It’s getting to be that time of the season when schedules are getting tight, people’s energy is getting squeezed. So much to do before Christmas and the end of the calendar year. Shopping, working, deadlines, sales, deliveries, finals and tests at school or at work, concerts and program rehearsals, basketball and other sporting games, the actual concert or program performance. Food preparation, getting ready to visit; getting ready for visitors. And so much more, I am sure. So, I ask you: How is your endurance holding up?
Sometimes it does seem like life is a race; even as Scripture has said in various places. But life is not a sprint, nor a marathon, but in fact, it seems more often than not like a long-distance obstacle course. But like in any kind of race, any kind of stress and strain on our bodies or our minds, the end result often depends on endurance. How much can you handle? How much can you be pushed before it is too much, before all stamina runs out and you collapse?
The devil, the world, and the flesh are always trying to push us, and try us, and prey upon our weaknesses. In addition to the elements of time and responsibility that are often pushing us, these spiritual enemies are constantly trying to wear us out and wear down our stamina, whispering or yelling in our ears: “you can’t do this! You will fail. Just give up on doing what is right, but do what feels good. Serve yourself. You have worked hard all week, so stay home from church, sleep in: go shopping instead. Go out with the boys or girls all the time, forget about your family and what is right or wrong. Abuse alcohol, get high! Whatever!” Give in to these impulses and yes you will fail: in life, in love, and in faith.
When a person is exercising and training; it is much harder to do it alone. Left by yourself, you might find it easier to focus on the pain, to focus on how easy it would be to quit, to turn around and go back to bed and skip it. If you do this, you and your body will only get weaker, your stamina shortened, and mentally you will feel more a failure than had you gone even for a while. But if you have a training partner or a trainer with mutual goals, you are more likely to go, and go further, to go faster, and push each other while encouraging one another and keeping each other accountable. That is why even in long distance races athletes often travel in packs for various stretches of the race to help pace each other, perhaps in competition, but quite often in mutual aid as they exchange words here and there to help distract themselves and each other from the strain and approaching weariness.
Don’t go it alone. Don’t find enablers who enable bad habits, bad thoughts, and temptations that draw us away from all that is good and honorable in this life to pursue pleasures and goals that are fast fleeting and will not last. Most especially, do not listen to the voices of our culture and our flesh which would tell you to take faith and church attendance for granted; that in comparison to all your other responsibilities or commitments, attendance to God’s Word and receiving His gifts are low on the list of priorities. The devil will use your flesh, maybe other family members or friends, or television or internet shows and blogs or whatever to discourage you and other Christians from being where you need to be. He will plant excuses in your mind or as you get ready in the morning or even on your way here to say, “Why not go home? or go back to bed? you can go back next week or next month or whenever. I didn’t like that pastor or those people anyway.” But this is what has happened to many and their hearts have grown cold and their faith unhealthy or dead. This is the devil’s ploy to ensure discouragement, spiritual injury, loss of hope, harmony, joy, and eternal life. The end result of loss of faith is all too permanent: eternal fire and death. Yes, what is given here is far more important than the exercising or strengthening of the body alone.
And that is why we are here together. Because as we repent of our failures, admitting together our weakness, our sin, our spiritual laziness and lack of stamina, we know the end goal and who gives us the hope and strength to make it.
As St. Paul said in today’s Epistle: this is why God sent Jesus, the root of Jesse, the Son of God and promised Savior. Jesus served to show God’s truthfulness and confirm His promises to the Old testament patriarchs and believers, but also, that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy. God knew that you, me, and everyone else who has ever lived could not finish this life reaching the goal of keeping the Law and living a perfect life. Nobody had the ability, the stamina, or endurance. But Jesus, God’s own son, did. He came so that humanity might have hope: hope in Him: hope in God; and finally understand that God is and has always been serious about loving and redeeming His creation. That is the message of Christmas. This Savior being born, to share our flesh, to go though the human life cycle in perfection and purity, to endure every temptation known to mankind, to take every assault of the devil and resist him, to be persecuted and rejected to show in Christ’s flesh, the sadness of man’s rejection of God and the blame they so often unfairly put upon Him. Jesus took upon Himself your sin, and the sins of the world, so that at the cross, Jesus endured the suffering of God’s wrath in His own flesh alone and forsaken until His blood being spent, He breathed His last, His goal of sacrifice accomplished, and died. Then in 3 days, He was raised to show that Jesus did not endure the cross in vain, but that He had crushed death beneath His feet, and in His death, the Devil would not see all condemned like himself. Jesus is victorious.
Jesus said in the Gospel lesson today, there will come a time when He shall return and we who believe are to be ready. There will be times of difficulty in this life and before His final return, obstacles before us, which would try to destroy, dishearten, and shake us from the faith. But do not fear. “When you see these things begin to take place straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Jesus said referring to our final redemption at the end of time.
But even now you are redeemed. As Jesus also said, “Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away”. You have been baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus. You have been given His Word and His name as a sign and seal that He has claimed you and will strengthen you and keep you by His Word in that faith in Jesus Christ unto life everlasting. You were baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but hear what other names and titles He reveals that He is for you. St. Paul said them in Romans 15. He is the God of endurance and encouragement. He is the God of hope.
He encourages you here. His Word has been written for your instruction, and with the Sacraments you are given endurance and hope. Here we can take all that is distressing and troubling us and lay it upon the Lord. This is where you can rest upon the Lord and remember that Jesus Christ died for you, that God does still love you and has redeemed you from all your sins.
Advent is a season to forsake bad habits and begin anew. In order to do that, here is where He gives you living water and the bread of life from God Himself. So, drink up through your ears the Good News of Christ’s victory which is now yours. Drink His blood outpoured and eat His body given for you in with and under the bread and wine, and your stamina will be increased. Your body, spirit, and mind refreshed by His Holy Spirit, you are able to stand and endure the obstacles and challenges of this life, not by your strength, but by God’s strength. You are not alone, but together you are united to God and to your Brothers and Sisters in Christ to live in harmony by His Word.
So, let us encourage one another here with God’s Word. And let us encourage those who are willfully absent from attendance today to return, that together, by faith we can continue onward by the cross of Jesus Christ to our mutual goal: to be with our Lord and Savior in His eternity prepared for us.
Continue to hope in Christ. During this hectic season or whatever season, put all things into this perspective. Be encouraged in your vocations, to be faithful as the Lord has been and is faithful to you. You can do this, because Christ has already done it all for your salvation. Praise and sing to God’s name. Rejoice Gentiles with his people
May the God of endurance and encouragement; the God of Hope grant you to live in such harmony with one another and fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope unto life everlasting, in Jesus Christ Amen.
Pr. Aaron Kangas