End of the World

Lincoln's Log 11-18-12

“But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

(Mk. 13:32)

"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." Charles Schultz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip

The Gospel this weekend led me to an internet search for “end of the world.” The number and variety of explanations of when the world we end is remarkable. There was page after page of websites devoted to explaining when and how the world will end. It seems that we will never get tired of speculating on what the end will be like. Whether we live in fear of December 21, 2012 or follow Isaac Newton's purported prediction that the world will end in 2060, it seems that speculation about how the world as we know it will end is alive and well.

Yet the Gospel this week is pretty clear. “No one knows... only the Father.”

All of our speculation takes us nowhere. Speculation cannot free us from fear, as much as we wish it could. That the world will end is apparent. When and how it will end we do not (and cannot) know. Grasping at straws and incredible explanations may give us a sense of control, but that control is an illusion. The future is not within our control.

Yet our faith does tell us that while we cannot know what the future holds, we can know that the Lord is there, waiting for us. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but [Jesus'] words will not pass away.” We are not in control, but the good news is that God is. There is nothing to fear.

As we face the unknown future together, let's trust in the love and mercy of God. In this we can be certain.

Peace,

Lincoln A. Wood