Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The text on which this morning's message is based comes from our Epistle lesson (2 Thessalonians 2: 13 --3: 5) read earlier.

Talk about "End times" and the return of Christ are popular today. Scores and scores of books about "End Times" have been published in the past 10 years, and these have sold millions of copies. TV preachers often boisterously proclaim that Jesus is coming again. Earthquakes, famines, pestilences and wars arise, and we wonder how close it is to Jesus return. And End Times are major issue in the Bible. Phrases like "Day of the Lord", "Judgment Day," "The Coming of the Son of Man" are peppered throughout Scripture. According to Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus' major teaching emphases the few weeks before his crucifixion and resurrection were about His Second Coming. It's obvious writers of the New Testament, Paul, Peter, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and others wanted the first New Testament Christians to be constantly watching for Christ's second coming. While these writers comforted their original readers with the message of God's free grace shown in Jesus Christ, they did not want the early Christians to become too "comfortable" or complacent in their faith. The New Testament writers did not give details about when the "Day of the Lord" will happen, or even many specifics about how it will happen. They themselves didn't know. But the New Testament writers, Apostles and Evangelists, call us to be constantly watching for His Return. In the church year we are now in the period of the "End Times." During these last three weeks of November, the last three weeks of the traditional "church year", we will have lessons read that emphasize "End Times." These lessons for these particular Sundays have been established decades ahead of time. For those of you unfamiliar with the traditional "Church year", it starts in December with Advent and Christmas, the time that we prepare and celebrate Jesus' first coming. During Epiphany and Lent (generally January through April), we follow Jesus through His ministry and to His cross. We celebrate Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter, Christ's suffering, death and resurrection for us, followed by an Easter Season. Then we begin the season of the Church, usually in May, with Pentecost and the other actions of Holy Spirit through His Church. The last three weeks of this Church year emphasizes End Times. The Church Year re-presents the life of Jesus and his church on an annual basis.

Now, when the subject of "End Times" comes up, many people want to ask the questions that Jesus' disciples posed in our Gospel lesson "When will these things happen? What will be the sign that they are about to take place?" Our human nature, sinful and unfaithful as it is, often seeks after details that we need not be privy to. When it comes to questions about "End Times", we are often like little children sitting in the back to the car on a long trip who begin wailing "Are we there yet?" as soon as the car leaves the driveway. The Apostle Paul emphasizes End Times preparation in his letters to the Thessalonians, but He never addresses questions like "Are we there yet?" Instead He addresses three primary questions. First, how are we saved from this sinful world and our own sinful natures? The Gospel of Jesus Christ, his cross and resurrection are clearly proclaimed. Second, Paul addresses a variety of specific End Times questions and doubts the Thessalonian Christians had. Their questions about the resurrection of the dead and the "man of lawlessness", the "Anti-Christ" are addressed.

And third, the question becomes: "what do we the Church do while we wait for the glorious return of Christ Jesus?" Our primary question is not "Are we there yet?" or "When will it happen?" The more faithful question, the one that trusts that God is in charge is "what do we the Church do while we wait for the glorious return of Christ Jesus?"

What do we do? Paul says "Be confident He has called you through the Gospel. Stand firm in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Learn and hold to His teachings." His final message for those waiting for Jesus' return: Pray. Pray for us. Pray for those who are spreading the message of Christ, so that the message may spread rapidly and be honored. The message has spread to you already, and you honor it. Pray that it may be continue to spread quickly because Christ is returning soon.

Now it's easy for us to think of prayer as only a last resort, as some sort of wishful request we make before we blow out the candles of a birthday cake. We would rather DO something for the LORD than simply PRAY to God for aid. We sometimes think we're being more faithful if WE DO something. But think of it this way. If you were being threatened physically by several evil and wicked men, would you rather fight them off yourself, or would you prefer to ask several guys the size of Arnold Schwarzeneger and Shaquille O'Neill to stand in your defense. We have a Lord who is faithful, who strengthens and protects us with angels that are much bigger and stronger that Arnold and Shaq could ever be.

I surprised a shut-in member recently. In visiting her I was speaking about my prayers for her and hope that her health would improve. We spoke about the sermons and bulletins that she receives in the mail each week, messages of God's hope that she greatly appreciates, messages that help to keep her connected to our congregational fellowship and to her Lord. But then I surprised her. I asked her, begged her to constantly remember me and the congregation in her prayers. I quoted James 5: 16 to her in the NIV: The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

She said, "Oh that reminds me of another verse and faithfully quoted me the same verse in the King James Version: The fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. She said, "I sometimes get so caught up in my own problems and my own ill health, that I forget about how important it is to pray for others." She assured me that she would pray for me and the congregation. As frail as she is, her prayers call upon God who is mighty and loving to come to our aid. But what are we to pray for, especially as we confidently await Jesus' Second Coming? Paul teaches us in this text. Paul's primary concern is that the message of the Lord spread rapidly, that he and his missionary colleagues Silas and Timothy be delivered from evil men, unbelievers who would undermine the spread of this marvelous saving message of Jesus Christ. Jesus' words ending the Lord's Prayer "Deliver us from evil" echo here in Paul's prayer request to the Thessalonians.

I want you to know of my prayers for all of you. I'm new to this pastoring business, so I was surprised a few months ago when I became consciously aware of the routine of prayer I had unconsciously begun. I sometimes come to this sanctuary and kneel here to pray for you and our ministry here together. Sometimes I pray in my office. But for the past several months I've found myself waking up around 4:30-5:00 in the morning, often with my first thoughts being about some particular parishioners. I stay awake for around an hour praying for particular people, faces and names. I pray for the elderly, I pray for our children and youth. I pray for the ill, I pray for our shut-ins. I pray for those whose faces we rarely see here in worship with us, that the Holy Spirit will convince them of their need for steady doses of God's Word and Sacraments, of Christ's forgiveness and life. I pray for those who are always here, because their presence encourages me and I hope my presence encourages them. Then after about an hour, I often go back to sleep for half an hour, comforted that my Lord has heard my prayers and will answer them in his wisdom.

Like Paul, I ask that you pray for me regularly, so that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly before Christ returns. Pray that we may be delivered from evil men who deny the Jesus is the Christ whose life was given as a ransom for the world. Pray not only for me, but for our congregation, for our synod, for the Christian Church as a whole across the world. Pray for our missionaries in other countries, like Dr. Kristen Schmaltz in Guinea West Africa. Pray that the Holy Spirit will keep her safe from physical harm of disease or wicked men, warring factions in that region that threaten the safety of our missionaries. Next week you will be given a chance to actually make a written pledge to pray for her and/or support her financially. At the end of the service you will have the opportunity to see her face and hear her talk about her ministry through the wonder of videotape. The message of Jesus spread rapidly enough to get to us before Jesus' return. We are comforted by the fact that Jesus Christ, True God and True Man, gave his life for us and was resurrected from the dead for us before the End Times. We are comforted by that Gospel message. But while we are comforted, His promise to return keeps us from becoming too comfortable, too complacent. May we honor His Gospel message to us by praying for its spread to others.

The grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us always. Amen.