A time of testing and waiting

‘…Stand firm, and you will win life.....’ (Luke 21:19)

                                                                   'Opening of the Sixth Seal' by Francis Danby (1793-1861) - National Gallery of Ireland

Luke 21:5-19 (Year C: Advent-2)

November is one of those months – with dark evenings, foggy mornings and the arrival of frost, in between the secular feasts of Halloween and Yule-Shopping Tide.  And then there is the political and economic fall-out from the US general elections not to mention closer to home the endless nightmare for the inhabitants of the Middle East and those battling sea, camps and lost children in fortress Europe. The 'End Things' come to mind as the painting of the 'Opening of the Sixth Seal' in the National Gallery in Dublin shown above suggests.

Christians learned, at an early stage, to link November with the ‘end things’. It is no accident that All Saints is marked on the 1^st November (or the 6^th in the case of All Saints of Ireland in some traditions).  The Sunday Gospel readings are full of the ‘end things’ like death, wars, destruction, trial, tribulation, judgment and the hint of a new Kingdom breaking in or breaking out from within.  For those who still see Christmas as primarily the second most important feast in the annual Christian calendar (the first being Easter) marking, as it does the birth of our saviour, November is a time to consider and get ready for the approaching winter (or Spring if you live in the southern hemisphere).  In some cultures ideas of ‘thanksgiving’ or ‘Harvest thanksgiving’ (a relatively late addition to custom) or, indeed Remembrance Sunday to remember those who gave their lives in recent wars (an occasion for commemoration in both parts of Ireland among some traditions). Even the very symbols of remembrance be it a poppy or a lily assumes cultural and political significance because the way communities remember and look forward is connected to who they see themselves as.  We remember from a narrative of history, belonging and aspiration whether we consciously know it or not.

The scene is set in this Sunday’s reading from the 21^st chapter of the Gospel of Luke by the dire circumstances in which the community for whom and from whom Luke wrote. Luke was writing for a community under fire, persecuted, harassed and placed in the most horrendous of circumstances by virtue of war, famine and disease.  Moreover, scholars attest that the gospel of Luke was written some 10-15 years after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D.   The siege and destruction of Jerusalem was a major traumatic event for the Jewish people in which huge numbers died and the remainder was scattered across the Mediterranean world.  How ironic that 2,000 years later the followers of Jesus and their sisters of brothers in the surrounding areas face the very same challenges?  Further to the North West a fractious community of 500 million does not know how to cope with a trickle (because that is what it is relative to total population) of desperate refugees. Further to the West a large and relatively prosperous country is deeply divided by fear, prejudice and hatred.

We live in a troubled world no matter which corner of it we inhabit. Just as Luke, Paul and Peter were associated with warnings and encouragement to the young and scattered Christian community in the first century so, today, we can take courage and strength from the first letter of Peter (1 Peter 4:12-14):

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

Does this convey ideas of gloom and foreboding?  Not at all! Later in this chapter Luke will cite Jesus as saying (21:28):

When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

Line by line

Worshiping God and not buildings or persons:

Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, ‘As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.’(v. 5-6)

Christians can be fond of their little treasures – cathedrals, country churches and places of pilgrimage. This is only human. Be it forbidden that a sacred memorial or pew be moved from where it has been located since 1869 in memory of the blessed and good. We do well to cherish, preserve and respect these outward and visible signs of goodness, wisdom and example.  Indeed, the sheer beauty and artistic value of places of worship down the ages is an important part of the ‘scene’ in which we gather today (or as it often happens ‘visit’ as tourists).  And, moreover, the use of icons, crosses, statues, fonts, altars, candles etc. have their place depending on local custom and order (not to mention theology). 

However, we need to be careful not to confuse worship of God with worship of buildings (or indeed our ancestors). Buildings don’t last forever (but may for a good many thousands of years if well looked after and well designed and constructed in the first place). Neither do their inhabitants on this side of death and resurrection. Perhaps we need to create more ‘empty spaces’ and ‘times of silence’ in our places and times of coming together as a listening, singing, serving and worshiping community?

‘Teacher,’ they asked, ‘when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?’ (v. 7)

Recently the Prime Minister of one country speculated on when the Prime Minister of another country would ‘trigger Article 50 of the European Treaty’. The print, broadcast and social media were buzzing for all of 6 hours following this until some other matter moved to top trending.  Ever and always we like to know seasons and times in advance. Certainty, predictability and measurability give a sense of security.  However, that’s not the way the world works and it is not the way God works.  There is no ‘sign’ that something major will happen. Rather, the ‘signs’ are the seeds of possibility latent in all situations, relationships and structures.  It is after something happens that we say ‘Yes there were signs that was going to happen and I can see it now’. But, the truth is that we ‘see’ it now because it has happened and we have joined up the dots backwards.  Another outcome might have emerged.

He replied: ‘Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, “I am he,” and, “The time is near.” Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.’ (v. 8-9)

The seductions of a certain dogma and a pseudo-scientific mind-set are there.  Many a rogue and a demagogue using religion or politics has mislead others. We, too, can be misled if we allow others to do our thinking for us and, thereby, capture our minds and hearts.

Then he said to them: ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. (v. 10-11)

Not a lot has changed in two thousand years except that news about these things travels faster.

‘But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. And so you will bear testimony to me. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. (v. 12-18)

Anyone – anyone – who decides to follow Jesus without compromise will face opposition, disdain and misrepresentation. And if we don’t follow Jesus without compromise we will face opposition, disdain and misrepresentation.  Take your pick!

In the face of adversity and opposition we might worry about what to say or how to respond. This is not important. It is enough that we stay in an attitude of love towards each one. This is not the same as agreement with those who are hostile.  Rather, by staying in peace and compassion we will find a strength and wisdom deep from within us. This enables us to walk away sure in the knowledge that we have done what we can and our peace is intact. Like Stephen in Acts 6:10 who kept courage in the face of fierce opposition:

But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.

The Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Jesus and the Father – is never far from us in times of intense stress when we seem to be lost for the right words and gestures. It is precisely when we feel weakest and most helpless that the Holy Spirit moves powerfully within us.

Stand firm, and you will win life. (v.19)

A pithy and powerful phrase. Standing firm and enduring in patience and compassion will be our way forward and this is how we ‘win’ life.

Half a century ago when I was learning by heart from the ‘Green Catechism’ in preparation for first holy communion I recited, as did other Irish children, the response to the question “What are the last four things?”:

1. Death
2. Judgment
3. Heaven
4. Hell

And it was in that order!

It so happened, around that time, that 116 children and 28 adults perished in the Aberfan disaster in Wales. I also clearly recall, around that time, reading in the Evening Press (or was it the Herald depending on which side of the civil war your parents associated with) that ‘Dublin is doomed’ across page 1 as some quack claimed that he had seen a vision in which Dublin would be ‘punished’ for its ungodly behaviour.  On the extreme fringes of Christian faith – as with any other faith or way of life – there are those who take core truths and distort them. In this case, God is portrayed as a vengeful Power who knows how to punish people who go astray. And, the Literalists, the Biblicists and Traditionalists know how to locate just the right phrase or just the right paragraph or citation from the Bible or from the Catechism or the Articles or the Confession, etc., to prove what they want to claim and to defend with claimed certainty their own insecurity of faith and relationship to a loving God.

Now, death is certain and so also a judgment in which we will be held to account for the way we have lived our lives.  In the end what matters is Love. This is and this will be the great test. And we chose our own fate to the extent that we have the freedom to love or not to love and we are children of a loving God who has loved us in the first place.

In a time of testing and waiting how do we behave and think?  From the beginning Christians stay rooted in

• faith,
• hope
• love.

These three will see us through and there will be a dawn because these present trials too shall pass.