Many readers of the gospels believe that the words of Jesus earlier in Mark 13 (and in parallel passages in Luke and Matthew) refer to the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem— a world-shattering event for the Jewish people that reverberates still today. With that event in the foreground, he then speaks about his Second Coming in our Gospel lesson. Jesus’ words speak to the basic human experiences of collapse, in history and in our own lives. Though none of us wish to live through times like this, Jesus assures us that God is active and at work in these hinges of history. “Apocalypse” for most of us means an ending – and a violent one at that. But the literal meaning of the word is “unveiling.” How is our mighty and merciful God being unveiled by the events – pleasant and unpleasant – of our time?