Reading: Mark 13:1-8
Before the end of the world, God gathered three world leaders: Trudeau, Xi, and Trump.
God told them: “Go and tell your people that in two weeks, the world will end.” Trudeau went back to Canada and said: “I have two pieces of news. One is good, and the other is bad. The good news is that God exists. The bad news is that in two weeks, the world will end”. Xi went back to China and said: “I have two pieces of news. One is bad, and the other is even worse. The bad news is that God exists. The worse news is that in two weeks, world will end”. Trump went back to Washington and said: “I have two pieces of news, and both are good! First is that I am so great a president that I am on a first name basis with God. And the second is that I’ll rule until the end of the world!”
I’m trying to find some humour in today’s political climate, not an easy task as I’m sure you know. And many of us are reeling and questioning our future as a species. Advent is just around the corner, and this week we have a gospel reading that echoes apocalyptic themes – themes often explored in the lead up to Christmas. We won’t have quite this tone to Advent this year, instead focusing on much of what Luke tells us about the coming of Christ. So today we might pay a little extra attention to the words of Christ given to a people struggling to have hope in the future.
Many commentators regard Mark’s gospel as having two endings: the first being the apocalyptic chapter 13, a portion of which we heard today pointing to the days beyond Christ’s resurrection, and the second ending being Jesus’ arrest, trial, execution, and resurrection detailed in chapters 14-16. It’s important we remember that behind Mark’s gospel is a community with acute concerns. They were living under the shadow of the violence of war, the Temple has either just been destroyed or is about to be destroyed (depending on when you think Mark’s gospel was written), the fragile early church is struggling to survive in the face of persecution, and there was the challenge of knowing what to do with competing voices within the community in the form of false prophets and would-be messiahs.
Into this challenging circumstance Mark sounds at least three clear notes in today’s passage. Firstly, the community of faith would need to develop a spirit of discernment. The Church faced enemies not only from the outside, but from the inside as well: those who claimed to speak in Jesus’ name but who would lead them astray. The wording in the passage is reminiscent of Deuteronomy 13 where Israel is warned about false prophets tempting the people to follow other gods.
Mark’s community, and indeed our own, knows about voices that talk a good game, who use language that appears Christian, but would have us follow a way other than the humble way of Christ. These may be those who offer a cross-less religion, a faith reduced to a formula for material success, or who tie religious belief to political preferences. Others seek to reduce Christianity to a self-help product whose purpose is limited to the pursuit of self-actualization and where prayer is simply a tool for self-enhancement.
Today’s text doesn’t tell us how to discern between false voices and those true to the faith, but it does remind us to be wise and discerning, not gullible or susceptible to the latest religious fad. We must be careful listeners, prudent thinkers, and authentic pray-ers to nurture a spirit of discernment. And above all, the way of Jesus must be our standard in determining the validity of the messaging we’re receiving.
A second note sounded in today’s text is that whenever the church finds itself in a precarious situation, it needs incredible patience. Jesus warns us not to get too excited about this event or that voice, presuming these might be evidence of the final coming of the kingdom. We are not to be alarmist, eager to point out the signs of the times and foretelling the doom of this earth, or of the Church. Rather, we are to take the long look.
A church that has been active in combatting injustice may have an underlying assumption that the eradication of the most pressing evil or meeting the most immediate goal will somehow usher in the reign of God. If successful in said goal, it can be easy to become disillusioned. For as soon as one goal is met or a project is completed, another one, two, or three immediately surface like a twisted game of ‘whack a mole.’ The gospel today, however, reminds us that the calendar is in God’s hands, and neither dire omens or fruitful achievements guarantee the ultimate fulfillment of God’s purpose. We must work and labour for the good, yes, but with a long view in mind. Ultimately our mission does not belong to us, it is God’s mission, and it will be completely fulfilled in God’s timing, not ours.
Thirdly, in spite of all the chaos and suffering that transpires, the Church is invited to be hopeful. Wars, threats of wars, violence, earthquakes, and famines represent the worldly, even cosmic chaos in which Mark’s faith community finds itself. The specific calamities may be unique in different situations – but any Church striving to be faithful will at times feel itself beleaguered and vulnerable. In these dark days there will be little evidence to suggest optimism about the future.
But Jesus uses an image of life to instill hope in Mark’s audience. All the chaos and pain are to be understood as “the beginnings of the birthpangs” (13:8). It is a powerful, striking, image. It is striking because it both takes seriously the reality of present suffering but points to the way God uses suffering for a purpose. Suffering may be a sign that the long, difficult, time of waiting is over and new life is coming. As one person put it, “The sufferings do not lead to despair, but to hope, to the anticipated dawn of God’s new day.”
I don’t know what you’ve got on your plate in terms of stresses and pain. But certainly, we can look at our world as a planet in travail. Polarizing politics, massive economic inequalities, and the housing crisis are in the forefront of our minds. People are going hungry every day, even in a developed and prosperous country such as Canada. Our very planet is under attack due to climate change and short-sited exploitation of our natural resources. And battles continue to wage in countries all over the world, armies fighting in the name of state or religion or ideology in an endless cycle that leaves battered innocent in its wake.
Our gospel hope is that even these pangs may eventually lead to new life. I confess it’s not easy to have hope in hard times – or to see light at the end of the tunnel of pain and hardship. But in trying times it’s important to spot the people and situations that remind us of God’s light that pierces the darkness. When I think of these things, I think of my grandmother, who passed away a few years ago. My grammy didn’t have much by way of an education, and she certainly didn’t have much when it came to material possessions. And she battled a debilitating, painful disease, most of her adult life. She knew hardship, but you wouldn’t know it to meet her because her mouth was always full of praise and thanksgiving to her God. Times of prayer and worship sustained her in this life and gave her a vision of hope beyond her suffering to life in the presence of God that she now enjoys. I think our hearts might also turn to memories of Dorris today, who passed away a few days ago. Her gentle, loving spirit touched many people in her life and her example can fill us with hope today.
Friends, what symbols of hope and life can you discern today? Is it in the life of a family member who showed you the power of love and self-sacrifice? Is it in a new little life that reminds us of the love and joy that may came after a period of pain? Is it in the signs of faith in our stained glass – remembering St. Hilda today as a holy woman of God who made an incredible impact on Britain in the 7th century? Is it in the symbol of the poppy – a sign to remember those who have died for our freedom, and a symbol of the life that can emerge from the same soil where so many dead lay?
Hold onto the signs of life, knowing that with God the sorrows may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.
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