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November 11, 2021Daniel 12:1-3; Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11; Hebrews 10:11-14, 18; Mark 13:24-32
By Mid-November, it's clear that winter is coming. We start to hear Christmas music on the Radio, few leaves remain on the trees, and the Hallmark Channel is in full swing with its Christmas movies. There are reminders all around us that we are in the season of Harvest, and that Christmas time is coming near (or well underway by most store’s calendars). There are many “signs of the times” to use a Church term.
Jesus speaks of being watchful for the signs of the times in the Gospel today. Signs of the return of Jesus, the end of days. Jesus is clear, this “season” on earth is not forever. There will be a day when he returns. So what are we to do? Are we just to sit around and wait? No! The beauty and hope of our faith is that the difficult times Jesus announces are not to be seen as merely destruction but labor pains (Mt. 24:3-9). They signify the birth of a new creation. And...spoiler alert...the new creation has already begun!
But how? When Jesus preached the Good news, he spoke of God’s Reign, or this new creation, already coming into the world. Jesus himself marks the beginning of this new creation. This might sound a bit abstract, so here is a more approachable way to look at it: the Reign of God is a world in which God...love... reigns. Not fear, not hatred, not division, not self-ambition, etc.
Jesus says explicitly that before the full birth of this new creation: “...the gospel must first be preached to all nations.” (Mk. 13:10). This makes sense, since it is our preaching and living of the Gospel that announces this love in a way that nothing else has before. Our role comes in with the proclamation of this Good News of the Reign of Love to the broken, divided, apathetic, exhausted world in which we find ourselves.
What concrete ways can you live the Gospel? (Ex: praying as a family, choosing compassion over judgement in a relationship, helping out the food pantry, communicating hope through social media instead of division)
Ask the Holy Spirit this week how you are being invited to proclaim and live the Gospel. Then...listen for a response, both in silence and as you go through your daily routine.
