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As we come to the end of one Church Year and the beginning of another, we Lutherans emphasize the End Times and the return of Christ Jesus on the Day of Judgment.
How should we feel about these Last Things? What is to be our preparation? Let's keep in mind the true nature of the return of Jesus as revealed to us by our Lord Himself in Mark chapter 13. There we find that it’s not all death and destruction; instead, for us, His people, Christ’s return is really about salvation: “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (v. 13b), “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven” (vv. 23-27).
Yes, Jesus warns us about a certain amount of upheaval, saying that "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines” (v. 8), along with the darkened sun and falling stars. But ultimately the coming of Christ is good for us children of God because the Son of Man is coming to save us – save us, not in the sense of shedding His blood and dying for us again, but bringing to completion His salvation plan by raising our bodies from the grave, giving us new and glorious bodies, making all things new, and demolishing all evil and the Evil One forever (see Daniel 12; I Cor. 15; I Thess. 4, et al.). That kind of salvation!
What a Savior and King! To redeem us from our sins, first of all, by giving His life on the cross for us. Our salvation is certain because of that work of redemption. Then to give to us another kind of redemption when He comes on the Last Day – new bodies which will never get sick and die again, which will never sin again. That marvelous work of redemption to come!
So what steps should we be taking as we wait for the Son of Man to come, and for God’s plan to be complete? Are we to be frightened and nervous “preppers”? No! We can do no better than to follow the advice of the British poster created at the start of World War II, the one which said, "Keep Calm and Carry On." It was designed to raise morale among the British people in the face of invasion of the Nazis, a terrible time. “Keep Calm and Carry On.”
"Keep Calm” -- That's what Jesus would have us do as we live in these End Times and await His return. Jesus offers the lesson of the fig tree: “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates" (vv. 28-29).
Jesus makes the point that the coming of the kingdom of God is every bit as natural as the springtime sprouting of leaves on trees. Keep calm, he seems to be saying. These end time developments are as predictable as the change of seasons. Even though some of the events of the future will be frightening, the God of the whole created universe is in control.
Yes, it is hard to keep calm when there are wars, earthquakes, persecutions, and divided families. It is difficult to maintain serenity when we receive a cancer diagnosis from the doctor, a positive Covid test, a pink slip from an employer, a failing grade on a final exam. But Jesus assures us that God is in control, and there is one thing that will remain the same forever and ever: the words of Jesus himself. "Heaven and earth will pass away," He predicts, "but my words will not pass away"
(v. 31).
Words like these will not pass away: "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life" (John 6:63). And like these, from Isaiah 43:1b: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.” Keep calm!
The second half of the British poster says, "Carry On." Jesus’ words in Mark 13 are instructive in this regard: "But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake" (vv. 32-37).
Those warnings of our Lord lead us to carry on in a faithful, Christian fashion. We worship. We learn. We pray. We thank God and praise Him. We serve Him, most often by serving others, however long God gives us in this world.
For we know that God is at work in the long march of history, and is moving us toward the day when the Son of Man will come with power and great glory. That may be a fearful time in many ways as Jesus warns us about difficulties in the end times, but it will ultimately be a celebration. For when we see these things taking place, we remember that these events are signs for us to watch for Christ’s coming. And when we see Him coming “in great clouds with power and great glory” (v. 26), we can confidently lift up our heads because Christ is coming to gather us to Himself forever.
And so we wait and watch for Christ’s return. Confidently standing. Confidently watching. For this is Jesus (Jesus!), lovingly completing God’s eternal plan for us, making all things new, including us…never newer, never better. To be forever with Him.
Until that great day of your Savior’s return, may His Spirit lead you to Keep Calm and Carry On.
--Rev. Scott Sailer, District President
(This is a re-write of an article I wrote for the Lutheran Witness, District Supplement, Nov. 2017.)
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