Sermon text: Luke 21:25–28
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
Today is the Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost. We are nearing the end of the church year. And the readings turn our eyes to the end of all things: to the Last Day, when Christ will come again in glory.
Our gospel text this morning is Luke chapter 21, verses 25 through 28. Jesus says: “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
“Straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” That is the theme of this morning’s sermon: Lift up your heads.
Now, the world looks at these signs — the distress of nations, the roaring of the sea and the waves, the powers of the heavens shaken — and the world is terrified. People faint with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. And who can blame them? If you do not know Christ, the Last Day is a day of terror.
But for the Christian — for you, who have been baptized into Christ, who have been washed in His blood, who trust in Him — the Last Day is not a day of terror. It is a day of redemption. “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Lift up your heads. Do not cower. Do not despair. Do not faint with fear. Lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.
What is redemption? It is the buying back. It is what Christ did for you on the cross. He bought you back from sin, death, and the devil — not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood. And on the Last Day, that redemption will be complete. He will come again, and He will raise you from the dead, and He will take you to be with Him forever.
So when you see the signs — when you see the distress of nations, when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, when the world seems to be falling apart — do not despair. Lift up your heads. Your redemption is drawing near.
This is the hope that carries us through. This is the hope that sustained the martyrs. This is the hope that sustains us now. Christ is coming. And when He comes, He comes for you.
May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.