith will be confirmed with sight. Time will be brought to its fulfillment. The joys of the new heavens and new earth will be ours eternally. We will celebrate the unending feast we anticipate every time we partake of our Lord’s Supper, as Scripture says: “Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Cor 11:26). “What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
10. I do not know about you, but it seems as if life in our world has changed so quickly. I am not talking about COVID, now. I am talking about our social interactions. Our nation's public codes of behavior and topics of conversation have changed, and, for Christians, that can be bewildering. We wonder how to respond.
11. Today, Jesus comes among us to remind us of what we already know. The kingdom He brings is not of this world. If the world does not look like the Church, that is because it is not. His Kingdom is not a political kingdom, established by votes and enforced by power. His Kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. And He works by grace.
12. We must remember that the phrase “Second Coming” implies that this won’t be the first time that Christ has come to this earth. What makes Christ’s Second Advent a joyous time for us is what happened at his First Coming. Gal 4:4–5 says, “But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, to redeem those under law.” The first time that Christ came, he wrapped himself in the chains that enslaved us, then broke them for us. He paid the price for humanity’s fall into sin so that we could stand before him, deemed perfect and without blemish, ready for his Second Coming. The eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ, entered into human history, and became a helpless infant. He grew up and lived a sinless life to fulfill the Law for us. He did all of this in order to rescue you and me from unending time under judgment.
13. It’s only when we consider both Christ’s First and Second Comings together that the Good News of our Gospel Lesson from Mark 13:24-37 becomes fully clear. At his First Coming Jesus put us right with God, and at his Second Coming, all that Christ accomplished at his First Coming will reach its final fulfillment. Both advents together make our salvation complete and sure.
14. By grace, today, Jesus gives us His promise: “I am your Lord and Savior. One day, you will see Me on the clouds of Heaven, revealing who I am. The Lord of all nations. Until that day, however, I come in hidden ways. In a word spoken from a pulpit. In a splash of water on a child's head in holy baptism. In the bread and wine shared at your communion table. I am there, in body and blood, in power and love, for you. From now until the day of My return, the world will change, and people will wander from their God. Such changes are disorienting, frightening. As my disciples, I know you will feel isolated, alone. But look and listen. Like a tree, putting forth its leaves, about to bear fruit, these changes and challenges are just the signs of My coming. When the world gives you trouble, I give you a relationship of trust. Trust in the One who overcame the world and who will finally come for you. Until that day, gather together. Support one another. Watch for my coming. For one day, I will return. I am the master of the Household, and, when I come, I will open my Kingdom and welcome you home.” Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus until life everlasting. Amen.
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