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Back during the Reformation, the worse things got, the more Martin Luther and the Reformers thought the world was going to end.  When he wrote a preface for the book of Revelation in his 1521 translation of the Bible, he didn’t think much of its end-time speculations.  It was still in the beginning of the Reformation, and wars over religion had not been fought yet.  But when he republished the Bible in 1530, he updated the preface to Revelation, made it four times longer, and now saw his current struggles and persecutions reflected in the book.  The Pope wasn’t the Antichrist in 1521, but sure was in 1530!  All that said, supposedly when Luther was asked what he would do today if the world were going to end tomorrow, he said, “Plant an apple tree.” 

            What’s interesting is how “end of the world” thinking really grows when there’s a lot of disruptive change, a lot of loss, suffering, and persecution.  I personally think that the “end-time” speculations in our current time are driven by those very same things.  Fortunately, history has been full of those times.  It reminds us that “worlds” come to an end, and that every time people thought THE world was ending it didn’t.  In the Gospel this Sunday (Luke 21:5-19), Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem that happened in 70 AD.  The Temple was the center of religious life in Israel back then.  That world ended.

            Jesus’ “end time” advice is still timely:  Don’t worry.  (I know!  Easier said than done.)  Don’t follow false messiahs with false promises.  Yes, we might feel threatened because of our faith, or at the very least our faith will come with a cost in our relationships.  But don’t get defensive, Jesus says.  Persevere, endure, and we’ll preserve our souls. 

            That sounds really difficult!  And the greater the turmoil, the more we feel the difficulty of holding on to Christ… and the more we wonder if he’s coming back real soon.  But Christ’s advice is timeless.  “Worlds” are always ending—that’s change!—but Christ doesn’t change.  Life in him never ends!  Thanks be to God for that. 

So go plant some seeds of goodness—like an apple tree!

Peace,

Pr. Christian