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The Last Sunday of the Church Year – 11/24/2024
Isaiah 65:17-25
Rev. Christopher W. Brademeyer
That portion of God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our Old Testament lesson from the book of the prophet Isaiah in the sixty-fifth chapter with special emphasis on verses seventeen through nineteen which read as follows:
“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.”[1]
Thus far the Scriptures.
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The end of the Church year brings a reflection on the end of all things, that is, our readings this week focus on the finality of this world. In case you did not know, this Sunday, the last one before Advent begins, is the end of our liturgical calendar, that is, the church year calendar. And this occasion has for generations given us time to focus on the final things: the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, the final Judgement, the resurrection of the dead, and the new heavens and the new earth. It is good that we do this, as it is very easy to get all twisted up about these final things.
As with many things, there are two extremes to avoid here: the first says that Jesus is never coming back and that all this talk is metaphoric or something. Similar in spirit to this is the idea that Jesus is coming back but that it must be a long, long time in the future, so we really do not need to worry about that. Against this is the New Testament, biblical expectation of the immanent return of Christ.
On the other hand, there is an opposite temptation to fret and worry in anxiety, constantly worrying about the return of Christ. If the first error is characterized by a lack of care or attention to the return of Christ, the second is characterized by being overly fixated on it in an unhealthy way. That is to say, it is a fear about Christ and what He will do when He comes, an anxiety about what He will judge and say, and whether or not I will be on the right side of things when Jesus returns.
Dear friends in Christ, we should not see these final things in this way. Yes, the return of the Lord will be unexpected and sudden.[2] But this is not for your harm, but for your good. The return of the Lord will bring with it the final playing out of the finished work of the Cross, and with it, our eternal fates will be made known fully and completely. To put it another way, Jesus’s return is a great good for Christians. It is when this dying world will pass away, and God will make a new heavens and a new earth for us who are raised and judged righteous by faith. In other words, we who trust Jesus to deliver us, who look to Him for His salvation, who rely on Him to make it through this life and into the next, we will gain exactly what the Lord promises: everlasting life, righteousness, and joy without end. And in this new world, these new heavens and earth, God will not be foreign to us, dwelling in heaven far away, instead He will be enthroned in our midst, ruling over us as our watchful and protecting Shepherd.[3] No more will there be suffering. No more will there be tragedy. No more will live be cut short. Disease and hunger, depression and death, these will all be gone, no more to strike us. Even greater than the Eden made for our first parents will this world be. Greater than the greatest blessings of this world. Greater than the greatest joys. And it is all set and done in the saving work of Christ.
We Christians do not need to fear the judgement of Christ on the Judgement Day. The Day of the Lord, the return of Christ, the Judgement; these are but the first day of a never-ending reality. And make no mistake, we need not worry about where we are in all of this: God is rather clear about it. He consigns none of His people to hell or suffering but grants them everlasting joy and peace in the world to come.
There is no fear because the judgement is already known! Christ says that we who believe in Him shall have everlasting life![4] This is God’s very judgement! We are judged not according to our sins, but according to Christ. His life, He death, His resurrection are the basis of our eternal standing before God. And this work of His is perfect, undefiled by His own sin, and without any flaw of any sort. Therefore, it is our salvation, righteousness, and hope. As surely as the Lord lives, so too will we, as we are united to Christ’s death and resurrection by Baptism.[5] The testimony and works of the Lord are sure and certain and reliable. His Word is true and absolute.
So, then, we need not fear the end. We live here in these gray and latter days,[6] the last phase of human history, as this period will draw to a close when our Lord returns. That day will indeed be a surprise, but up until then we are promised that life will have suffering and hardship, particularly for being a Christian. But these things are but trifles, little bumps in the road of life as we head toward heaven and the resurrection to come. Why do I say this in the face of great evil and hardship? Because Christ is greater than all these things and no evil power can overcome Him or His saving work on our behalf. And so, we who are here, anticipating the return of Christ will indeed meet him, either first in heaven after we draw our last breath, or in His return as we are caught up in the air with Him as He comes to judge the nations.[7] And then, those who have died will be raised in their bodies from the grave and those who have not died will be translated, that is be made into glorified bodies like those who have been raised with will never again suffer weakness or pain or sorrow of any sort. After this will be the final judgement, with the righteous, that is the Christians, being given the gift of the new creation and the those who rejected Christ will be given what they most desire: the hell that comes by being absented from God.
Besides all this, we need not fret and worry about the return of Christ as if we were naughty school kids worrying about the return of the teacher to the classroom. No, our Lord is already here in His Word and the holy Sacraments, as He promised. By the power of the Holy Spirit He is making Christians, confirming the faithful in their faith, strengthening the weak, forgiving the sinful, healing the infirm, binding up the broken-hearted, and ensuring peace for troubled souls. All of this is rooted in His saving, victorious work, His saving death on the Cross, where His precious blood was shed to forgive us, grant us everlasting life, and to ensure an eternal future for the faithful.
In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.
The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
[1] Isaiah 65:17-19 English Standard Version
[2] 1 Thessalonians 5:2
[3] Revelation 21:4
[4] John 3:16
[5] Romans 6:3
[6] LSB 834, v. 4
[7] 1 Thessalonians 4:17
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