Isaiah 65:17-25
Luke 21:5-19
“The World is About to Turn”
At our regular meeting of the Presbytery of Assiniboia yesterday, I began the devotional time by reading the children’s storybook, “God, I Feel Scared,” by Michelle Nietert and Tama Fortner. But before I started the story, I invited the gathered ministers and elders to think about what makes them feel scared.
We read about the fears of young children – things like wondering what will happen next, things like shadows creeping across a dark room or flashes of lightning. We were reminded of times when trying something new made us nervous, when a sick loved one caused us worry and anxiety, and what it felt like when we got lost.
As we read about how being scared feels, and the various ways that children respond to those feelings, I wondered how much the adults in our meeting might be able to relate to those feelings too. We might remember the butterflies in our stomachs, the shivers, the tears, or the anger. We might remember feeling frozen in place or wanting to run away. And I think that most of us have felt those things more recently than childhood.
When I invited the presbyters to share what makes them feel scared, they did… Worry about a spouse with a serious medical diagnosis, fear for the safety and well-being of grandchildren in the current political climate, fear of making mistakes in our ministries and not being able to respond to the needs of people adequately, fear about the future of the church, fear about the rise of fascism in our world, fear about the future of the world with the current conflicts and the rising threat of nuclear war.
I wonder what you would add from your personal experience. What makes you scared in these days?
Of course, the storybook includes strong assurances to our children that there are many kinds of fears that we can face, but we never have to face them alone. God is always there is help. And the final word is a word from 2nd Timothy 1:7 “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
In other places in Scripture, we also hear:
“Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)
“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff – they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)
“Do not worry about anything, but in everything… let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
And Jesus said: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul…” (Matthew 10:28)
But let’s turn to today’s Gospel text to go a little deeper into what Jesus would say about our perfectly valid fears and anxieties. Today’s words from Jesus come from the final days of his ministry in Jerusalem and his life on this earth. We can easily imagine how Jesus’ disciples might have been feeling scared because of the uncertainty, the danger, and their growing realization that Jesus is soon going to be arrested and killed, just as he told them it would happen.
We might also want to think about the early Christian community towards the end of the century who were the first ones to read these words of Jesus from Luke’s Gospel. They also were living in the midst of uncertainty, danger, and a growing realization of the risk and sacrifice associated with being Christians in a hostile world.
Unlike prosperity-gospel preachers of the 20th and 21st centuries who promise wealth and happiness for those who give their lives to Christ, Jesus did not down-play the costs to disciples of following his way. Just as Jesus’ mission in the world cost him his life, many of his first disciples would also lose their lives, as would disciples at the end of the first century and in the centuries since. Jesus will not be the only martyr who is killed for speaking truth to power and holding fast to his faith.
Jesus’ honest warnings about the challenges and persecution to come probably didn’t comfort his disciples at first. Hearing things like, “They will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name” probably prompted some feelings of anxiety and fear in them.
And along with the warnings, Jesus was clear about their responsibility in all of this -that they would be called upon to testify – to tell of the good news about Jesus, to proclaim God’s love for the least and the lost, and to challenge the powers of the world that would raise themselves up over the poor and the vulnerable ones.
Did you notice that this whole speech by Jesus was prompted by a conversation about the great and beautiful temple in Jerusalem? Some people were speaking about the temple and how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts. And Jesus said, “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.”
It reminds me of the song of Mary at the beginning of Luke’s Gospel – when Jesus’ pregnant mother sang her own prophecy about what was to come. She sang about God scattering the proud, bringing down the powerful from their thrones, and lifting up the lowly. She sang about God filling the hungry with good things and sending the rich away empty.
She sang about God turning the world upside down through the ministry and mission of her son, who was yet to be born. And Jesus confirmed that even if it cost him his life, and even if cost his disciples a great deal as well… Even if, as he told them, they would be hated by all, betrayed by friends, and even put to death, the messed-up world of violence, injustice, oppression, and fear would be turned upside down (or maybe we should say right-side-up) by God’s power.
A couple of weeks ago I read a book by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde called “How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith,” which I would highly recommend that you read. You may remember seeing Mariann in the news earlier this year when she preached at the current President’s Inauguration Service and boldly asked him to have mercy on the poor, the immigrants, and members of the LGBTQI community whom she rightly suspected would be targeted by the incoming administration. Although the Bishop was criticized and insulted by the President and others for what she said, she was one of the first to rise to the opportunity to speak truth to power even though it put her at risk.
This past week, I was encouraged to hear about a statement made by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to denounce the Trump administration’s inhumane deportation campaign. It was a near-unanimous, unprecedented moral stand against a sitting president.
They wrote: “We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people. We pray for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or at law enforcement.” Listing a litany of concerns, the prelates described a “climate of fear” among immigrant families – parents afraid to take children to school or even attend church – and they deplored the “vilification of immigrants” in public debate.
The people who heard Jesus declare that the massive temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed, with not one stone left upon another, might not have believed that it was possible. In a similar way, it may seem unimaginable that the evil powers of today’s world could be overthrown and the poor, the hungry, the marginalized, the oppressed, and the down-trodden be raised up to lives of dignity, freedom, and peace.
But that is exactly what Mary sang about in the Magnificat, and that is exactly what Jesus preached about in his final days on earth. Jesus did not say that it was going to be easy for us as his followers to participate in the hard work of bringing it about. But he did say that he would give us the words and the wisdom we would need. And he did say that we would not be alone.
Even if we face hard things, things that make us scared, and things that feel risky and dangerous… Jesus promises, “Not a hair on your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.”
And indeed, as we heard from the Prophet Isaiah this morning, God is “about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.”
Let us place our hope in that vision and that promise as together we face the things that can make us scared. Let us heed Jesus’ words and learn together how to be brave. And may God’s kingdom come.