The world is spiralling into sin and where is God in all of this?
We await the day of the Lord when God comes with his action of pouring out his holiness. The wrath of the world is not to be equated with the holy wrath of God.
Rev. Howenstine touches on “The Collect”, noting that we are to rejoice in His coming and put his passion cross and death between our souls and death. The gospel is one of recruitment, now is the time to thank the Lord for His being slow in his coming, He wants us to be about that labour in His Kingdom. In Zephaniah we hear the prediction of the day of the Lord coming; the response is seek the Lord and repent that you may be hidden! The day is going to come but he sets the cross between us and his wrath; he can hide us! In Matthew the passage comes after the has revealed his identity; His heart reveals desire is saying “How often I have longed to gather you; Judgement is coming but I can hide anyone who comes to my mercy.”
Readings: Zephaniah 1:7 & 12-18, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, Matthew 25:14-30