Daily Devotion for Lent - Day 36

Scripture Reading: Luke 21:20-38

Within Luke's time, he had already witnessed the successful rebellion of Judea against Rome in 66 CE.  But then he also knew about Rome's successful retaliation and recapture of Jerusalem four years later.  It was a horrific massacre of many innocent lives, and the Temple was once again destroyed.

It would certainly seem like an apocalyptic time for the survivors.  

The Gospel gives us meaning for this today and reminds us that end times seem to occur cyclically in human history.

The Great War over a century ago
also seemed like the apocalypse

If you go back through Christian history, you will find countless times that the end of the world or the second coming of Christ has been predicted to occur.  So far, we are batting 0% on our success ratio!  

But the issue for us is that we feel like the changes we are seeing (sometimes violent in nature) are upending our world and that it seems like it is ending.

Jesus reminds us that the worries of this life can be a trap that we all fall into.  When chaos increases, so does our anxiety.  Many people fell into this trap during the pandemic as mental health professionals had to start working overtime with the skyrocketing caseload.  Liquor sales increased dramatically and the drunkenness that Jesus warns about also was evident.  I would say that seeing a mental health professional is a much better response than tipping the bottle.

What does it mean to "be alert" during a time of calamitic change?  We mustn't take this out of context with the rest of the Gospel so far.  To be alert means to avoid putting on a false self for our comfort.  To be alert means to watch out for those who have fallen and aren't doing as well.  To be alert means to make sure that our compassion isn't drowned by our disgust that is fueled by anxiety.

Luke shows us that as Jesus was teaching in the Temple each day, he would also rest and retreat from the masses on the Mount of Olives.  So even as we are to be alert, we should also take the time to rejuvenate.

As we move through Holy Week, how are you staying alert during today's apocalypse?

Prayer for the day:

Gracious God, help us to rest well.  Give us sabbath time away from our worries and our fears.  Let us remember your presence as we move through today.  May we breathe deeply of your Holy Spirit as we refresh and seek to be alert to those around us.  And as we make connections with your children, may our peace in you be contagious.  We pray these things in the name of the Christ.  Amen.

Photo by USMC Archives via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons License.