Verbum Dei Manet in Aeternum – one of our favorite Latin
phrases around here.
Abbreviated: VDMA.
It’s on one of our church banners (one of the red ones).
I’ve even seen some Christians who bear it as a tattoo.
“The word of the Lord endures forever!”
Jesus’ words in Mark 13 speak to us on this last Sunday of
the church year, reminding us that “heaven and earth will pass away, but my
words will never pass away.”
Last week we heard Jesus prophesy about the destruction of
Jerusalem and the tearing down of the temple – that not one stone would be left
on another. This largely came to pass in
70 AD, not a generation after he spoke those words.
But the destruction of Jerusalem was a sign, pointing to the
wider destruction that is in store for all of creation. And so Jesus speaks about both together –
what happened in 70 AD, and what will happen on the last day, when he comes
again in glory to judge the living and the dead.
Just as Jerusalem and its temple had to pass away, into
destruction, so this corrupt world must also pass away, into destruction.
He chooses, for example some of the most reliable fixtures
of all creation – the heavenly bodies – Sun, Moon and stars. He shows how even these will give way on that
final day. Until that day, they move
like clockwork, governing the day and the night, given to us from the beginning
of creation for the telling of times and seasons. Morning and evening, on and on it goes. Until it doesn’t. Until the creation passes away.
It had to happen.
Because it was corrupted early on.
When Adam, the head of creation, into whose care had been placed all of
creation, when he fell, all creation fell with him. Paradise was lost. Pain and toil followed. And eventually, always, death. The wages of sin for Adam meant not only his
own physical death, his own spiritual death, but also the eventual death of all
creation, which fell when he fell. Even
Adam’s children, and their children, to every generation, would inherit sin and
death and follow in the footsteps of our first father.
But God is merciful, and patient. It didn’t all happen at once. Adam would live for 930 years. This creation is still going. But we can see
the signs. We know it’s got an
expiration date.
Look at the fig tree, Jesus says. You see when it sprouts those tender leaves,
and you know that summer is on its way.
We can look at creation, and see the signs of what is coming. As he mentioned in last week’s reading – wars
and rumors of wars, earthquakes and famines, and the persecution of
Christians. These are the signs. The end is coming. It’s closer now than it ever was.
Heaven and earth will pass away. You, or at least your flesh, will pass
away. Either way, we don’t know when,
but God does.
And it would be so final, so sad, such despair, if we didn’t
have the words of Jesus. For his words
do not pass away. The word of the Lord
endures forever.
And he doesn’t just mean his words here, in this chapter, or
in this conversation. Every word that
Jesus speaks for you and me is a word that endures forever.
Just as death couldn’t hold him, and the grave couldn’t end
his story, but he rose to life again – so his words also will never pass away,
will never be nullified or made void, his promises will never be undone.
And what a great hope this gives us!
When Christ comes in his glory, it’s not all bad news. It’s not all destruction and judgment. In fact, for his own people, for us
Christians, it is a day of glorious victory.
Just look what he promises:
He will send his angels to gather his elect, his chosen, his
people from all over the world. Gathered
to him there is always safety and blessing.
None of the destruction out there can harm us if we are with him.
Then will come true, finally in their fullest sense, all his
words of promise to us: He who believes
and is baptized will be saved. I am with
you always, even to the end of the age.
He who believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live! I am going to prepare a place for you. It is finished! Behold, I am coming soon.
What we know from his word, now, by faith, we will see with
our eyes on that day. The day of
salvation!
The word of the Lord endures forever. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words
will never pass away.
But it’s not just the red letter words in your bible that
are his words, they are all his words – and they will all endure forever. Every word that proceeds from the mouth of
God – by which man lives, and not bread alone.
His words are spirit and life.
And it is by his word that we know him and are saved.
But since we do not know the day or the hour of his return,
Jesus encourages us to stay awake, and to be ready. But how?
By remaining faithful to his word, of course. The word which orders our days, gives shape
to our life. The word which calls us to
love God and love neighbor. The word
which calls us to repentance and calls us ever to faith. The word which brings comfort, hope and
peace. The preaching of Christ crucified
for sinners, the very heart of our faith. The word of God, living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword. The
word of Christ. Abiding in that word, we
are truly his disciples.
The word of the Lord endures forever, and we, called by that
word, live by that word, and according to its promise – we also will live
forever, in Jesus Christ the living word.
For just as this creation will give way to the new heaven
and earth, so also our mortal bodies that perish will be raised incorruptible
on the last day.
Behold, he is coming soon!
The creation is groaning. The
signs are all there. Stay awake! Watch!
(Check out https://www.adcrucem.com/ for some great "VDMA" artwork)
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