The Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost - November 15

Provoke One Another
Proper 28
Hebrews 10:11-25
Mark 13:1-8

When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs.

From today’s Gospel. Today is the next to last Sunday in the church year. And, every year at this time, as the year wanes, we hear passages like this one. The technical term is “apocalyptic.”

It’s a word we know. The general meaning of the word apocalypse is “uncovering,” disclosure, revelation… An uncovering or revealing of something that was unknown or hidden. In religious usage the word has come to mean the revelation of how the world will end. What the end of all things and all time will be like. Apocalyptic writing is a specific style or genre in the Bible.

In our regular lives, it is probably a genre we are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with, at least when it is presented as fact. And it is a worldview that we probably dismiss as “crazy.” After all, up to this point, every individual who has predicted the imminent end of the world has been wrong. Just another loony predicting the end of the world this coming Tuesday… based on some permutation of numbers in the Mayan calendar, or some other calendar, or reading tea leaves or something else equally fantastic.

But, within the Bible, apocalyptic writing is found in both the Old and New Testaments. It is a particular style with consistent characteristics.

 Chapter 13 in Mark is often called the “Little Apocalypse,” to differentiate it from the “Big” Apocalypse of the Book of Revelation. From a commentary on Mark’s Gospel (Lamar Williamson, Jr., Interpretation):

Mark 13 displays several characteristics of apocalyptic thought: a deterministic and pessimistic view of history (the course of history is clearly determined, and it isn’t going to end well), anticipation of the end of the world in some great and imminent crisis, a dualistic understanding of human existence, and visions of cosmic upheaval. The symbolism of the chapter is largely drawn from apocalyptic passages in the Old Testament and related literature, particularly from the Book of Daniel which is quoted verbatim three times… [Mark 13] must be understood in the context of the apocalyptic literature of the Old and New Testaments and of the apocalyptic movement in Judaism and Christianity which gave birth to these writings.

Speaking more specifically about the verses we heard today:

They convey a series of… warnings against deceptive signs of the end-time: the appearance of deceivers, wars, and upheavals of nature…. The gist is that “the end is not yet.” 

A warning against deceptive signs of the end-time. A warning against deceivers predicting the end-time. The end is not yet.

Jesus, in Mark, goes on to say, more or less, you’ll know the real end when it comes. It won’t just be the end of your world; it will be the end of the world. Don’t confuse the two. The end is not just the end of your way of life; your social structure; not even the end of humanity. The end will be cosmic. So this isn’t it. Don’t worry.

You may or may not find Jesus’ words reassuring, but they are meant to be.

It’s hard to know in this passage how much comes directly from Jesus and how much is Mark speaking to his own community. The community to whom Mark wrote was facing troubling and uncertain times:

 … disappointment at Jesus’ delayed return, the immense social and religious upheaval caused by the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple [their whole self-understanding as God’s people], possible persecution by secular and religious forces, confusion among Jesus’ followers about whether they had missed his second coming, and conflicts between rival Christian leaders (David Lose, HERE).

The end is not yet. Your life may be uncertain, confusing, frightening, a total mess, but don’t worry, the end is not yet.

For all of us gathered here, life is pretty good really. But the world around us often seems like a mess. And some times more than others that mess seems to come close and threatening. In one sense, although the style of Mark’s apocalyptic writing may seem strange, it may also seem all too familiar. We see around us faith-based conflict and violence. Nation rising up against nation.

As David Lose reflects on this passage, he notes that Jesus’ ultimate message is that the antidote to confusion and fear is not certainty, it is courage. The antidote to uncertainty, confusion and fear is not some certainty of signs, not an indisputable roadmap for the future. The antidote to confusion and fear is courage. Courage born of the knowledge that we are God’s own beloved, no matter what. That we dwell in the being of Christ. Think about that. We dwell in the very being of Christ. We live within, we share the life, of Christ himself, no matter what is going on around us. Christ offers us newness of life, renewal, healing of all that is broken, even now. And nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus!

The Christian response, the Christian perspective, in times of fear and uncertainty is all there in today’s reading from Hebrews. It’s there in Hebrews.

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

This week I could not help but read this passage from Hebrews within the context of the terrible acts of terrorism that have occurred in several places around the world. Terrorism, as we think of it now, is a concept that has only been around for the last 15 years or so. And it always involves “groups.” Which “group” takes responsibility. This sort of terrorism occurs because of groups. I do not diminish the individual responsibility of the people who commit these ungodly acts, but it takes a group to provoke, radicalize, recruit, inspire individuals to act. It takes a group to provoke and inspire individuals to act.

I’m a little wary of this analogy, fearing that I will be misinterpreted.

But Hebrews reminds us that we are a group. We Christians are a group. And that is our strength. It is when we “meet together” that we encourage one another to “hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering…” As we meet together we encourage, we instill courage, in one another. And, as a group, we PROVOKE ONE ANOTHER TO LOVE AND GOOD DEEDS.

That is what Christians do in a world that is fearful, confusing and threatening. Provoke one another to love and good deeds.

The Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost - November 8

Learning to See
Proper 27
Mark 12:38-44

The Gospel reading for today may seem pretty simple and straightforward. But it’s tricky.

Most modern Bibles separate this passage into two parts with separate headings. The first is called something like Jesus’ teaching on humility. The second part is titled: The Widow’s Mite, or The Widow’s (small) offering.

The second part about the widow is well known; it’s a familiar story. And, at first glance, it may look like the perfect text for a stewardship sermon. The message is simple. Give sacrificially. A lot of stewardship sermons have certainly been preached on this passage. I didn’t go back to check. I hope I never have. The temptation is strong, especially since we hear this passage in the fall when most parishes are doing their annual pledge campaigns.

The widow gave “everything she had to live on.” As one commentator said, she was two pennies away from death. Literally. And she gave away those two pennies. The fall parish pledge campaign is not war. It does not demand the sacrifice of a life. There are several possibilities if she really gave all she had to live on. (1) She knew she was close to death and wanted that to be her last act. (2) She wanted to die so gave away her remaining meager means of support. Or (3) she was so mindlessly bound to duty that even in the face of death she acted as she thought she “should.” This stinks as a stewardship text.

But I don’t think today’s Gospel is about the widow. The first thing to do is to look at today’s passage as a whole. Within the broader context of Mark’s Gospel, this passage is a coherent unit, not two separate stories.

And it’s about the disciples. Jesus is teaching the disciples. And he’s teaching them not so much about how to give, as how to see. And who to see. This passage is about how to see.

One commentator reflecting on this passage called it: Jesus' Tips on People Watching.

At the beginning of this passage, the disciples couldn’t take their eyes off of the scribes. They WERE treated with respect. They DID have the best seats in the synagogue. They were the star athletes of their day. The disciples are having an “I wanna be like Mike” moment. After all, the disciples were in the religion business, too. And the Scribes were at the top. The disciples looked at them with envy and admiration.

Some of those scribes, Jesus says to the disciples, at least some of those guys you envy, aren’t so religious. For them, it’s all about the attention and status. They are folks who just use religion for personal status and gain. They are self-centered hypocrites. BEWARE. Be wary. Don’t spend your time ogling those people. Be wary of aspiring to be like them.

Jesus tries to redirect their vision. To change how they see people. Change who they see.

The widow is nobody, not noticeable, worth nothing. In the society of that day, a widow was worth nothing. Jesus doesn’t tell the disciples they should BE her, or be like her. In fact, he never explicitly praises her. Jesus says, NOTICE her. SEE her.

She’s just a woman. Just a widow. But she matters, Jesus says. She is worth noticing. See her. Jesus is trying to teach the disciples how to see people with God’s eyes.

The lesson is just as relevant for us today. Do we just see the people who want us to see them, or do we see the people God wants us to see? Do we focus on the people society heralds and holds up, or do we see people as God sees them?

Or, another way of thinking about it: Do we see people as they want to be seen, in the manner that they present themselves, or do we see people as God wants us to see them?

For those of us who are disciples, followers of Jesus… how we see is very important. It is the beginning of every choice we make. Where we go. What we do. How we see… how we sense… what we learn from all of our senses…. sight, hearing, touch, intuition… How we perceive determines every choice we make. Where we go. What we do. How we give of ourselves. Who we interact with, and how.

Lord, teach us how to see.