{"id":7490,"date":"2019-11-12T07:22:52","date_gmt":"2019-11-12T12:22:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=7490"},"modified":"2019-11-06T15:34:19","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T20:34:19","slug":"november-17-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/november-17-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"November 17, 2019&#8211;End of the World as We Know it"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Ellen Rothweiler, Des Moines, IA<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Warm-up Question<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Do you worry about the end of the world?<\/p>\n<p><b>End of the World as We Know it<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-517900372.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-7504 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-517900372-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-517900372-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-517900372-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-517900372-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-517900372-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/11\/iStock-517900372-525x350.jpg 525w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>A lot of television and film media use the end of the world as a setting or plot point to tell a story. <em>The Day After Tomorrow<\/em> details the end of the world with the onset of a second ice age, while <em>Seeking a Friend for the End of the World\u00a0<\/em>follows two characters who are spending their last days on earth before an asteroid hits, finding what really matters in the end. Other post-apocalyptic media tackle what life is like if you happen to survive some cataclysmic event. <em>The Walking Dead<\/em>\u00a0tells this tale using a zombie apocalypse as a catalyst while <em>The Hunger Games\u00a0<\/em>examines how power can corrupt and consume life while desperately attempting to preserve it.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>These and countless more books, movies, \u00a0and television shows speculate on what the end may be like. Why the fascination? An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodhousekeeping.com\/life\/entertainment\/g29442307\/best-end-of-the-world-movies\/\">article in Good Houskeeping<\/a> listing the top 20 end of the world movies, offers that \u201cworld ending movies are a mirror that reflect societies biggest paranoias back at us.\u201d Are we hoping to prepare ourselves for what\u2019s to come or just playing out our greatest fears to somehow diminish the power they hold over us?<\/p>\n<p><b>Discussion Questions<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Do you enjoy &#8220;end of the world&#8221; media? If so, why? If not, why not?<\/li>\n<li>Does thinking about the end scare you or make you uncomfortable? Why or why not?<\/li>\n<li>If you knew the world would end tomorrow what would you be sure to do today?<\/li>\n<li>An R.E.M song includes the refrain,&#8221;It&#8217;s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.&#8221; \u00a0What does that suggest about how change can be both daunting and welcome? \u00a0Can you think of a time in your life when change was painful but ultimately positive?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Twenty-third Sunday after\u00a0Pentecost <\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=439995460\">Malachi 4:1-2a<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=439995495\">2 Thessalonians 3:6-13<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=439995531\">Luke 21:5-19<\/a><\/p>\n<p>(Text links are to <a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/\">Oremus Bible Browser<\/a>. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elca.org\/Our-Work\/Congregations-and-Synods\/Worship\/Lectionary\/YearC\">Lectionary Readings<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic <a href=\"http:\/\/www.agnusday.org\/\">Agnus Day.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Gospel Reflection<\/b><\/p>\n<p>This part of the Gospel of Luke is pretty scary stuff!, especially when we see many, if not most, of the events listed are happening in our world today. This seems to be a road map for the end of the world. Jesus says these things will happen and then, but not immediately, the end will follow.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>We are not the first generation to see in these words an eerie similarity to unfolding events; many have peered into this passage for a clue regarding when the end will come.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>If scripture tells us what leads to the end of the world, why do we still spend so much time guessing and imagining? Because it is still uncertain. Jesus warns that many will come saying \u201cI am he!\u201d and \u201cThe time is near!\u201d but we need not follow them. The passage begins with people asking for answers. When? How? We still ask these questions today and fill in our own answers.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Where is the Good News? In the midst of these things we will endure. Christ will be with us offering wisdom. We need not have the answers, for Christ will provide the words we need. Part of being a Christian in the midst of a scary and uncertain world is trusting that God holds the future&#8211;and that is enough. We can find peace knowing that these things are not for us to know or understand. This truth does not sound terribly comforting when we see suffering. Yet, if we spread love in the world as we find tragedy, we are offer the comfort others need. We are not in control and we cannot fix or prevent bad things. It is enough to know that God is with us and that we will endure.<\/p>\n<p><b>Discussion Questions<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How many of the events listed in the text can you see happening in our world today?<\/li>\n<li>Do you seek answers when bad things happen? What questions do you ask?<\/li>\n<li>What would you want God to say in reply to those questions?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Activity Suggestions<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Watch all or part of one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodhousekeeping.com\/life\/entertainment\/g29442307\/best-end-of-the-world-movies\/\">20 Greatest End of World Movies<\/a> and discuss what it has to say about human endurance in the face of tragedy.<\/p>\n<p><b>Closing Prayer<\/b><\/p>\n<p>God of mercy and power, sometimes it seems that our world is spinning out of control, that suffering is all around us and chaos near at hand. \u00a0In turbulent times give us confidence to entrust ourselves to you, bear witness to your never failing love, and strive to be instruments of your purposes in all times.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ellen Rothweiler, Des Moines, IA Warm-up Question Do you worry about the end of the world? End of the World as We Know it A lot of television and film media use the end of the world as a setting or plot point to tell a story. The Day After Tomorrow details the end of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1400],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>November 17, 2019-End of the World as We Know it - Faith Lens<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/november-17-2019\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"November 17, 2019-End of the World as We Know it - Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ellen Rothweiler, Des Moines, IA Warm-up Question Do you worry about the end of the world? 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