by Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
v19For the trouble of those days will be far worse than any the world has ever known from the very beginning when God created the world until the present time. Nor will there ever be anything like it again. (Read: Mark 13:14-23)
This verse is part of Saint Mark s Little Apocalypse, which contains many characteristics of Christian apocalyptic literature: preoccupation with the end of times, a dark historical perspective, predictions of the persecution of believers, and images of the cosmic chaos that will precede Christs second coming. The writer uses the apocalyptic material to warn the community of the persecutions that will accompany their beliefs. He calls them to fidelity in their distress and assures them of the vindication that will come to them when Christ returns.
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As I stretch and rest in a view deck this Thursdays early morning walk I see portentous vista in the sky as the morning breaks over the mountains. The rays of the sun peer through black clouds with a reddish sky background. I see optimism in the rays trying to break through the obstacle and a menacing omen in the reddish sky. These I see and feel with the continuing rampage of the pandemic and the gathering storm of the Election 2022 in my mind. I may be over sentimental but this apocalyptic impression is enhanced by the apocalyptic gospel reading a week before Christ the King Sunday.
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While the end of the world could be millennia away for all we know and while we expect to continue our lives well into this century, end times are around us. Church historians and culture-watchers tell us that we’re on the edge of an end time for the church’s traditional role in society. But this doesn’t mean things are over. As Jesus said, you will hear of wars and earthquakes and famines, but it doesn’t mean the end is near. You will hear of the comings and goings of institutions and cultures, but it doesn’t mean the end is near. It may only be, Jesus says, the beginning of what God has planned. End times are powerful times pregnant with purpose for those with ears to hear and eyes to see the advent of our God.
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Many years ago a group of people belonging to a cult went and settled somewhere in Tagaytay to wait for the second coming of Jesus Christ and the end of the world which they predicted will happen at the end of the first millennium. They sold their properties, stopped their children from going to school and just settled there waiting for the apocalypse. After the coming of the second millennium, they slowly drifted back to their places of origin the rapture was postponed! In His own good time “the Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout” and “we which are alive shall he caught up to meet him in the air.” We have nothing to fear, and the only preparation we need to make is to stay close to the Lord Jesus and keep our lives pure.
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Perhaps some of you remember General Alexander Haig, a military leader in the war in Vietnam and political leader in the Reagan administration. Now, General Haig was not exactly what you would call a great theologian. He once said something which on the surface sounded utterly stupid, and he was roundly criticized by the media for saying it. He said, “There are worse things than a nuclear war.” That sound like he stuck his foot in his mouth, but that is exactly what we Christians believe. What is far worse than a nuclear war?
Not having faith and trust in God. Not to trust God and his promises means that we are headed for a destiny even worse than a nuclear holocaust. But to trust and believe the promises of God means that nothing in this world, not even the mushroom cloud of a nuclear bomb or the ecological disaster of global warming or the insidious attack of terminal cancer or the suffering and humiliation of an economic recession can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ.
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“Don’t panic, it is not the end of the world!” Those are the words I frequently say when someone has come to see me and they are in the midst of a crisis. They may have lost their job, had a marital crisis, a problem with a child, or found themselves in serious financial trouble, or failed a licensure board examination. They are anxious. It seems like the world is caving in on them. They feel lonely and afraid. They can’t see anyway out of their predicament. It has been my experience over the years as a pastor that when folks are desperate they tend to run, quit or act in haste. I am not discounting their pain or minimizing the crisis, rather I am merely helping them to see that their perceptions have exaggerated the crisis. Or, they have a distorted perception of reality.
This was the case with the disciples. They were being persecuted by an oppressive government. They were powerless and under immense pressure. All seemed dark and hopeless, so much so that they wondered if the “end” was near. They were desperate, blinded by their anxiety and totally unable to see into the future. They are no different than us. Whenever things are happening in the world of epic proportions, like hurricanes, wars, catastrophes or plagues there are those who believe that the world is coming to an end.
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Martin Luther was once asked what he would do if he knew that the world was
coming to an end tomorrow, and he said: “I would plant an apple tree.” In other words, Luther, trusting in God’s gracious, unmerited mercy would live life just as he had been living it. When John Wesley was asked the same thing, being an obsessive-compulsive type, he said that he would arise at 4:00 AM, preach at 5:00 visit the sick at 7:00, go to communion at 8:00…etc., until the questioner realized that that was exactly what Wesley had planned to do tomorrow anyway! Because we believe, we can dare to live in faith and hope and love now; trusting God for whatever the future holds, because we believe that God holds the future, and that God’s Name and God’s Nature are love.
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The gospel lesson aims to focus our minds on an overall view of lifes purpose so as to encourage us to live on a more spiritual level. We are on an earthly pilgrimage and have within us deep-seated longings for a better world. At journeys end we are hoping for an everlasting happiness, for a bright dawn to emerge out of our present darkness. What is important to remember is that our own death spells the end of our particular world. At that moment, lifes mission is accomplished and we go forward to meet Christ face to face. It may happen at any time and weve got to be prepared for the encounter. While we cannot avoid a sudden death, we can take steps against an unprepared death by living each day carefully as if it is our last and by keeping God ever in our sight.
Let us pray.
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (ECP-BCP Proper 28 Collect)**
