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Death’s End

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Death’s End

November 03, 2024*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 25:6-9              John 11:32-44                        Revelation 21:1-6a

Although our contemporary culture almost exclusively publicizes and promotes Halloween, that celebration of darkness is rooted in the church celebration of All Saints Day on November first. If the light of the saints is celebrated and remembered on November first, then October thirty-first must be the last day for darkness to have one last hurrah. But although they do so in different ways, both days manage to remind us of our frail mortality. We are reminded that, except for Jesus, everyone who has ever been born will eventually die. Death has a one hundred percent success rate. But as we remember and celebrate All Saints Day today, we remember that this will not always be true.

We begin this morning in Isaiah 25:6-9, where we hear a message of hope in the prophecy that one day death will be defeated, not just once, but for everyone and forever.

6 On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare
    a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
    the best of meats and the finest of wines.
7 On this mountain he will destroy
    the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;
8     he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
    from all faces;
he will remove his people’s disgrace
    from all the earth.
The Lord has spoken.

9 In that day they will say,

“Surely this is our God;
    we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
    let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

But despite the prophecy of Isaiah, death remained undefeated for eight hundred more years. Nothing seemed to change. The cycle of life and death remained exactly as it was… until Jesus arrives three days late to his friend Lazarus’ house. Had Jesus only arrived earlier, things might have been different. And that is exactly the thought with which Lazarus’ sister Mary greets Jesus upon his arrival in John 11:32-44.

32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

35 Jesus wept.

36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

And suddenly, at least for a few years, death’s track record was less than one hundred percent. And then, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, it was broken for good. But still, it was broken by just one person and still held power over every other member of humanity. But again, this will not always be the case. Lazarus and Jesus were just a preview of what is to come. A demonstration of what is possible, and evidence that death’s power has been broken. God was clear in his message to Isaiah that death will be overthrown, that the shroud that enfolds all people and the sheet that covers all nations will be destroyed for all time and death swallowed up forever. But despite the resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus, and a few others, that hasn’t happened yet. But in Revelation 21:1-6a, through the vision and Revelation of the disciple John, God repeats the promise that we heard in Isaiah. There is a day coming when God’s people will see the end of death.

21:1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

Here, John tells us of his vision in which he saw the end of everything permanent. The end of heaven, the end of earth, and the end of the sea. God descends from above and takes up residence among his people and wipes away every tear from their eyes. No longer will there be pain, suffering, mourning, or crying. No longer will death rear its ugly head. This is the day that we will finally witness death’s end and the beginning of a new forever. This is the day that death will be defeated, not just once, and not just for one person, for all people, and for all time. Everything will be made new, Jesus will give us the water of life, and we will live in Christ, and forever with Christ.

Until then, we will gather, as we have today, to celebrate and remember those who have crossed over from this life into the next. And we will continue to remember, until it is our turn to join them or until Christ’s return brings an end to death forever.

That is God’s promise and our great hope.

Until the return of Jesus Christ, death continues to be inevitable and unavoidable.

But for the people of God and the followers of Jesus Christ…

…death is only a temporary condition.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

The End is (Really!) Near

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The End is (Really!) Near

January 21, 2024*

By Pastor John Partridge

Jonah 3:1-5, 10          Mark 1:14-20             1 Corinthians 7:29-31

Do you watch cartoons? Or do you read the comics on the funny pages of the newspaper, or online?

I’m not sure exactly what to call it, but there is a cartoon component, image, idea, motif, or stylistic element that has been used, copied, reused so many times that it is impossible to figure out when it first appeared. The image that I am thinking of is that of a person carrying a sandwich board or a sign on a pole that says, “The End is Near.” Often the person carrying the sign is portrayed as a sixties-era hippy, but other times it can be a businessman in a suit, or whatever else fits the point that the cartoonist is trying to convey.

But outside of cartoons and attempts at humor, we have often seen similar doom and gloom, end of the world stories in the real world. These stories once came from a raft of scientists that were predicting the dawn of a new ice age, or those that now predict rising sea levels due to global warming, or to asteroids that will destroy civilization, or a catastrophic x-class solar flare that may one day wipe out all the computers and electricity generation across out entire planet. Not to be outdone, there seem to be regular announcements by various religious groups that the world will end, or that Christ will return, because of their interpretation of scripture, or because of the Mayan calendar, or because of something else. Overall, we have heard that “The End is Near” so often that we no longer bother to pay any attention to such announcements at all.

But maybe we should.

What if the place that we heard “The End is Near” is in the bible? And what if we didn’t hear it just once, but over and over again, generation after generation, from the mouths of prophets, disciples, and from Jesus himself? Would we assume that if the message had been repeated so often, just as we assume today when we listen to the news, that it must not be true, and we are free to ignore it? Or would we notice that sometimes it was true, and things did not go well for the people who didn’t listen?

Let’s take a look at three samples from scripture, and then we will think about what it all means, and just what we might, and might not, want to ignore, and what we should be doing about it in our lives, and in our church, today. We begin with the end of the story in the book of Jonah. First God sent Jonah to preach a message of repentance to the people of Nineveh, but Jonah didn’t want to do that. Jonah knew that the people of Nineveh were awful, evil, terrible people who hated God, hated the people of Israel, and treated their enemies, criminals, and anyone they took a dislike to, with contempt, abuse, violence, and death. Nineveh was the city that hung the heads, and often the bodies, of their enemies on the gates and the walls of their city to warn everyone what happened to those who dared to oppose them. They were not nice people. In any case, God prevails, and Jonah, after his encounter with a big fish, obeys God. This is the story that we hear in Jonah 3:1-5, 10.

3:1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”

3 Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it. 4 Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” 5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

The message that Jonah carried into Nineveh, however reluctantly, was a message that God intended to utterly destroy them as a people and as a city. As far as they were concerned, Jonah was predicting the end of the world. But they listened to Jonah, heard his message, they repented of their evil actions, habits, and culture, and God relented and did not bring upon them the destruction that he had planned.

It is worth noting however, that some years later, Nineveh returns to their old ways, continue to do evil, and God declares through the prophet Nahum, that their time is ended. The Babylonians invade and Nineveh is erased from history, disappears from the maps of the world, and its ruins only rediscovered by archaeologists in 1847.

We hear a similar story, though far less violent, in Mark 1:14-20 in which Jesus is the one sharing the message from God:

14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James, son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

The message of Jesus was that the kingdom of God had arrived and that everyone should repent and believe the good news. But why is repentance so important, so vital, to the news that the kingdom of God had arrived? It is important because, in the calendar of God, now that the kingdom had arrived, the followers of God now knew that judgement was at hand and could come at any moment. The news that the messiah had come was inescapably tied to an understanding that the end was near, and judgement was coming.

And if you aren’t convinced that these events are so closely tied together, then listen to Paul explain it to the church in Corinth as recorded in 1 Corinthians 7:29-31:

29 What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; 30 those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; 31 those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

Paul says that the time is short, that the end is indeed near, and because it is, the followers of Jesus Christ must live as if time is important. We should not live as if we have all the time in the world, but as if Jesus could return tomorrow, or this afternoon, or before we draw our next breath. Paul’s words describe a need for urgency in our behavior and in our actions. We must act as if the world might end tomorrow. We must live as if our mission is important and assume that we might not get a second chance to share the good news with the people around us. We should share what we have and not get addicted to the accumulation of possessions. And finally, we should behave as if we aren’t addicted to the things of popular culture and the popularity of fads and famous folk.

Jesus said that no one knows the day or the hour of his return and the day of judgement, but scripture says that the end is near.

And we really ought to act like it.

We must live lives that reflect some urgency.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Alien Preparedness

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Alien Preparedness

December 10, 2023*

By Pastor John Partridge

Isaiah 40:1-11                        Mark 1:1-8                             2 Peter 3:8-15

There is an old saying that says, “It doesn’t rain in the Army… it rains on the Army. It isn’t a particularly funny joke, but it’s a part of the dark humor that is often found while standing in the middle of a driving rainstorm. There is a similar saying in scouting, but because our scout motto is “Be Prepared,” the saying is changed to reflect that and says, “There is no bad weather in scouting, only scouts that are not prepared for the weather.” But that leads us to the title of today’s message, “Alien Preparedness.” No, this is not about preparing for an alien invasion or something that you might find on Ancient Aliens on the History Channel, but it is about preparedness.

My brother Dean used to point out that when we say we are “getting in shape” or that an athlete is “in shape,” it’s important to ask, “In shape for what?” No one doubts that NFL football players are in shape, but ask them to run a marathon, or race an Olympic swimmer, and suddenly, they are not ready because, despite all the physical conditioning that they have done, they are not prepared for that specific kind of physical competition. And so, when we say, like the scouts, that we must “Be Prepared,” we must also ask, “Prepared for what?”  When it is framed in that way, “Alien Preparedness” is not about preparing for an alien invasion, but to prepare for something you did not expect, or in a way that you hadn’t expected.

I am sure that’s still more than a little puzzling but hold on to that idea while we dive into our scriptures, and when we return to this later, I think it will be clearer.  We begin this morning with the words of the prophet Isaiah who speaks to Israel to tell of the imminent destruction of their nation at the hands of the Assyrian army but also speaks words of comfort and God’s promise that there would one day be restoration after Jerusalem’s destruction. We hear these words in Isaiah 40:1-11…

40:1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

6 A voice says, “Cry out.”
    And I said, “What shall I cry?”

“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them.
    Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”

9 You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,  lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”
10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

Isaiah says that things are going to be terrible, and then worse than terrible, and then, just when they think that they are withering into death like the grass in summer, there will be a voice… one single voice… crying out in the desert to prepare for the arrival of their rescuer. Things will be terrible, but one day the rescuer will come. He will rule with a mighty arm, but he will tend his flock with gentleness like a shepherd.

And then, in the middle of the Roman occupation, as Israel once again prayed for God’s rescue, the voice of John the Baptizer is heard in the wilderness and Mark remembers, and quotes the words of Isaiah in Mark 1:1-8 saying…

1:1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”—
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’”

4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

John declares that God’s promised rescuer has come, and the people had better be prepared.

But what does that mean? How should the people prepare? We know that John’s message was one of repentance and called people to repent of their sins and recommit their lives to following God. But is that all there is to it? What kind of preparations are required for us in the twenty-first century as we remember John’s message and prepare ourselves for Jesus’ return. And that’s where Peter steps in to remind us of John’s message and apply it to our daily lives in the here and now. In 2 Peter 3:8-15 we hear this message about our future:

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.

And this is where we find the alien preparation. This is not making sure to pack a raincoat, or warm winter clothes, and it’s more than just John’s message of repentance and baptism. This is, quite literally, preparation for the end of the world. The heavens will disappear, the earth will be destroyed, and the elements themselves will be melted in the heat of God’s judgement. On that day, God will make good on his promise to bring peace and justice, and from the ruins of this world will create a new heaven and a new earth filled with righteousness.

But how can we prepare for such a thing? What will be required of us? What must we do to be ready? And Peter’s answer is not so different from that of John the Baptizer. Repent, make straight paths for him, make every effort to live lives that are blameless so that your lives can be at peace with Jesus Christ by doing everything that he taught and modelled for us.

We absolutely must get this right.

Because we are not just preparing for the arrival of our rescuer and king.

We are, quite literally, preparing for the end of the world.

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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page.  Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio.  Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you.  Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601.  These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership.  You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org.  These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com .  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™