Keeping in mind the vivid and unmistakable examples of God’s wrath, most especially the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, and guarding against the false christs and false prophets that arise, who point to this sign, that wonder, or say this or that over and against what the true Christ has said and done, let us then become like eagles. Let us gather around the body of Him who died and yet who lives, of Him who was crucified and yet was raised, for here, with His very Body and Blood, He feeds and nourishes your faith, so that, despite these latter and evil days, you are not deceived or misled into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. So also, here, He looses you from the ravages of sin and the captivity of the devil so that you may reside with Him in Paradise. Here, in Word and Sacrament, Christ Jesus, our Saviour, prepares you against the wrath to be revealed on the Last Day.
Readings:
Old Testament: Exodus 32:1-20
Epistle: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Holy Gospel: Matthew 24:15-28
Josephus, "Concerning the Destruction of the City of Jerusalem"
Comments