In today’s Gospel reading, we are given a powerful vision of the shaking of the heavens. The sun and moon darken as the stars fall from the sky. It is a vision of a terrifying moment, the time when all of creation convulses, for the end of everything has come. On that day, we are told we will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. This is the return of Christ. It is the day we have all been waiting for, when He will send out the angels and gather His chosen from the ends of the earth. Now look, this is a big deal. It is a reminder that the clock is ticking, time will run out, and just as everything we know had a beginning, so it will have an end. We pray for this day. We long for it.

Now, a big reason we long for this promised day is that it is, for us, for the children of God, a day of promised victory. It is not a day of uncertainty or a day where we are not confident about the outcome. No, for you, for the baptized, this is the day when you will be judged in Christ, judged not by your works, not by your effort, but by His holiness and perfection. Trusting in Christ alone is all the confidence you need. The threat of eternal death, the vision of the Lake of Fire, and the weeping and gnashing of teeth all stand out there beyond the day of His return. But for you, this will not be your end. You will enter into Paradise. The battle has been won and the victory is secured. You are saved by grace, through faith in Christ alone. Such salvation opens wide the gates of Heaven. So, when you hear about the great day of the Lord’s return, you ought not to be fearful but eager to enter into His blessing.

Of course, this truth, this anticipation creates a bit of a conundrum for us. It is a struggle to have faith in the final victory on the horizon while we remain waiting for it. For some, this empties our days now of meaning and purpose. Are we just spinning our wheels while we wait? Do our days, our choices, and our actions here and now have meaning when compared to what is to come? There is excitement and longing, but what about here and now? What about today, tomorrow, or next week? When our Lord speaks about the end of this age, He gives us some guidance about our time. Rather than emptying us of meaningfulness, He fills us with purpose about all we do here and now. This impacts your life. It influences the choices you make. If you are like me and you have those moments when you feel you are aimlessly wandering through your days, that it does not matter what you do, or it all seems pointless, He has something else to offer us.

Jesus begins with a lesson from the fig tree. He says, “As soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know He is near, at the very gates.” I love this image. For even here in this temperate and beautiful climate where we do not seem to have seasons, the trees tell a different story. There is still a rhythm to the days, a time of new growth and new fruit. Orchards surround us, and we see the movement of time as the oranges and avocados begin to show up and ripen. So, when we see the turmoil of this age and experience the groaning of creation under the stress of sin, we are to mark it as the approach of the Son of Man. We are reminded how this is all ending, that the heavens and the earth will pass away. Our goal is not to perfect this age, and our hope is not to dwell in Heaven, but we are called to look toward the new heavens and new earth to a perfected creation after this is all undone.

Then, as you contemplate the new fruit and the movement of time, Jesus says, “Heaven and Earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” His words are eternal. His promises, His proclamation concerning you, concerning those who trust in Him, will not end with time. And this Word is given to you here and now. His gifts are real and powerful. They connect you and your actions to eternity itself. Think of it this way, you have been baptized, washed in the promises of your God. His Word declares that you are in the world but not of it. As it passes, you will live on. His Word disjoints you from all of this dying and failing. Instead, He calls for you to love one another, to be the light on the hill, the salt that gives hope and promise to the world. The victory at the end is already yours because of His eternal Word, and this Word shapes you as you forgive, teach, and guide others.

Jesus then goes on to say how no one knows the day or hour when this age will reach its culmination. No one knows when He will come again in glory and power as the King of kings and Lord of lords. So, He says, “Be on guard. Keep awake, for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore, stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.” As we await our master’s return and go about our work, we are called to “stay awake.”

This is what we do, we stay awake. But, let us be honest, there are a lot of things to lull us to sleep. To sleep is to turn from the eternal Word, to forget who you are, to wander away from your baptism and the promises of Christ. We can easily become consumed with the worries and struggles of our age. Maintaining our hope in the Word of Christ when surrounded by suffering and turmoil is easier said than done. Each of you has fears and anxieties which demand your attention and drive your actions. We worry about our finances and our retirement plans, struggle with failed relationships, and painful regrets. We quickly turn to easy entertainment to comfort our souls. From social media to video games or pornography, we cope by dulling our senses with a barrage of addictive drugs. We look for permanence in the strength of our own hands. Staying awake and maintaining our trust and hope in the eternal Word is difficult. At times, it is painful. It is easier to sleep.

But Jesus shouts, “What I say to you, I say to all: Stay awake!” The good news is this begins right here. Here, we gather where the Word of God meets us. It is the Word who created all things, the Word who has called you by name, the Word who embraces you as heirs of eternal life. That Word gets ahold of you here. It engages you and fills you. It says you are sinners in thought, word, and deed, by what you have done and left undone. And we confess that the Word is true. Then, the Word says, “I forgive you all of your sins in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” The Word reminds you of the victory and invites you to take and eat, take and drink the very body and blood of our Savior. Here again, forgiveness rises above your broken lives, and the promises of God pour out upon you. You leave this fellowship with the blessing of your Creator, marked and set aside as one of His own dear children.

Your lives, therefore, are lives of consequence. Once again, you are shaken from slumber, but it does not end there. You are turned toward one another. In fact, you are turned out to your neighbor where they are found. In your family, in your vocation, and in your recreation, you go with the promises of the eternal Word of God. You go to love and forgive as you have been loved and forgiven. And together, we will be found awake when the Master returns.