Day 30 - Staying with it

“And you shall hear of wars and rumours of wars.” Matthew 24 vs. 6.

It`s not always easy, unless you are channeling Mystic Meg, to be able to write something a week in advance that purports to be topical. But at the risk of sounding like a Jehovah`s Witness, I would suggest that the above text is unfortunately always topical. As we tune into our televisions or smartphones, we are bombarded by images of death and destruction across the world, including Ukraine, the Holy Land, Sudan, Syria and Lebanon, among others.

As well as wars, there are insurgencies, terrorist outrages and “rumours of wars,” areas where populations live in fear of imminent war. We hope to visit the Baltic States this June and I know from ecumenical sources, that for some time, even before the invasion of Ukraine, the peoples of that region have been concerned about Russia`s territorial ambitions. “Rumours of wars” probably also covers the situation in other parts of the world where tensions are high, like the South China Sea, where China`s assertive actions and territorial claims clash with those of other nations, including Taiwan.

Wars, of course, are not always physical in nature. We are aware of what are called the Culture Wars in society, especially between liberal and conservative groups, the “woke” and the “politically incorrect.”

The Church is not immune to these wars either, where liberal and conservative Christians are often in dispute, each claiming that their particular theology is the most authentically Christlike. Both parties have very different answers to that old chestnut “WWJD - What would Jesus do?”

There have been, and still are, within the Church, what have been described as the Worship Wars between traditionalists and those who favour contemporary music, often caricatured as being between at one end, `the bells and smells brigade` and the `happy clappy`.

So having thoroughly depressed you all, “What shall we say then to these things?”, to quote Paul again. Well, returning to the text where I started and remembering it as I learnt it, Jesus continued, “See that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass but the end is not yet.” A positive contrast to the contemporary street preacher with his ubiquitous billboard proclaiming, “The end is nigh!”

The Message renders it, “Keep your head and don`t panic. This is routine history; this is no sign of the end.”

Jesus continues at verse thirteen, “Staying with it – that`s what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won`t be sorry and you`ll be saved. All during this time, the good news, the message of the kingdom – will be preached all over the world.”

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid.” John 14 vs.27

The peace of the Lord be with you all. Amen!

Alan Kennedy