23rd Sunday after Pentecost
Malachi 4:1-2a; Psalm 98; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19
Unsettling may well describe the gospel reading for this coming Sunday. There will be no shelter provided by strong and tall buildings. They all can be burned down to the ground. Once that happens, watch! False prophets and teachers will come. They will be followed by civil unrest, natural disasters, wars, and disease. If that is not enough, there will be persecution and betrayal by those once trusted and loved. All will lead to death.
Thank goodness Jesus’ predictions have already come to fruition. All items on the list were checked between Jesus’ Crucifixion, around 30 AD, and the de facto destruction of the temple by the Roman Legions after the Jewish revolt that took back Jerusalem between approximately 65 to 70 AD. We can take a deep breath and relax. Or can we?
As we have experienced in recent times, hardships can challenge faith, shake the foundations of things we deem stable and sure, and turn believers against each other. The evils that the community of saints confronts and stands against never go anywhere. They persist around us, among us, and within us. We can follow the advice of the author of 2 Thessalonians and not get too comfortable about gathering together and practicing our faith.
It has always taken a village. It still does. It still takes participation and collaboration from all of us to ensure that we remain in relationship with Christ and one another. Because of those relationships, the promise that the sun of righteousness will rise upon us remains true.
The Lord has made his victory known, proclaims the psalmist. Together we can still do hard yet marvelous things.
Bridging Faith 