Do you shy away from the passages that talk of destruction and death, wars and rumors of war, of stone falling away from stone and walls destroyed, of earthquakes and famine?
Every year in November, we end the Lectionary year with apocalyptic and “God’s kingdom” images.
Stern warnings, signs of destruction, the crucifixion of Jesus, and even the surprising “Parable of the Talents” (that ends with a verdict on the head of that “wicked and lazy servant” who gets thrown into the outer darkness with those “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”)
Not very comforting thoughts right before the Thanksgiving weekend and the beginning of the Christmas “season:” ADVENT.
We mainline, respectable, progressive folks prefer our Jesus as a moral teacher, with words of love and grace. He’s a wise one that we “follow” into the sunshine because that’s the way he “should” be.
In our mind, Jesus is filled with compassion for the poor and those excluded. He’s someone who refills our depleted spiritual gas tanks and sends us back to fight the good fight refreshed. He encourages and inspires with hope and glory..., not someone who brings death, destruction, and painful consequences.
The judgmental Christ is someone we’d rather not have around, and so we ignore him, hoping he doesn’t look our way or peer into our hearts too deeply.
Retired Bishop William Willimon talks of a long ago student mission trip to Honduras to rebuild parts of an impoverished village. There, around the fire one night, everyone was asked what their favorite scripture passage was. And in the midst of all the usual references to Psalm 23, the Christmas story, John 3:16 and the Beatitudes..., a Honduran women softly said “Mark 13.“ (It’s a description of the judgement with great buildings thrown down, stone from stone... of wars and rumors of war, and a world filled with earthquake and famine... She said that this passage was “always a comfort” to her.
After she finished, a nurse next to Dr. Willimon leaned over and whispered to him that three of the women’s five children had died of infant malnutrition.
He was stunned.
From our perspective of a pretty comfortable life may find it hard to relate to that woman. We wonder would we be able to see comfort in a painful “judgement” the way she did? Would we still have faith if our world was filled with such grief, destruction, and pain as her’s?
Dr. Willimon concludes that yes, life can be very fragile, pain-filled, brutally tragic..., but we also know that new birth usually requires some death in one form of another. Childhood dies so that adulthood can begin. Leavings must happen so new horizons can be explored.
New opportunities often reveal themselves when hopes and detailed plans are dashed, plans of going to the college of our choice, of wedded bliss, of when an accident debilitates us or those around us, when fire, natural disaster, massive epidemics like Covid-19 or a sudden death changes ALL our life plans.
The old must pass away as the new comes into being. Death begats life. Life can change in an instant. Nothing is permanent. “All is Vapor.” (Ecc. 1:2-9, James 4:14)
We love a God whose scripture says: “The Lord brings death and makes alive,” (1 Sam 2:6) and “I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal...” (Deut. 32:39)
God is God and the gospel tells us that even in the midst of great sorrow and injustice, even when our heart breaks and people are wounded and killed, even in the tragic, incredible pain of the Cross, God moves in and works to bring new things from pierced hands, bleeding feet and sides and crumbling, grandiose temples.
The very last Sunday of the year is Christ the King/Reign of Christ Sunday that could easily be a celebration of the glory of a risen Christ.
Yet even here, in the crowning glory of Christ, we are confronted with the judgement of sheep and goats, of Good Friday words pleading to “remember me when you come into your kingdom,” and of Jesus before Pilate, not protesting injustice or what’s fair, but speaking of deep truth.
And it’s here that we have our best chance to proclaim the all-encompassing Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not a sweetened message of love and flowers. But one that not only begins with the brutality of the incarnation, picks up speed with the proclaimation that “the kingdom/realm of God has come” (Mark 1:14-15), and is dazzling in its manifested, incarnational reality revealed in miraculous glory on Easter morning.
It’s this WHOLE gospel story changes lives and turns the world “right side up!” (as many preachers have said) into the new creation, the new covenant of God.
It’s the culmination of the grand sweep of the whole story of the Gospel, the Good News that Christ has brought heaven to us and in Christ we are invited to live as “Citizens of Heaven” (Phil 3:20) now and forever.
Heaven is created all around us and we are invited to live on the “porch of God”, in full communion with Christ right now. The communion reality is celebrated in Baptism as we receive our “immigration papers” to this “Heaven on earth” and the Heaven to come forever.
Such a conclusion to the church year then prepares us to celebrate the incarnation, the deep and grace-filled gift of the Christ in the body of Jesus, Lord at birth for all time: Advent/ Christmas/ Epiphany.
Don’t sidestep the Apocalypse!
It deals with evil and all that’s wrong in the world by leading us to repentance, holiness and heaven on earth. Embrace it’s “life in the midst of death” message of truth.
Allow your whole outlook and philosophy of life to be filled with all the unconditional love God has poured out on you and direct all your actions to now be transformed into what God has hoped you would become all along: a fully maturing heavenly being, no longer earth bound.
Be a transformed human being IN the world, no longer OF the world. (John 17:14-15, Romans 12)
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Terry
www.agapejourneys.com
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Questions for small groups and others....
1) What was your idea of heaven before you read this article?
2) Has your idea of heaven changed?
3) Have you even thought of yourself as a "Citizen of Heaven" (Phil 3:20) before this?
4) What implications do you see for holding your citizenship of Heaven above all other localities and commitments?
5) What would it mean if you saw everyone around you in church as a brother and sister in heaven, made possible by Jesus the Christ?
6) What changes need to be made in your congregation to make it a "piece of heaven on earth?"
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