Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.
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“Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come. —Matthew 24:4-14 (NRSV)
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I am a physician, and I was recently notified by a patient that she was transferring all her medical care to Livingston Parish and would no longer require my services. She was not dissatisfied with me or my staff, but her reason was that she was “truly afraid” to come to Baton Rouge because of “the fast rising crime rate.”
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The Advent lectionary is full of apocalyptic scriptures like this excerpt from Matthew’s gospel. We look forward to Christ’s return as well as look back to Christ’s incarnation. I’ve often thought that apocalyptic scriptures cannot resonate with someone like me who lives in comfort and safety. These passages are meant to give hope to someone living under persecution. But my former patient teaches me that persecution or threat can be subjective. I confess that after Hurricane Katrina the rumors of roving bands of thugs from New Orleans caused me to delay lending assistance at the River Center shelter. I thought I needed to protect my family and home. Fear does not facilitate acts of mercy.
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Faith is not certainty; rather, greater certainty requires less faith and less certainty requires greater faith. Faith is the passion to proceed and persevere without assurance of a desired outcome. Perhaps these apocalyptic scriptures are meant to toughen us up. Perhaps they are meant to prevent us from interpreting failure or adversity as evidence that we are in the wrong.
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I think the words of this hymn well sum up the apocalyptic scriptures:
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This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
nThat though the wrong seems oft so strong,
nGod is the ruler yet.n
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Heavenly Father, grant me faith and courage in the face of adversity (perceived or real) so that I may say, “Thus would I have it!” Amen.
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Ray Halliburton