Sermon
On Tuesday, Election Day, I posted on Facebook, “Vote! And then do something rejuvenating!,” and didn't return to Facebook for 3 days. My intention was to do my part and vote, and then stay away from as much media noise as possible. There's always a balance to be sought between being a good citizen and not getting involved in more crazy than we can handle. I didn't watch or listen to any news either. Part of me has been worried about something fairly apocalyptic for some years now. It's easy to get overwhelmed by so many broken things in this world! Worried that the outcome of this election would bring forth more violence and embolden the darker parts of society even more, I figured that if I heard about it later rather than sooner, I could postpone my anxiety about the future just a little bit longer. Then, preparing for today, I read the Luke text about the destruction of the temple, and I could really identify with the disciples who seemed so startled by Jesus' words.
Just prior to today's text in Luke Jesus had been teaching in the temple for several days. So there they are, admiring the temple “adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God” and all the glory of the temple when Jesus says, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” Imagine the disciples hearing this and saying, “Wait, what?!” “When!?” “Will there be a sign?” Maybe they thought he was being overly dramatic. A commentator said in a podcast that this reminded her of when friends of hers who live in Ukraine told her that no one thought Russia would invade. No, they said, Russia is always grumbling, there's no way. And yet, those entire cities that are destroyed are witnesses to what was once beyond imagination, was actually happening. No way, they said. No way, the disciples might have said.
That's what I could identify with, the “No way, never!” comments. The startling disbelief about a truth. In 1995 the Columbine school shooting in Colorado happened. We were stunned. In 2012 Sandy Hook happened. I heard it on the news and thought, “Wait, what?!” In 2013 the Boston City Marathon bombing happened. In 2022 the shooting in Uvalde, TX happened. In 2011 the World Trade Center buildings were destroyed – listening on the news, I thought, “Wait, what?” Election results from other years have come in and I found myself saying “No way” one night, and “Wait, what?!” the next morning. The insurrection on January 6th was on the news, and I thought, “Wait, what?!” What's with all the guns? What's with all the violence? What's with all the bad behavior by our public officials? What happened to our civil discourse. Just when we recalibrate our expectations, we discover something else that was beyond our imagination has come true. I was telling someone just this past week that my sermon title was going to be “So Many Broken Things.” It seemed to fit with the apocalyptic message we read in Luke today. Nations and kingdoms will rise against each other, there will be earthquakes and plagues. Well we've had all of those things, so when should I start worrying about the end times really coming?
What Jesus tells us is that these things aren't going to happen right away and they aren't going to happen all at once. Well that's good. The disciples heard these words from Jesus, later they witnessed the destruction of the temple so became witnesses to the truth of Jesus' words. The disciples went from “No way!” to “Wait, what?” in those 70 years. In a very practical sense, given the lectionary we live with in our denomination, we read this scripture every three years, two Sunday's before the start of the season of Advent. It would be understandable if we just glossed over this passage because we became so familiar with it.
Are we still waiting or have we already decided that we've waited long enough? The answer to that question among others is one that is central to the core belief systems of many Christian denominations. One of the things I like about having a prescribed lectionary is that even when scripture becomes so familiar to us, it never means the same thing every time we read it. As difficult as the past many years, several years, few years has been, there is something about being startled by suffering into really taking a good hard look at things as they are really. Suffering strips all that has been hiding of its camouflage and makes us see things anew. As a society we are not perfect and come to our senses about injustice all at once, and come together to right all wrongs. But it does seem as though when things get bad enough, good people find a way to do things we never thought we would do. Suffering of others or ourselves raises the stakes when it comes to the status quo and can force us to expand our comfort zones out of necessity. Reparations for slavery of Africans who were brought here to be slaves, awareness and willingness to work for parity among disparate groups. Reparations to native Americans by recognizing land acknowledgements, by returning land in some cases, by the Pope apologizing on behalf of the Church who took children from their families and stripped them of their culture; think of all of the groups and types of people who need to be heard and seen and acknowledged and brought back to wholeness. While none of the work toward equality is ever close to being completed, when we know better we can do better. All of our efforts however small are a part of the second scripture for today – the Isaiah text – the complete opposite of the gospel reading.
Isaiah promises rebirth, rebuilding, a better future in God's new world. As powerfully fearful as the words of Jesus are to his disciples, these words from Isaiah are just as powerfully hopeful. Isaiah has been a prophet for the Israelites for many years. Today's reading comes from the end of the time of his prophecy and he is trying to convince the Israelites who are coming back from exile to play nice with those who didn't leave. For the Israelites return from exile will look like this: Isaiah's prophecy from God says
"For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress. "
It's hard to have a new heaven and a new earth if the old one is still around. So we can anticipate a lot of destruction of the things that we have become accustomed to. For the disciples, things like the big glorious beautiful temple, even that, will be destroyed. To make way for something better. For us, I'm not sure we know yet. But meanwhile, when we do see destruction, when we do see places where society seems to be collapsing, scripture reminds us that we are not to be afraid. This destruction is to make room for something better.
In her song “Leaves Don't Drop” Carrie Newcomer sings, 'Cause leaves don't drop they just let go, and make a space for seeds to grow…A tree is what a seed contains, To die and live is life's refrain. New things, beyond our imagination come from changes that were also beyond our imagination. Jesus says, don't be afraid of that. I will show you what to do, what to say. “Make up your minds not to plan you defense in advance.” When these changes happen, stick with me – even though it will get you into trouble, use that trouble to testify. Don't worry about how you will testify, I will give you words and wisdom in the moment. Maybe Mary Oliver had this in mind when she wrote her “Instructions for Living a Life” “Pay attention. Be astounded. Tell about it.” Testify, says Jesus. Tell everyone that because of Christ and in order for God to bring about a new heaven and a new earth, these changes must happen. For that reason, even the frightening changes in the world order can be seen as hopeful. Just as Christ's birth was the beginning of God breaking into the world as a human – the beginning of God's new heaven and new earth – the scriptures passages for today come right before the time of waiting and hoping during Advent, to prepare us for what's to come.
The good news from today's gospel lesson from Luke is an important word for us to hear this day, in these times. May we be a part of God's new plan for all of us.
Let's pray…