in time
the lord will rise
Well,
the election has passed, if you even bother to remember that far back.
In
fact, last week, during President Obama's first press conference in the White
House since the reelection, the President mentioned that it seemed like the
election was quite some time ago. If you were to look at the headlines or
listen to the news anchors, it would seem that many agree. In fact, jockeying
to be the candidate for 2016 has, indeed, already began. The election is
already old news...
It
would seem the election came down to little more than a football game. In this
case the democrats won, we had the post-game wrap-up, and we've moved on to
other games to get worked up about and shout at our TVs.
But
the other things we've moved to, in a way, share a number of similarities to
how the election was portrayed and experienced...
Now,
we're on to focusing on the upcoming fiscal cliff, when taxes will rise,
budgets cut and, also it seems, the sky will fall.
Or,
there is the renewed conflict in the Middle East. Recently Israel bombed Gaza,
apparently hoping that this time the bombing, unlike the other 99,999 other
times, this violence will cease the conflict.
Or
there is the stubborn economy, the continued political conflict, or just choose
your issue.
Yes,
there are plenty of other things to worry on, and so it is easy to forget the
election only recently concluded. But, as I said, these issue share a number of
similarities with all that the election elicited.
Let
me say more. As I spoke with many people about the election, I heard a lot of
talk about how afraid people were if one or the other candidate would be
elected. Since the election, certain folks feel they no longer need to worry,
and others are concerned the United States is heading further and further away
from God.
Regardless
of how you feel about the outcome of the election, I imagine it is fair to say
that along with all those other upcoming drams we just considered, the way many
of these issues are covered gets our blood-pressure up a bit.
All
of this uncertainty, all of this conflict, all of this drama is just seems to
be too much. In those moments when we're alone we start to thinking dark
thoughts.
"How
long can things keep going like this?"
"The
world is heading to 'you-know-where' in a hand-basket."
"Perhaps
the end may be coming soon."
Let's
be clear, if you've ever thought these things your not the only one. In fact,
if you look at the some of the non-sense certain so-called "editorialist'
are willing to put their name behind, your worries are pretty sane compared to
some of the vitriol that is vomited on pages and airwaves.
But,
we should also note, however, that these anxieties about the state of the world
are nothing new. In fact, Luther was certain the end was coming soon - that he
lived in the last days.
Luther
was not the only one to think the tumultuous events were harbingers of the end,
though. Among so many others, there are Jesus' disciples...
Jesus
lived in quite a shabby time. Rome was falling, conflict beset everyone, life
was short, most of the population was staggeringly poor. In this tense time,
many thought the end was coming very soon.
In
today's Gospel we see Jesus leaving the Temple after engaging in some debates
with the religious authorities. After words have been thrown, Jesus and the
disciples leave the temple for the last time.The grandure of the Temple,
however, proves to be too much of a temptation...
On
of the disciples is overcome, stops and says, "Wow - take a look at how
impressive this building is!"
And
who among us hasn't done some building-worship of our own at one time or
another?
Jesus,
though; Jesus doesn't share the disciple's awe. In fact, he points out that
soon the Temple will soon fall. That the Temple would fall soon was something
any reasonable person would be able to infer, really. With all of the conflict
of the time, with all the animosity Rome and Jerusalem had for one another, the
Temple was all too fragile of a building.
Despite
all those obvious threats, Jesus is also making a relatively obvious
observation: eventually every building that is erected will come down...
So
Jesus, then, unwilling to equate a building with following God, says that even
this grand building that had come to represent God's presence would come down.
When the disciples hear this, they, like Luther & so many of us, feel their
blood pressure begin to go up.
This
building will fall, the disciples dare to think. As these followers try to
imagine life without the temple they find the exercise to be too challenging
and so instead the imagine the end of the world, they stop bothering to imagine
life at all...
After
Jesus says the Temple will fall Peter, James, John and Andrew ask, "Tell
us, when will this be and what will be the sign that the end is come?"
It
certainly is a tragic failure of imagination, to immediately jump to the end of
the world if there isn't to be any temple.
In
fact, when you think about it, it almost seems silly. Imagining life without
the Temple is too much of a threat, so the disciples don't bother. Instead
these followers of Jesus just figure that if there is no Temple the world must
be ending.
But
we shouldn't laugh at these poor fellows too quickly.
How
many times have we done something similar, ourselves?
Congress
is too conflicted, a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff will never be made. So
rather than imagining all the ways something can be worked out, we imagine the
worst case scenario.
Israel
will never reach an agreement with its Muslim sisters and brothers, so instead
of imagining peace - we invest in conflict.
We
imagine that the end of the world is coming, and if we just arm ourselves
heavily enough, we can survive the end (which of course, is impossible).
Or
take your pick on any other challenge we face. The neighborhood is changing
around us, so instead of getting to know our neighbors, we become afraid, and
imagine things getting worse and worse.
You
get the picture...
Like
those disciples, for us too, it is hard to imagine things differently, it is
hard to see our challenges as opportunities.
So,
we don't.
Our
failure to think creatively, and our proclivity to jump to the worst case
scenario is nearly laughable.
In
fact, our ability to overreact would be comical, if the consequences weren't so tragic. When we jump to the worst
possible outcome, we plan for it - all too often we fail to succeed by our
planning for failure. And as we plan for failure, sure enough we make that
destiny come true. Things just get worse and worse, as we expected them to.
Eventually everyone becomes a potential enemy and everything becomes a threat.
It
is a tragic way to live, but read the editorials, listen to the pundits, and
you will see that many live in this kind of a world.
It's
tragic.
Yes,
unfortunately it seems we're all too prone to let ourselves imagine the worst
possible outcome when presented with a challenge. And, in that way we're not
much unlike those anxious disciples in today's Gospel.
But
notice what Jesus says to his followers, which include us, when we start to go
off into the land of predestined-destruction. He tells the disciples, yes there
will be wars, famines, natural disaster, but do not be alarmed.
In
our world of certain disaster we're prone to shout, "Do not be alarmed?!?!
How could we not be alarmed about all this, and why shouldn't we be?!?!?"
The
Temple will be torn down, we'll fall over the fiscal-cliff - how can't we be
alarmed?!?!"
Don't
be alarmed?
That
advice seems hopelessly foolish. And, well, maybe it is. But, we can't take
these words out of Jesus' mouth. Our cynicism, or whatever you might call
it, cannot unspeak these words of Jesus.
Jesus,
our Lord and savior says, "Do not be alarmed," and so we must dwell
on his command...
Do
not be alarmed.
Do
not be alarmed?
How
could we not be alarmed?!?
It
feels like things are getting worse, it feels like these challenges cannot be
overcome.
How
can we not be alarmed?
/-/-/-/-/-
Advent
is coming soon, you know. Next week will be Christ the King Sunday, and then it
will be Advent.
Advent
comes from the Latin Adventus, which is a translation of the Greek word,
"Parousia." The Greek word "Parousia" means Jesus' second,
and final coming.
Adventus,
Advent, means the end.
Why
do we pause to mention this?
This
factoid is brought up to remind us of something. We bring up this word-lesson
to answer those questions we just posed.
How
could we not be alarmed, and why would we?
We,
sisters and brothers, are people who have been brought through the end, the
adventus.
God,
in Jesus, took the worst the world could do - didn't hide from any of it:
torture, humiliation, betrayal, death. God took all of that, God took all of
that & rose.
Jesus
rose!
He
is risen!
I
know it isn't Easter, but let's try again.
He
is risen!
Yes!
He is risen indeed. And when he rises he doesn't rise by himself, he brings us
with him.
War
and rumors of wars, famines, earthquakes - yes - but do not be alarmed. Do not
be alarmed because God will take all of this on, and give us life on the other
side of these threats. Do not be alarmed because as life in the risen-one,
these things are not the end - Jesus is.
Jesus
is our adventus.
Do
not be alarmed because the one who dares to imagine life without the Temple, is
also the one who dares to not simply imagine the worst the case scenario, but
he is also the one to suffer it and still rise.
Do
not be alarmed because the one who is our king, our ending - adventus, is the
one who reigns from the cross.
Do
not be alarmed because the end, the adventus, really is just our beginning.
Do
not be alarmed because God is a God of life. Do not be alarmed because God is
our hope.
Yes,
we're all too prone to imagine the worst case scenario. But Jesus doesn't just
imagine those potential outcomes Jesus goes even there, Jesus goes to those
places we imagine as God-forsaken, and gives life.
Do
not be alarmed because God with us, Emanuel, is our hope.
Do
not be alarmed.
Do
not be alarmed, because Jesus is our end. Be free, be free from a life of fear.
Do not be alarmed, have assurance. Have assurance because in Jesus, we live
after the end.
Amen
Comments
Post a Comment