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1. Sunday in Advent, 11/29/2009
Sermon on Luke 21:25-36, by Hubert Beck
"There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
And he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
"But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
(English Standard Version)
TERROR OR HOPE?
Do you realize what would happen to all your "must-do notes" were the Lord to come again - whether to you personally or to the whole world in general? Nothing would be "must-do" any more! All that is important for tomorrow would fade into unimportance in the blink of an eye. Everything would be "done" by the Lord himself in that moment! All our self-important notions of what we must do to keep the world around us in order fades into the shadows when the light of eternity shines on them.
THE LARGER FRAMEWORK FOR THE TEXT
The Framework of the Discourse Itself
Jesus puts all this into perspective when he points to the transience and short-lived underpinnings of earthly existence in today's Gospel. We hear only the latter part of a long discourse that began with the observation made by some around Jesus (Matthew says it was the disciples themselves) concerning "the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings." (21:5) In response to this comment Jesus spoke first about the imminent destruction of that very temple: "As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." (21:6)
When some asked when this would take place Jesus expanded his remark concerning the temple to the whole world. He spoke of wars and earthquakes and famines and pestilences as "terrors and great signs from heaven." (21:9-11) He went on to make it plain that the people of God would be persecuted, imprisoned, and "hated by all for my name's sake." (21:12-17) He spoke of the destruction of Jerusalem as a time of distress so great that it would be unimaginable to those in his hearing. (21:20:-24) This is the context for the words we heard as "The Gospel for Today," a reading describing "signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken." That is quite an introduction to the season of Advent, is it not?
These words, however, could have been spoken or written in our day also, could they not? Can we read the paper, turn on the TV newscasts, listen to the news on the radio without some report of warfare, upheavals on earth and in the sky, terror inflicted on innocent people everywhere in the world, persecution of the good and the rise of a new evil, perplexities hounding the lives of people around the globe, etc.? They were not merely the stuff of Jesus' day, nor are they merely descriptions of events in our world today. They have been occurring throughout the history of the world. Every time and every geographical place on earth has experienced them. The turmoil of the heavens, likewise, has been known and written about from ancient times.
The Literary Framework of the Text
It must be understood that these words of Jesus are, in biblical terms, "apocalyptic descriptions" of the clash between godliness and demonic opposition; between "the powers of darkness" and "the powers of light" in cosmic dimension and imagery. It was a form of literature that arose at a critical juncture in the life of Israel, It was an attempt to "make sense" of the apparent victory of evil at the hands of Israel's enemies. God's people seemed to be at the mercy of inimical powers that appeared to be beyond any humanly redemptive interpretation or activity. The times required - even demanded - divine intervention if any "good" were to come out of such times at all. This literature commonly used vivid metaphors and similes adapted from earlier prophetic writings, frequently exaggerating them to a high visionary level.
Paul writes of the need for God's intervening action in this world of cosmic suffering akin to the words of Jesus in more ordinary language: "The creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." (Romans 8:20-23) In these words we catch the vision to which Jesus was pointing - a vision the fulfillment of which we all long for, the "redemption of our bodies." With our earthly eyes, however, we can see no way out of our condition, filled with misery as it is. It is a vision that must be received by faith. On the surface there is no evidence that it will turn out that way! Fr. Ron Rolheiser puts it very well, "To be human is to be on fire for a consummation, a love, a restfulness, an embrace, and a symphony that, in this life, forever escapes us. In every cell of our bodies and in the very DNA of our souls we ache for someone or something that we have not yet known, ache in a way that leaves us too dissatisfied and restless to live fully inside our own skins." (from a homily posted on The Center for Liturgical Study Web Site for November 29, 2009)
This very kind of language, in fact, is used to interpret the last hours of Jesus on the cross! "And there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two." (Luke 23:44, 45) "Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. . . And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God.'" (Matthew 27:45, 51-54) These are ways of telling the readers that in the hour of Jesus' suffering and death the "powers of darkness" did, indeed, have their day, but, in the self-same hour, his death shook the very foundations of the earth, breaking the world loose from the bondage of sin and death with which those very same "powers of darkness" had enslaved it from the time of Eden.
THE TEXT FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT
Terror or Hope?
Perhaps through Paul's words in Romans and Fr. Rolheiser's homily you have begun to understand why such a seemingly "outlandish Gospel" should be read on this First Sunday in Advent. A reading of this sort, in fact, is read on every First Sunday in Advent. It is not by accident that our anticipation of the coming of the Christ Child should be introduced in this way. To anticipate the coming of Christ one must first recognize how vital it is that such a one must come if there is to be any hope at all; that the dark night of Satan's rule must be broken before the light of salvation can shine into that dark night! Salvation is at hand in the midst of what appears to be a hopeless situation! All that is considered important on this earth - all our "to-do lists" - must be seen for what they are - stuff of our own making. That which is vital, that which is of God, must destroy all our human efforts at "making sense" out of this world so that a true hope may become clearly visible, for it is only in seeing the things of God that our hope can be properly rooted.
When Jesus spoke the words of our text he made it clear that the transitoriness of this present existence terrifies only those who want nothing to do with him who is coming, for they are content with things as they are. Their terror is born of the fact that, in the moment it becomes evident that all existence is but a passing moment before its Creator reclaims it for himself, they will have to give up everything they have ever thought important or necessary for their existence. People will "faint with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world" because it clearly signals the futility of their efforts at claiming the earth for themselves. All that they hold dear will cave in on itself when that which is of God unabashadly asserts itself, laying claim to all the created cosmos currently writhing in agitated and restless turmoil. Until that is not only recognized but also freely acknowledged, God's entrance into the world wrapped in the flesh of this earth will have no real meaning.
It is, therefore, on the first order of things as we anticipate the birth of the child that we be fully aware that this earth, both in its createdness and in its sinfulness, is ultimately in the hand of God. He not only signifies this in the glorious blossoming of the earth and the unimaginable orderliness of the universe but also through the ways in which that same orderliness of sun and moon and stars is disrupted by the divine hand and also when he refuses to directly intervene in the commotion among humans that results in wars and tumult among nations. By the "roaring of the sea and the waves" heaving with destructive might as well as by the forced recognition that, left to ourselves, we humans constantly create havoc and terror where peace and harmony is intended, God keeps our hearts longing for one who can re-order and reclaim and restore all things to their intended order. He must impress upon us that finding the right mate, being employed in the ideal job, living in comfort and security, being recognized as "successful" and "well established" is never enough. He must raise up in us that flame of desire for him who, alone, is the source of all well-being and contentment. Sometimes he does it by disturbing the peaceful serenity of our lives and at other times he does it by permitting our human propensity to sin play itself out to its bitter end. But always, in some way, he is signifying that more is necessary than that which lies close at hand. Jesus put it very pointedly, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." (Matthew 5:6)
It is into the midst of this terror, then, that God enters, bringing hope. "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near." Into the midst of the terror God rides in as "the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." The "cloud" is not a spatial vision of vapor in the heavens. It is consistently, in biblical language, the sign of God's presence. "The Son of Man" is not merely another human, but the one portrayed in the book of Daniel as the one to whom God "gave dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." (Daniel 7:14) Jesus pulls no punches. He is clear that all these signs of the imminence of the kingdom of God do indeed terrorize the world at large as it sees a threat to its self-confident security. These same signs are, however, to those with eyes to see and hearts to recognize, signs that "your redemption is near," that "the kingdom of God is near," that the Son of Man is entering the picture! The kingdom is not one marked with boundary lines and fortressed borders. It is that over which the One reigns to whom dominion and glory and a kingdom is given. In short, it is Jesus' way of saying that in him the kingdom of God has become present in the midst of the turmoil of this earth!
The Terror
Today's Gospel reading, then, is a mixture of terror and hope, of destruction and rebuilding. Those whose hope is pinned on this earth are destined to be disappointed. They will view with horror the total dismantling of everything they intended to build, for it is all transitory, all a mere human illusion built on visions born of and confined to earthly eyes. The kingdom of those who have trained their earthly eyes on their own work and accomplishment will be destroyed. "Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn." Their work will be replaced with the work of God's hands in the rebuilding enterprise begun with the child of Bethlehem.
The Hope
Who could possibly imagine that God's rebuilding project would begin with a helpless baby in the arms of a teenage girl? Or, more to the point, who would imagine that God's rebuilding project would find the building material for its construction in the wood of a cross? The apocalyptic imagery of our text makes it plain that he who is engaged in this project is mighty. "Great earthquakes, famines, pestilences, terrors and great signs from heavens, signs in sun and moon and stars, the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory" all mark this one in whom the reconstruction project will take place. Are not these images of power the way to identify God's glorious work of reshaping the world to his own will? Earthly imaginations would say so! But God builds the work of his strength upon the frailty of a newborn child!
"Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near," Jesus says. In the midst of the terror filling the hearts of those who see the destruction of their human enterprises, whose entire hope has been built on that which they construct by means of the stuff of this earth, you are "Not to be terrified," he says (21:9); "This will be your opportunity to bear witness. . . for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict," (21:13, 15); "Straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (21:28) The eyes and ears, the heart and hope of God's people shall see a seed planted in Bethlehem from which shall rise the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Only those who believe that "heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" will be watching at the manger in Bethlehem, trusting that when the leaves of the fig tree begin to come out one can know for certain that "the summer [of salvation] is already near."
"This generation will not pass away until all has taken place," Jesus says. Who is this "generation" - and what will "all has taken place" be? Is it not likely that "the generation" to which Jesus points is, quite simply, those who take God at his unfailing word? (He uses the word "generation" in this fashion at other places.) Did not "all that takes place" begin with the birth of the one for whom we commence our wait on this First Sunday in Advent - the very one who speaks these words, whose life, suffering, death, and ascension is our hope and our salvation? Surely it is he who is near - he who brings with him all that our heart can long for or in which our hope can ever find its fulfillment! Remember the imagery used by the gospel writers when they described Jesus' death in ways making it clear that on his cross the end of everything old was taking place (the darkness that accompanied his death) while, at the same time, the chains of sin were being broken loose was taking place (the shaking of the earth when he died). There, on the cross, - a most unlikely place to recognize the emergence of an eternal hope - the very turning point of the world took place! Hope was born anew!
THE TEXT FOR OUR LIVES TODAY
So does this reading fill you with apprehension or anticipation; with a sense of impending devastation or a hope filled with delight? All too frequently these "apocalyptic dissertations," if we may call them that, are used by interpreters to raise fear and anxiety and dread, asking us to look around at all the signs of impending doom and destruction, warning us to heed the "signs of the times" as though our lives are to be lived in constant fright bordering on panic, given the imminence of Christ's return.
Texts such as these, however, are actually written to raise hope in the hearts and lives of all godly people who hear and read them! It is true that Jesus is insistent that we are to "straighten up and raise our heads," but we are to do so in order to see that "our redemption is drawing near." It is true that we are to "watch ourselves lest our hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life," and that we are to "stay awake at all times, praying that we may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man." But those "warnings" are also written through many other sayings of Jesus, throughout the letters of the New Testament (this is what Paul is urging in the Second Lesson, for that matter), and The Revelation to St. John. These warnings are standard, for we are always "in danger." Jesus teaches us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
But these are more than warnings. They are grounded in the hope that has been planted in us! "Let nothing take that hope away from you," they warn us! Be assured that "not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives," Jesus tells us. (21:18, 19) "Your redemption is drawing near!" Jesus says. This very promise lies at the heart of his assertion that "they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." His coming is the heart of our hope! It is at the very center of our longing and our "deep-seated restlessness," as Fr. Rolheiser puts it? This is what Paul says so eloquently when he says that we "groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." (Romans 8:23b, 24) Is this not the joyful anticipation on which John lays hold so eagerly when he tells us in the concluding words of his Revelation, "He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20)
Yes, he is coming soon just as he has come and is even now here among us. One of the marvels of eternity is that it collapses all human time in upon one perpetual factor - the word of the Lord that does not pass away! All that has been is wrapped up in that which God has "spoken" through the ages - and all that will be is also wrapped up in that same word which God "speaks" across the ages. In his word we find all the past and all the future! His presence among us and with us today is also wrapped up in the word of today's Gospel reading. That word entwined itself into the waters of our baptism through which God laid claim to us. That word weaves itself into the bread and wine which we are about to receive. They are the visible forms of today within which Christ promises to be present for us just as he used his body to save us in the past. It is he whose presence in this bread and wine who is also our hope for all futures. That word is interlaced with and envelops the whole of our lives as he, present today in and among and through this assembly gathered, invests each and every one of us with his presence, sending us out into the world where we find, in the midst of the chaos and meaninglessness within which the world of humankind is mired, "opportunity to bear witness" through the "mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict" which he will place into our mouths and lives. The only "to-do lists" that really count are given us by him who has done all things for us!
For there is doing yet to be done, of course. We are bearers of hope who know the terror cannot touch those whose lives are enwrapped in God's grace given us in Jesus Christ! Go, then, bearing the word that there is more to life than we see, for beyond and within and around all that we see there is a God who is reclaiming it all for himself, no matter how much we humans try to assert it as our own! Go as the people saying, "Come, Lord Jesus, come! Come as the child of Bethlehem! Come as the Crucified Man! Come as the Son of Man on the clouds with power and great glory! Come bearing salvation to the world! Amen. Come, Lord Jesus, come!"