This morning, there are many of us who may be wondering where is God?
How can a loving God allow such darkness in our world?
This is an ancient, and very basic question: Why do bad things happen to innocent people?
Some may point to events like what happened in Paris and is happening in places like Syria as indications that the world as we know it may be coming to an end.
It can be argued that the signs are already with us: wars and rumors of wars, disease, poverty, and the world seeming to fall into the chaos of oppression and senseless violence!
There have been best-selling books written about it, movies and TV shows made about it, and it has been preached and taught about in churches, temples and mosques.
The ancient Hebrews called it the “The Day of the Lord”, some refer to it as “The End Times”, and others…simply “The Rapture” or “The Second Coming”.
I first heard about The Rapture when I was in grade school and the whole idea scared me…a lot!
We were warned that it would happen in the blink of an eye: a trumpet would sound, and then all those who were ‘saved’ would be taken away, and those left behind…well they were in for a rough time of it!
I remember being told that I could be doing something as simple as brushing my teeth at night, and look up in the mirror to see Jesus standing there behind me. So I better be prepared so as not to get caught doing something I wasn’t supposed to be doing!
After hearing all these stories about the Rapture, you can imagine how terrified I was when I was woken up late one night by the air-raid siren going off! I was sure that this WAS the trumpet I had been told about…announcing that time was up!!
Now, I am not here to put down anyone else’s beliefs,
I know that I do NOT have all the answers,
And it is a good thing that we all find a faith that works for us.
However, I never quite bought into the whole Second Coming thing.
That said, the thought of The Rapture still holds a fascination for me…probably because it did scare me so much when I was a kid, and I enjoy a good ‘end of the world’ story.
It seems that I am not alone in this…as one of the most popular shows on TV today is about a world that has been over-run by zombies!
The Apocalypse has long been a popular theme in our culture…
I believe that the increased interest in the end-times can be attributed, at least in part, to the dramatic changes we have seen in our world over the last 150 years, as we have gone from horse and buggy to the stars, and from telegrams and party lines to the internet and text messaging!
Not to mention the fact that we have lived in the shadow of the Civil war, and experienced two world wars…some of you having experienced war personally.
We have also had to endure the cold war with THE BOMB hanging over our heads, which gave us all new things to fear…fears that have only been enhanced by new concerns over climate change, economic collapse and the horrors of random violence and of terrorism…as we have seen all too clearly in the past few days.
Change has come quickly to us…for most of human history we lived without electricity or the combustion engine, without computers and micro-chips, and now we would have a hard time living without these things!
Seen in this light, it is not that hard to understand why many people believe that the Rapture is at hand!
Yet there is one thing missing in the stories of the Second Coming: and that is GRACE!
Usually the stories of the Rapture gave us a vision of Jesus coming out of the clouds as a warrior and a judge…and a bit angry, but not as the forgiving and gracious Christ!
I was taught about God’s grace in my church, and it was shared with me at home, and is in fact the whole reason I had a home and family to care for me…
However, I seldom heard about the grace of God anywhere else.
Instead it felt like we were bombarded by bad news which stirred up our fears…and increased the ratings for the nightly news!
Grace is a pretty big thing to miss, as it is at the core of God’s great love for us…love we do not earn, but which is given to us a free gift!
It is this grace which is always with us surrounding us just like the air we breathe.
While I was growing up and struggling with questions of faith, I was curious about how grace fit into this whole idea of the Rapture, but my pastor didn’t seem all that interested in talking about it.
If I brought it up the subject would be changed quickly, or my questions were just disregarded.
So when I got to seminary I asked my Theology professor what he thought of the Rapture.
He told me that he thought the whole idea was irrelevant because as Lutherans we do not look for the second coming of Jesus, but to the imminent presence of Christ in the world!
Adding, how can there be a ‘Second Coming’ if Christ has never left us?
He went on to say that he believed that our calling as followers of Christ is not to look to the heavens for paradise, but to strive towards making the Kingdom of God a reality right here in this world!
Martin Luther referred to this as ‘the Priesthood of all Believers’…teaching that as we have been given the gift of new life and forgiveness through the sacrifice of Christ, we no longer need to worry about earning our place in the hereafter, and free to follow this call to continue the ministry of Christ, by proclaiming the good news of God’s love in the midst our broken world!
When we make Christ known in our world, by living our faith out-loud WE are God’s grace in action!
The same Grace that comes to us through Christ, and is evident in today’s Gospel.
When Jesus tells his disciples: “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” He is not making some ominous prediction about the judgement of God coming down on the world…nor is he really talking about the destruction of the temple (which did eventually happen), but he is teaching us that sometimes we have to clear away the wreckage of the past in order to make way for something new to grow in its place.
This is not necessarily an easy thing to do…often making these changes can be very difficult and even painful.
I believe Jesus was well aware of this, which is why he offers us hope by saying: “This is but the beginning of the birth pangs”, as while not always painless, birth is time of hope…a time of new life!
Just as with bringing a child into the world, and raising that child to adulthood, following the call of Christ to bring the Kingdom of God into our world, can be frustrating and challenging…but the good news is that we do not face these challenges alone, for Christ is with us on this journey of change, working through each of us as we help each other along the way toward the kingdom.
For we are all called to be the Body of Christ in the world, and as such we are a catalyst for change and growth, as we share the good news of God’s love with all people…
The good news that we are all God’s children!
We share this good news by treating each other as part of the same family…and just as in any family this does not mean we are always going to agree, or even get along, but it does mean that the love we share together will not be broken by any petty differences or disagreements! It means that we will support and care for each other, as brothers and sisters in Christ!
And when we share our faith together we can empower ourselves to proclaim this message of love and acceptance with a world desperately in need of good news.
When we offer our money, time or talents in support of community and global causes that seek to alleviate pain and suffering.
When we reach out to those who are feeling lost and lonely with friendship…
When we visit the sick to support them and their loved ones during a difficult time…
When we treat others with respect and compassion…
Including those who hold different beliefs…
And even those people who may even mock our faith…
We are showing people where God is: Right here with us, walking with us and weeping with us, and shining the light hope through the darkness of our world…
And that light is the promise of Christ that one day we will be reconciled with God and with each other, and will no longer know fear, oppression or senseless violence (as if there is any other type).
As we share this light with each other we are fulfilling our call to be Christ to the world, encouraging all to breathe deeply of the grace that surrounds us!
For when people just stop for a moment and breathe in the grace of God…we are reminded that we are all walking in the light, and new resources for meeting the challenges of today are found!
And the Kingdom of God comes within our grasp!
Amen
Ordinary Adventures 
This is the 2nd time I’ve read this sermon…and it gives me hope and a great deal of comfort. Reminds me that l personally have the “tools” to do Christ’s work and help those around me. Thank you David
Thank you!!