Words of Hope

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But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.  And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.  Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. Jude 1:20-25

Flipping through the TV channels the other day, I came up with a great idea for a new program. It would be a half-hour long game show entitled “The Waiting Game.” What would make this show new and exciting is the fact that I would give the contestants their prizes at the beginning of the show. Right from the first minute of air time they would all know exactly what was in store for them at the end of the half-hour. And to make it even more unbelievably wonderful, during the course of the show there would be no trivia questions to answer, no feats of skill to accomplish. No one would be made to sing or dance or act or tell jokes to gain their prize; all the contestants would have to do is simply wait. Can’t you just picture it all! They could sit in really comfortable chairs, or maybe on a couple of sofas. They could sit quietly for the half-hour thinking to themselves, or they could talk to one another if they really wanted to. I think it has real potential to be a ratings giant! What about you?

Well, you don’t have to worry, I already tried passing it by some network executives. They weren’t in the least bit interested. They said the whole thing sounded insincere, like a big joke, and asked me where I got such a crazy idea. Believe it or not, I got the idea from looking at the lives of Christians, my own included. You see, we are all right now at this very moment, playing the waiting game. In these last few days of the church year our focus has ever more increasingly been upon Christ, who has promised to return. We are waiting, as St. Jude put it, for our (21) “Lord Jesus Christ to bring us to eternal life.”

Part of this waiting involves getting ready. In the Gospel of Mark for this week Jesus told us to always be ready because we don’t know how long we might have to wait. Jude also points out the importance of this personal preparation. He gives a fourfold exhortation to Christians. First, we are to continue building ourselves up in our most holy faith. We are to continue to go to Church, to hear God’s Word and to receive His Sacraments. Second, we are to pray in the Holy Spirit. The Holy sprit gives us the strength and the words we need to talk with God on a personal basis. Third, Jude tells us to keep ourselves in God’s love. God’s love will never leave us, but we can surely turn our backs on it. Finally, Jude tells us to always keep our attention fixed on the mercy of Jesus Christ which will bring us to eternal life. As Christians we know that the prize is already ours, we need only wait for that final fulfillment of all God’s promises when Christ returns again in glory. So in the meantime, we wait, and we watch, and we prepare.

And yet if our lives as Christians were nothing more than this “Waiting Game,” this drawing in upon ourselves in preparation for the end; we could easily become as insincere as this fictional game show I described to you. This time in which we wait is not a necessary evil we all must endure. If that were so, then God would be like a mischievous child tormenting a cat by dangling a string just out of its reach. Our time here would be a punishment. But, God is not a tormentor, and our time here is not a punishment. Our time of waiting is a gift from a loving God. It is a time in which God calls us not only to be prepared but also to be active.

For as much as our text from Jude calls us to focus upon God’s gifts and promises, it also calls us to use the time left to us to serve others. Jude outlines several groups of people and the ways in which we are to be of help to them. First we are to be merciful to those who doubt. These are our fellow believers: Our brothers and sisters in Christ, who are beset by false teachers, improper expectations, and the temptations of the world around us. We are called to use these last times to build them up in their most holy faith as well as our own.

The second group we are called to serve is in much worse shape. “Snatch others from the fire and save them …” Many people around us are in mortal danger. They have never heard of the mercies of Christ, or don’t yet believe in Him. Our call to serve them is most urgent. It is hard to interpret a phrase like “snatching from the fire” in a nonchalant, “whenever I can get around to it” kind of attitude. This is THE most important and urgent task you’ve been given – one to be done right now, before it is too late.

The final group mentioned in the text is one step beyond the previous two. As with these first two groups, these also are people who we are to treat with mercy. This group, however, also deserves our fear. These are the ones so stained by their beliefs and lifestyles that they are a danger to be around. They are the ungodly, unrepentant few, who outwardly seek to trap and ensnare the righteous. They are the overly worldly, those who have so fallen victim to their sinful flesh even their clothing is stained. But Jude doesn’t say that even these souls can be left alone! We are to treat them with mercy, despite the dangers to ourselves.

This all seems like a pretty daunting task, I will admit. If the prize is ours then wouldn’t it be easier just to keep ourselves safe and prepared, while we wait? After all, our salvation doesn’t depend upon our good deeds does it? Of course not! But just because we are justified it does not mean that we have been given the right to slack off either. We should never boil the Gospel down to little more than an excuse for inactivity. Saying in effect, “Thats OK because I’m forgiven anyway.” That kind of thinking is at best, insincere. The Gospel is so much more than that. It not only sets a hard task before us, it gives us the strength and courage to face up to it. The precious blood of Christ serves not to coat our lives with exuses, but to course through our veins, pumping life and energy into all that we do in His name and for His kingdom.

Just look at the way that Jude speaks about Christ. “To him who is able to keep you from falling, and present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy…” Christ is our strength in all that we do. He was here, in the flesh, to take the burden of our sin. He came back in life, to give us eternal life. He is here with us in every deed, to bear us up and keep us from falling. The promise of Christ is not a promise of an easy way out. It is a promise of the strength needed to keep trying. Furthermore, Christ himself is the one who will bring us before God, when our time of waiting is done. None of our actions will help or hinder us in coming before God. Whether we served others well or not. Whether we are able to snatch anyone from the fire, or just get our hands burnt trying. Jesus will bring us and set us down before the Almighty. And as we stand there with Him, we will be blameless, free of guilt and shame, and full of all joy at all that Jesus has done for us.

In these last few days of our church year, and then on into the season of Advent which is quickly approaching, let us continue to prepare ourselves and to serve others. Let us keep our hearts and minds directed toward Our Lord Jesus and that glorious day when all his promises will be fulfilled. That is surely something worth waiting for.

Amen.

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Its Tuesday of Holy week, and Jesus has just finished a grueling day in the temple answering the charges of Israel’s faithless shepherds. As He and the disciples make their leave, one of the twelve chimes in with words I can only assume were meant to soothe, and comfort: (1) And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” The stones in question were upwards of 37′ long, by 18′ high and 12′ wide, weighing more than 100 tons each! It had taken nearly 50 years to build the temple to this point, and it wasn’t done yet! … In essence what the fellow was trying to say was: I know it was rough in there today Jesus, but the church is more than those guys! Just look at all this glory and splendour that will outlive them all!

(2) And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” Can you imagine their shock and dismay? Little did they know that this would be the last time Jesus would set foot in the Holy Temple. He would not return. Knowing this makes His words all the more poignant. Jesus’ last words for the Holy Temple are ones of destruction and dismay. It would not outlive even some of those standing there that day!

Not only does it throw a damp towel on their budding optimism, but it casts fear into their hearts! The temple was the visible presence of God with His people. It was the sign of His strength, His glory, His favour. People may come and go, but the House of the Lord was meant to stand forever! Is it any wonder that as soon as they could, they pursue it further? 3 And as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”

Jesus’ answer to them has often been called “The Little Apocalypse.” It is an answer that rocked them to their very foundations. In it He blends into one picture His death, the destruction of Jerusalem within that generation, the second coming and end of the world. He gives ominous warnings of what will come, both in the world around us and within our own lives and families.

(5) And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray.” False prophets lulling the world to sleep with words of appeasement and validation, wars at hand and wars in far off places … everyone fighting for their entitlement. Everyone seeking to claim their rights, their slice of the pie, their piece of the dream – no matter what it costs anyone else. Yet, no matter how bad it gets, it can and will get worse! For society will be ripped apart, and all creation will yet be shaken and blighted.

But Jesus isn’t done yet for He then warns His disciples about the coming troubles they will face as they bring God’s Word – the Holy Gospel – into the world. (9-10) “But be on your guard.” Made to answer for doing good and preaching Christ, being treated as criminals, called before rulers and authorities as disturbers of the peace, insurrectionists, or worse. Belittled and bemoaned, prohibited and persecuted, controlled and crushed … such is what lies in store for those who proclaim Christ. And not even within your own family will you be safe and free from it all! (12-13) And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.

The warnings are stark and grim, blunt and direct. They have led Christians through the ages to try with fevered passion to decipher the signs and gain some forewarning. To shore up the walls of the church as a butress against persecution, to glory in the promise of God’s house when other homes are falling apart. But that is not why Jesus gave us these signs. He is seeking to draw His disciples away from trust in the old forms, hollow religion, and earth-bound glories.

What will save us when our Lord’s warnings come true (as they have since the day the temple fell until now) is not the work of our hands or the wealth of our storehouses, or the strength of our familial bonds. The church is more than buildings, and budgets or even you or me. What makes a house of worship worthy is not its outward appearances, but the Word of God in it. Christ Jesus is our church’s true cornerstone, and her sure foundation. A stone that no amount of persecution and opposition can tumble! (Mk 12:10-11) The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. (Eph. 2:19-20) The household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.

There is no more need of the Temple for Jesus is the visible, bodily presence of God with His people. He is God’s strength, His glory, His favour in the flesh! He is the fulfillment of all that the Temple and its sacrifices and its worship once did in bringing God and men together. As we read in the Epistle, (Heb.14, 19-23) For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified … Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

As the end draws near dear friends, it is not really about the end, nor about the signs that tell you its coming. It is about centering our life and faith to trust in God, for His promises are faithful. It is about coming to rely not on all this (indicating building) … but on the Holy Spirit – even in the midst of opposition and persecution – especially in opposition and persecution!

This world will leave no stone unturned in its quest to try and topple your faith and crush your hopes. The assaults will come from out there, and sometimes from in here. It will come from total strangers and from your closest family. You will be hated for the name of Jesus you bear. But thanks be to God that He has the last word. And His word is that He has left not one stone unturned in building up for you an everlasting heavenly home in the life death and resurrection of His one and only Son. John 2:19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The world tried to tear Him down, but it failed. He rose again, victorious and whole. So will you!

And until that coming day when He will return and take you from this world to that heavenly home He keeps you safe in His church. And while the building blocks of His Word and Sacraments are not much to look at, they are far sturdier than all the stones of the ancient temple together. For the building blocks of Christ’s House here on earth are the Word (preached and proclaimed to all the world) and the gift of the Holy Spirit and faith when and where this Holy Gospel is heard. And these cannot be overturned for they are from God Himself given in Christ, lived in the Holy Spirit … for your hope and protection. (Isaiah 55:11-12) so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace. This is a promise you can build your future on!

AMEN.