End Times?

When we read Jesus’ words correctly in Luke 21, we begin to realize that it was not the distant horizon of history that was supposed to occupy our minds but times and events much, much closer to hand. Too often we think that passages like this one are meant to make us starry-eyed surveyors of distant horizons. They were meant to inspire discipleship and faithfulness over the long haul and in all the tough circumstances we’d face long before the end would come.