Dear Friends in Christ,<\/p>\n
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In the gospel for today, Jesus describes what life on earth is like until he comes again in glory at the consummation of the age.\u00a0 Regarding the state of the entire world, he says:<\/p>\n
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\u201cSee that no one leads you astray.\u00a0\u00a0Many will come in my name, saying,\u00a0\u2018I am he!\u2019 and they will lead many astray.\u00a0\u00a0And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars,\u00a0do not be alarmed. This\u00a0must take place, but the end is not yet.\u00a0\u00a0For\u00a0nation will rise against nation, and\u00a0kingdom against kingdom. There will be\u00a0earthquakes in various places; there will be\u00a0famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. [Mark 13.5b-8]<\/p>\n
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Jesus’ words ring true.\u00a0 Throughout the world, false prophets preach false gospels of money, material wealth, and earthly glory, and along with these false gospels, they proclaim a false Christ.\u00a0 Right now, war rages in Israel and Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, and countless other places around the globe.\u00a0 Nations plot and scheme to gain advantage one over the other, while natural disasters\u2014hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and wildfires\u2014bring destruction, devastation, famine and want to the places they plague.\u00a0 Trouble is everywhere.\u00a0 But Jesus says: \u201cdo not be alarmed\u201d.\u00a0 These are the beginnings of sorrows.\u00a0 This is just the beginning, and only God knows the end.\u00a0 And while the suffering has begun, on a worldwide scale, chaos and calamity rule the day.\u00a0 So says our Lord, and with our own eyes and in our own lives we see his words come to pass.<\/p>\n
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For us\u2014for the Church\u2014things are also difficult, while we wait for the return of Christ.\u00a0 Jesus says:<\/p>\n
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\u201cBut\u00a0be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten\u00a0in synagogues, and you will stand before\u00a0governors and\u00a0kings for my sake,\u00a0to bear witness before them.\u00a0And the gospel must first be proclaimed\u00a0to all nations.\u00a0And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over,\u00a0do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say\u00a0whatever is given you in that hour,\u00a0for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.\u201d \u00a0[Mark 13.9-11]<\/p>\n
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Again, Jesus’ words ring true.\u00a0 In various parts of Africa, Christians are arrested, tortured.\u00a0 They are even killed because of their faith, oftentimes while they gather in church for worship.\u00a0 In the Muslim world Christian worship and piety is altogether banned.\u00a0 In China, the only legal church is the government sanctioned church which the government controls and limits and censors.\u00a0 Here in our own country, the persecution is not so obvious.\u00a0 We face the subtle, yet no less sinister persecution of a society and government that increasingly demands we keep our faith a totally private matter; that says refrain from expressing your beliefs in public.\u00a0 Keep your faith in church and out of your vocation; out of your social interaction; out of public view.\u00a0 All these attempts to limit the scope of our faith or wipe out Christianity provide us the opportunity to preach the gospel to those who would silence it.\u00a0 They give us a time and place to preach a witness against those who persecute the people of God.\u00a0 Persecution gives us the platform to do just what Jesus says: Publish the gospel among all nations.\u00a0 While we proclaim the gospel, we face persecution.\u00a0 So says our Lord, and with our own eyes and in our lives, we see his words come to pass.\u00a0 And yet, the gospel goes forth, just as Jesus promised.<\/p>\n
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After speaking of the whole world and to the whole Church, finally today Jesus speaks to us on a personal, one-on-one level.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAnd brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death.\u00a0\u00a0And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake\u201d. [Mark 13.12-13a]<\/p>\n
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As the prophet Micah warns us:<\/p>\n
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\u201cDo not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with the woman who lies in your embrace guard the words of your lips. For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law\u2014 a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.\u201d [Micah 7.5-6]<\/p>\n
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On a personal level, we face the threat of martyrdom every day.\u00a0 Those we hold most dear and love with all our heart, may in the end make martyrs of us all.\u00a0 Few, if any of us can say that all our family and friends have been and remain faithful to the Church.\u00a0 And some of us, no doubt, know the heartbreaking sorrow of a loved one who militantly opposes our faith, our hope, and even our Christian love.\u00a0 That is how it is for us in the Church, and that\u2019s how it always has been.\u00a0 So says our Lord, and with our own eyes and in our lives, we see his words come to pass.<\/p>\n
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\nAfter all this bad news, Jesus makes a promise to sustain us through all our trial and tribulation in this life.\u00a0 He says: \u201c\u2026But the one who endures to the end will be saved\u201d. [Mark 13.13]<\/p>\n
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These words of Jesus ring just as true as all that came before.\u00a0 As we endure in our faith in the face of a world struck by the chaos of false prophets, war, and natural disaster, Christ sustains us by his grace.\u00a0 He that shall endure unto the end shall be saved from a world in rebellion against its God.\u00a0 As we endure in our faith in the face of persecution that seeks to quiet our faithfulness, diminish our devotion, and steal us from our Lord, Jesus strengthens us for the fight, energizes us to share the gospel, and grants us fortitude to face even the possibility of martyrdom and baptism in blood.\u00a0 The one who endures unto the end shall be saved.\u00a0 As we endure in our faith in the face of personal opposition and even hatred because of our belief, Christ nourishes our faith with his holy word and this precious promise: He that shall endure unto the end shall be saved.<\/p>\n
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Christ has saved us from it all.\u00a0 He has secured our salvation\u2014Christ has saved us from our great eternal threats by his death upon the cross.\u00a0 On the cross, Christ suffered the attacks of the world that would not receive him as its Savior.\u00a0 On the cross, Christ suffered the persecution of the enemies of God and those who would destroy his Church.\u00a0 On the cross, Christ suffered the abandonment and opposition of those near and dear to his heart, because they lost their faith.\u00a0 And on the cross, Christ sealed his promised of salvation in his very own blood.\u00a0 As his blood poured down upon the ground of Calvary, the healing of the world began.\u00a0 As his blood poured down from the cross the reconciliation of the Church and her enemies was accomplished.\u00a0 As his blood poured down from his hands and feet, head and side, the family of God was restored and our bond with our Lord was made sure.\u00a0 For in his suffering and death upon the cross, Christ sealed his promise: He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.<\/p>\n
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\nSo, as the world rages around us, and as we face persecution from outside the Church; and even as those near and dear dare to challenge our faith and our hope, let us do as the writer to the Hebrews encourages us:<\/p>\n
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\u201cLet us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts\u00a0sprinkled clean\u00a0from an evil conscience and our bodies\u00a0washed with pure water.\u00a0Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for\u00a0he who promised is faithful. \u00a0And\u00a0let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,\u00a0not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and\u00a0ball the more as you see\u00a0the Day drawing near.\u201d [Hebrews 10.22-25]<\/p>\n
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As we draw near to Christ with a true heart, may we always hold this promise of our Lord steadfast in faith: He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.\u00a0 God grant it for Jesus’ sake.\u00a0 In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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