Christ Lutheran Church
Cleveland, Ohio
November 17, 2024
by: Rev. Dean Kavouras

Pentecost 26
Repent For The End Is Near

Now as he exited the temple one of his disciples said to him, "Teacher! Behold! What wonderful stones, and what wonderful buildings." And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here even one stone upon another, which will not be destroyed."

And as he sat on Olive Mountain across from the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, "tell us when these things will be, and what will be the sign when these things will be fulfilled?" And Jesus began to say to them, "See to it that no one should deceive you. Many will come in my name claiming that 'I am he' and many will be deceived. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars do not be troubled, these things must take place. But it is not yet the end! Nation will rise up against nation; and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines - these are the beginning of the birth pangs.

But be on guard! They will hand you over to the Sanhedrin and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before kings for my sake, as a testimony to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all the world. And when they bound you over for trial, do not be anxious beforehand as regards what you should say. But whatever you are given in that hour, that you shall speak. For it is not you who are speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

And brother will betray brother over to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But whoever endures to the end will be saved. Mark 13:1-13 (DKV)

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If you see a modern day John the Baptist on a busy street corner, wearing a sandwich board that says: “Repent, the end is near,” you should listen to him!

Granted, he cannot tell you how to repent, where to confess your sins, or obtain absolution, but that is the church’s job, not his. His role, unorthodox though it may be, is to grab your attention. To remind a person that “the wages of sin is death!” That the world will not always be here, nor will we!.

Like Creation, we had a beginning, and we will have an end. Creation is temporary and we are temporary, too. Just like the 103rd Psalm says,

“As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
then the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.”

We could think of our lives as a finger in a glass of water. As long as the finger is there the displacement stays. But take it out “and its place remembers it no more.” Does this trouble you? It should. Because the sandwich board is right: “Repent! For the End is near.

If you are old, God let you live this long so you can repent. So that you can “be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.” So you can humbly confess your transgressions against his high and holy Laws that men trample on their whole life long. And, so that you can pray like David did, “Forgive me the sins of my youth.” Then what a burden will be lifted!

If you are young the message is the same, “Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins. And if you are a baptized child of God already then hear this word from Saint Paul, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

The message is the same for all. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) And let us all have the words of Jesus fresh on our lips, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” (Mt. 4:10)

Young or old, empty yourself of yourself, and give yourself altogether over to God. Let your life be marked by prayer, worship, sacrifice, endurance and an unbroken record of patience, kindness and goodness. Indeed, “overcome evil with good,” says Saint Paul.

You need not become Mother Theresa because as Lutherans we teach that our good works are chiefly carried out within our vocations: as Christian parents, children, neighbors, employees, employers and citizens. Here, in your own circle influence, is where you will most often:

“Bear one another’s burden
and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal. 6:2)

And as often as we may unexpectedly be called upon to be the Good Samaritan in a field not our own – then let us heed that call, too.

And hear this word from St. Paul, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:58)

Yes, repent! To repent means several things. It means to recognize your wrongs! Regret your wrongs! Own them and, admit to them. And make firm resolution to change your ways by the Spirit’s power. In the wider sense repentance also means to receive and believe the absolution – spoken by the pastor as if by Christ Himself. For this is what Jesus commanded his clergy to do.

Why repent? Because the End is near and when it comes it will be too late! When not one stone is left standing on top of another it will be too late. St. Peter says it like this:

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” (2 Peter 3:9-13)

How should we occupy ourselves in the mean time? Knowing that all the things that our Lord, and his chief Apostle Peter tell us are going to happen? Certainly not by trying to prevent the End by “green deals,” “climate courts,” or “carbon credits.”

Per the Lord’s chief apostle we should lead holy and godly lives, full of prayer, praise, worship, good thoughts, good words, good deeds and worthy pursuits; so that we will be found by him at his return, “without spot or blemish.”

Per our Lord “whoever endures to the end will be saved.” And so let us endure! Let us order our minds and hearts and the very shape of our lives to: endure to the end. It is tall order, but we are tall people in Christ, who has already endured to the End for us.

Yes, HE endured to the end! He withstood beatings, betrayals, denials, wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes and famines in his flesh on the cross for us men and for our salvation. He did not call it quits. He did not come down from the cross as he was taunted to do and had the power to do. No. No. No. He endured to the end. Till every last transgression was paid for, and left us an inexhaustible storehouse of mercy until the new heaven and new earth are firmly established and we take up our residence in them. Amen.