Have you heard?
Regardless of the fact that the Mayans couldn’t foresee the end of their
own civilization, the Mayan prediction of 2012 as the end of human civilization
has captured the imagination of popular culture. The fact that the 5125 year
Mayan calendar comes to an end on December 21, 2012 is giving bad dreams and
bad thoughts to a whole new generation.
Of course, there are dates that speak volumes just by their numbers. From the
ancient Mayans to Nostradamus to Y2K and now 2012, there has never been any
shortage of end-of-the-world scenarios. The predictions of a “nuclear
winter” have been replaced by global warming, and there is still a debate
over whether the devastating climate changes will bring drought of floods to
vast regions of the earth — but the general agreement among all these
scenarios is, “its gonna be bad.” The
grimness of our environmental condition is relentlessly apocalyptic.
Technological breakthroughs unaccompanied by spiritual breakthroughs can be
apocalyptic. There is no such thing as a happy ending, apocalyptically
speaking.
These stories of the end times have been generated throughout history. There is
always someone who will step up and say God told them the next act in our
lives. Apocalypticism is all about attitude –
and it’s a bad attitude. That was Jesus’ message in today’s
gospel text...
Our text, which is chronologically situated toward the end of Jesus' ministry,
after the bulk of his work in Galilee was complete, finds Jesus in
An apocalypse is an unveiling … a revealing … a vision that grants
its recipient a glimpse beyond what's going on to what's really going on. It speaks of what God is doing and what God will do. At first glance, our text looks
like a warning of destruction. But is that really the case?
As Jesus and his disciples left the temple, one of the disciples expressed a
sense of awe at the magnificence of the building. He was captivated by the type
of masonry available to those with wealth. They did not have that kind of
masonry in
Often we encounter persons who want the inside scoop. They want to know in
advance before everybody else knows. Why? What's the benefit? Does that kind of
knowledge give some sort of power over others? Does it lead to some sense of
ego inflation? We often want to be the reporter, not the receiver.
But often what we think we receive is not the real thing. We know what we heard
or what we see, but is our interpretation accurate? These disciples have been
traveling with Jesus. They didn't see him preparing any weapon of mass
destruction to ignite some end of existence as we know it, which would include
the destruction of the temple. Could it be that their thoughts were distorted
by the prevalent voices of the powerful, or were they blinded by the flashy
trappings that they were surrounded by in
Have you ever been to a play that had a very elaborate set design yet behind
the scene is nothing? It's a façade; there is no real substance. Yet set
design, smoke, and mirrors can create the image of reality. And those who
create the images also act out the role of happiness, when often the image is
also a façade that houses an empty spirit.
Even now, those of us who identify ourselves as children of God, as followers
of the way of Jesus, can be seduced into believing that the elite must have the
answers. But we hear Jesus saying, "Beware that no one leads you
astray." Beware of those who come and say they are speaking
authoritatively about what they alone know and we're supposed to believe
because it's cloaked in a shiny package. We believe in the hype of advertising.
Someone else knows what will satisfy us. So we go broke trying to get it or get
depressed because we don't have the means to get it. Some of us have tried
every diet in the book and will never be able to look like what's been promoted
as beautiful. We focus on the ornate masonry of the temple, cookie cutter forms
of beauty and worth. Yet behind the scene is
emptiness, pain, and disappointment.
Listen to the messages of the end times and check the characters who are
actually speaking that story line. It's the "haves," not the
"have nots" who like to talk about the end
times. People on the margins of society, those that the spiritually,
politically, and socially elite have ignored, are not looking for end times.
They're looking for equality, justice, and peace. They, we, are looking for the
Good News of the Gospel, the real Gospel as Marcus Borg would suggest, the subversive Gospel of Compassion that Jesus espoused.
That Gospel intimidates those who want to maintain power. The elite of society
are always outnumbered by the multitudes, so for them, liberation and equality
is threatening.
Opposition to equality happened to Jesus and it happens to us. Enemies often
become allies when it serves their best interest. When the party line supports
the maintenance of the status and lifestyle of the "haves," unlikely
parties suddenly find harmony around a cause. Distribution of power and wealth
is an almost impossible task for some who are used to being entitled. Even to
capture Jesus, an unlikely religious coalition formed comprised of those who
could not fathom the liberation of those in the margin. They didn't want to
share their socio-religious status for fear of diluting their own level of
privilege. Watch the alliances.
Instead of the liberating Good News of Jesus, many in our society have embraced
the god of consumerism while the poor, the outcast, the abused, the left-out,
are ignored or further oppressed.
But Jesus knew that scene was not the only reality. He reminded the disciples
not to believe those who come saying that they know … that they know when
the end time is coming … or that they know what's best for you …
claiming to be your messiah. The main danger of this talk of the end times is
that it's a call to maintain the status quo. It leads to isolated individual
survival. The proponents say things
like, "Shore up your own salvation." "Forget about
community." "Make sure you follow the rules. And by the way, here are
the rules for you to follow." In that mindset, when we hear or read news
of a rise in homelessness, of children being abused, of the plight of the poor,
we've been relieved of responsibility of the transformation of our communities.
Rather than a call for radical change and action, we see the news as evidence
of the end times and that we might as well ignore destruction, violence, abuse,
and pain. We might as well just close the doors and retreat to a safe space and
work out our own soul's salvation rather than become engaged in the healing of
our land and the birthing of a new reality.
Jesus told the disciples, "When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don't
be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will
rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be earthquakes
in various places; there will be famine." But then the text says,
"This is but the beginning of the birth pangs."
Jesus was saying this is not the end, but that it's time to flip the
script. It's time to switch to an entirely different plot. Tragedies are a call
to be transformed as we work for the transformation of the systems that
oppress. Jesus' conversation about the destruction of the temple was symbolic
of the systems and institutions that oppress and exclude. He was talking about
the end to the status quo and the birthing of justice, freedom, the
redistribution, and/or redefinition of power and wealth. This is not the end.
This is the beginning!
Now our role is, like Jesus told the disciples, to maintain our belief in and
our commitment to the radical good news that God is still in control revealing
a new way of life, love, justice, and peace. The old script of power to a few
and neglect of the poor has run its last performance. The realm of God and a
radical new vision of justice, freedom, and love is
coming to the stage. It's time to flip the script with our votes, with our
voices, with our outreach, with our welcome. God's next scene is a reversal of
fortune. God is ready to flip the script just as God has done throughout
history.
And here is the really exciting part … God is calling upon us to
help. This is the Sunday we make our
pledge. We
have made a covenant to be church together in this place. That means we are
bound to one another to support … what we decide together … that
God wants us to do … and that means time, talents, and yes, money. I love our church. And I want it to
succeed. I want this church to thrive
for the gospel's sake. I really believe that the gospel we are trying to embody
here … of a caring community … with an open door … helping
people access the love of God … is the best treasure we have. I want to
take care of this building so we can use it as a place where people find
welcome and healing and hope for generations to come.
So I am asking you to be generous and follow your heart. Give something, so you can feel more
ownership. Give something, so you are investing with us here. Give something so
you can enjoy the return in lives touched and helped. Give something, not just
because the church needs your support, but because you need to let go and give
and gain the spiritual insight about where your true riches are. Maybe someday,
if we all get into the habit we will discover that we can't “outgive” God.
May we pray?
Loving God, we thank you for these words and for the many times that you
have flipped the script in our lives. When we were hopeless, you brought us
hope, when we were sick, you brought us health, and when we were hurting, you
brought us healing, you brought us company. Your company is all the company we
really need, so we thank you for joining us as we flip the script of our lives
and walk into a new reality of love, justice, and hope. Thank you for your
presence. Thank you for your love. In the name of the Christ we pray. Amen.
Rev. Mary Anne Biggs, Pastor
Nekoosa United
Nekoosa