Are You Ready For The End Of All Things?

"Today's Devotion" For November 19, 2005

Read: I Peter 4:7-11
Romans 13:8-14

ARE YOU READY FOR THE END OF ALL THINGS?

"The end of all things is near." (I Peter 4:7a)

Recently the controversy surrounding the teaching of "intelligent design" in addition to evolution in the nation's public school has been a hot topic. An entire school board in another state (Ohio, I believe) was voted out of office because they had determined that intellectual honesty required the teaching of "intelligent design" alongside evolution in the city's schools. The education community was aghast. Politicians were aghast. Many (not all) science "experts" were aghast. The argument against such a plan for including "intelligent design" into the classrooms of the school district was that it was a violation of the "doctrine" of the separation of church and state (which, we might hasten to add, doesn't exist anywhere in the Constitution except in the dulled imaginations of those who refuse to believe God). Some called it "bad science." Yet, the complexity of the universe, the complexity of nature, and the complexity of human beings makes such a claim disingenuous. What's more, "intelligent design" is more of a science fiction concept (unknown alien life forms formed the earth and its inhabitants) than it is a religious concept. Creation, after all, holds that we know who created the heavens and the earth - God.

All this discussion about beginnings, however, is almost ridiculous. The universe exists, however it came to be (bear with me here - I'm not challenging God's creation). People exist, animals exist, sea life exists, plants exist and the natural order of things exists. There's no argument that "creation" exists. While people have this burning desire to "find out where we came from," it seems more timely to wonder about where we're going from here on out. Certainly it's important to know how the world and the universe came to be - what you believe about "the beginning" is crucial to how you view the present and future. To believe that God is the Creator who made all things is to believe that all of Creation is in the palm of His hand and it's His decision as to when "the end of all things" will be.

It's to this very question that Peter speaks in our reading for today. Certainly, thinking about the end of the world is hardly the stuff of daily living. To modern ears it sounds more like fodder for science fiction books and movies. Depending on our age, our thoughts about mortality may range from "I've got all the time in the world," to perusing the obituaries in the newspaper on a daily basis as we watch each generation disappear from the face of the earth. No matter how people view their beginnings, the reality that each person's life will end and that, just as our lives end, it also is reasonable to understand that the life of the universe and the world will also end. The end of our lives and the end of the world are inescapable realities. The scientific laws of entropy and thermodynamics lead us to understand that all things end - God tells us how and why they end.

Scripture gives us a clear picture that all things will come to an end at God's direction and in His time. Jesus Himself speaks about the last days of the earth and the Day of Judgment, as do St. Peter and St. Paul. The Scriptures speak of the imminence of the end of all things. The Scriptures also remind us that everyone needs to be ready for that day to come, because as Jesus, Peter, and Paul all note - "the end of all things is near." The Spirit's message to us is clear and urgent - examine your lives and live in the light of the coming of the end.

It's so very easy for us to lose sight of the reality of the end of all things because the world is blinded by Sin to God's declaration that there will be a Day of Judgment. Our own sinful nature and tendency to do things the world's way rather than God's keep us from truly appreciating the imminence of the end. Yet the questions remain, "When are we going to come to the end of our lives?" "When will the end of all things come to pass?" These are questions to which only God knows the answers. What's essential for us isn't to know the "times or the seasons" that God has ordained, but that we live as if each moment is our last on earth. It means living in God's love and forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ and readily sharing that faith and trust with others, so they too might be with Jesus in heaven. To live with the immanence of the end as the people of God is to live a life in Christ, motivated by faith, which serves God by loving other people in Jesus' name.

When will it be your last day? When will my life come to an end? None of us knows. Yet we give praise and thanks to God that He reminds us in His Word that living each day in Him is essential; that living our lives to the full means living each day as if it were both the last day and the first day of the rest of our lives. In so doing we stay focused on Jesus, and live lives that reflect His grace, mercy, love and forgiveness as we touch the lives of others. In this way we are both blessed and a blessing.

Prayer: Father, it's very hard for me to stay focused on You with all the temptations and daily activities of life pulling me away. Certainly, the imminence of the "end of all things" doesn't really register most of the time in my words and actions. Too often I'm guilty of putting myself ahead of You and my service to others. Too often I act as if I have forever to obey You and repent of my sins, so that I'm not always ready for my end to come. Such behavior on my part serves only to cut me off from Your love and forgiveness and keeps me from being an effective witness to others so they might also believe and be with You forever. Father, forgive me for such disregard of Your Word and Will and, by the power and presence of Your Spirit working in me through my Baptism, help me to live today and each day as if You were coming immediately. I pray all this in the precious and most holy name of Jesus, my Savior and Lord. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright ©2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.