Sermon 11-16-03
It's the End of the World as We Know It… - Mark 13:1-8
(view lectionary notes for this text)
In the last few years, it seems that world events and world calendars have brought talk of the end of the world, talk of apocalypse, talk of second-coming to the forefront. First, there was the Y2K phenomenon. Do you remember that? Three short years later perhaps it has become blurry in our minds. Perhaps we have forgotten what it was like or how worked up we all were. Was the change on computers from 99 to 00 going to cause a crash of all of our systems? We stocked up on food and water. We stayed in, instead of partying like normal. We worried that surely, despite Jesus' constant warning us against trying to figure out the time for the end, despite his telling us he didn't even know, much less our knowing, that surely, 2000 would be the end. Some magical number that meant things were over for us. But when the clocked reached midnight, nothing happened. Nothing changed, nothing malfunctioned. All our fear, all the hype, and nothing happened.
But then September 11th happened. This event you probably remember more vividly. As some remember where they were when they heard that JFK was shot, now we might remember where we were when we heard about the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. I don't know about for you, but for me, the months following this event were lived out with a degree of nervousness, fear, and stress. I had just begun an internship at a United Methodist Agency in Manhattan, less than a week before the events of the 11th. I was feeling pretty bold and brave, commuting into the city to work. After the 11th, I never wanted to go back in again. I found myself eyeing people on the train in suspiciously, or tensing up every time the subway stopped. And it wasn't just me: everyone seemed to feel that way. In fact, on one train ride home, we were stopped on the middle of the tracks for over an hour because of an anthrax scare, which of course turned out to be nothing.
But the point is, in these past few years, increasingly it seems we live in a state of fear. We are afraid of the wars that are happening around the world. We are afraid for those who serve in the military who are sent to unstable regions, and we are afraid for the people who live in these countries. We are afraid to fly, and we have become suspicious of those who might 'look like terrorists.' We have a color-coded alert system, and our fear and anxiety increases as it does. We know what it is to be living in fear.
So, when we read today's gospel lesson, it is easy to read Jesus' words with our vision of fears, worries, and doubts. "Beware," Jesus says, and we are trembling in our pews! "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various place, there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs." Chilling words indeed. We look around at our world, and we see nation fighting nation, don't we? We hear of one natural disaster after another, and certainly hunger plagues our world. Is this it then? Have the birth pangs begun? What are we supposed to do?
Well, we first need to look and see exactly what Jesus is saying to us. We seem to get so caught up in the part about the wars and the famines that we forget to look at the rest of the passage. What are the other things that Jesus says to us? First, Jesus talks about the temple, the great holy temple. He tells the disciples that some day, not one stone would stand on top of another. And indeed, the temple was eventually destroyed. Second, he tells them to before aware of being led astray by those who falsely claim to come in the name of Christ. And Third, he warns us not to be alarmed, not to fear when we hear rumors of wars, because the end, the end is still to come.
In concrete, tangible terms, Jesus' words are meant to help us live more fully, and to live free of fear. Jesus talks about the temple that is such a central structure in the life of the Jews, and he tells them that it is not permanent. It cannot and will not last forever. His hearers would not have liked his words. It would be like talking to us about this building one day being in ruins. But Jesus tries to point them, and to point us, to what is truly important. Sometimes, there are structures and institutions which do need to be broken down among us. Perhaps we don't need to scrap St. Paul's - but we are called to tear down different walls - walls of sexism, racism, and classism.
Jesus talks about leadership, and how we can recognize one who comes truly in his name, and how we can be alert for ones who seek to lead us astray. Too often, statements like this, coupled with verses from Revelation, have resulted in some Christians labeling this person or that person, this group or that group the Anti-Christ. But truly, Jesus speaks of less dramatic influences on our lives. We don't need to look for fanatics who say they are Christ - we just need to look for those who say they can be our saviors, those who ask us to follow them, coming at us in so many different forms. At my continuing education conference last week, one of the speakers pointed out that today, consumerism tries to promise us salvation. He cited an add slogan from K-Mart: K-Mart - the Saving Place. (1) Anything that tries to supplant the place of God in our lives is the kind of thing that Jesus is warning us against here. What to you is more important than God? If your quick response is nothing, look at your life carefully, and see who or what might be leading you astray, claiming your time, your energy, and your commitment.
And finally, Jesus tells us not to be alarmed about all the world's craziness. Rather than exciting us into paranoia over the end of the world, Jesus actually tells us not to be so afraid. Certainly, he tells us the end will come. We all must come to terms with that fact, whether it be in one chaotic event, or in the quiet ending to our personal life here on earth, our time on this planet is not forever. But what Jesus does say, what he does promise, is that these are just the birth pangs. Using this metaphor does not imply an ultimate disaster, but draws a picture of new life, new birth. After labor, despite the pain, comes a child, a new life, a new creation. And that is the most comforting news of all.
For aside from fears of terrorism and war, fears that are sparked by very specific events, we still have a lot of other fears in our lives. Rev. Richard Fairchild writes, "For some there is no such thing as a day without fear, and I don't mean the physical fear that overwhelms us with adrenalin when a car swerves towards us on the highway. Nor do I mean the fear that rises in us when we hear that a loved one has cancer - the fear that we will be left alone - though that is getting closer to what I mean. No, I mean the fear that life is pointless, - the fear that no one will ever love us, - the fear that every hand is either set against us - or totally ignorant of our existence, - the fear that our children, our friends, and our lovers will never reach the goals we dream of for them, - the fear that God does not exist and that if [God does exist] - we are going straight to hell, - the fear that when all is said and done - we will perish utterly from the face of this earth and that not one thing that we have done or will ever do will make a difference to anyone or anything. And I mean the fear that the World really is ending . . . and that in its place there will come nothing - nothing for the universe and nothing for me - that there will be no new heaven and no new earth for myself or my children - that all that is good now will cease to be and no good will arise in its place." (2)
Perhaps Rev. Fairchild's reflection hits a chord with you. I know I've shared his fears at times, felt the fears he describes. But in Jesus, we have our hope. Jesus reminds us that the things we've built around us may be temporal, but God is with us for eternity. There may be war and earthquake, but the new birth is coming. There may be some who lead us astray, but God has come down to earth, God has called the kingdom right to our dwelling, just to be with us, just to love us, and just to put our fears to rest. Don't be afraid. It's the end of the world as we know it, but this is but the beginning for us. Amen.
Notes:
(1) Address by Jim Winkler, given on November 7th, 2003, at an NEJ GBCS gathering in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
(2) From a sermon by Rev. Richard Fairchild, "A Day Without Fear." http://www.spirit-net.ca/sermons/b-or33sm.php
Benediction: Go in peace, and may you be blessed with the courage and faith of God, may you be touched with the strength and tenderness of God, and may you be washed with God's mercy and love, kept safe in God's presence - both now and forevermore. Amen.