Being ready for the Big Day
We’re rapidly approaching the end of the church year and the scriptures are having us consider the coming of the Lord, or, as we usually call it, the end of the world. When the Lord comes again it will be the Second Advent. The Incarnation was the First Advent. We are waiting for the Second Advent of the Lord to be “revealed.” This “revealing” is what is meant by apocalyptic, and people love to speculate on what it will be like.
So many movies are based on apocalyptic themes: Apocalypse Now, Independence Day, and many others. As human beings we are so curious about “the End.” It sells movies and millions of books, usually based on the violent doing away with all whom we consider our enemies (We think our enemies are automatically God’s enemies). Furthermore, violence always plays a crucial part in our consideration of the “END.” Like the bumper sticker says: Jesus is coming back and he’s going to be mad!
Amos the prophet warned the people of his day not to desire the Day of the Lord. They were taking it for granted that they were always in the right and could do no wrong. If and when they gave their relationship with God a thought, God was on their side.
(Problem: Christians today can think of themselves in the same way, confident and complacent and that they alone hold all the right cards. Remember Mark Twain once said that he couldn’t stand Christians who thought they held “four aces.”) They thought: Return Lord! Save us from tribulation and bring vengeance upon our enemies!
This thought continues in I Thessalonians, the earliest New Testament writing. The Lord will come as a thief in the night. Thinking and hoping for the Lord’s imminent return, people wondered what would happen to their friends and loved ones who died before they did. Jesus explained: The bodies of the dead would be raised up first and then the living, those left behind, would be caught up in the clouds with the others to be with the Lord forever. This made for great apocalyptic television, then and now! This scene harkens back to the Book of Daniel, chapter 7, and the vision of one, like a Son of Man, coming on the clouds, and taking his seat on the throne of heaven. This makes for great television, but not a reality show as many like to think. Our enemies are God’s enemies and when the Lord returns they better watch out!
But what Amos and I Thessalonians is trying to do is warn all those (of any faith persuasion, really) who think they’ve got it made, that they’ll be saved and their enemies will perish. These texts are not directed to one’s enemies, but to those who fail to love their enemies, who are human beings too who God made and loves too. Everyone must take responsibility for their own actions and relationship with God and their neighbor.
The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids underlines the need to take responsibility and the dangers of self-complacency in regards to our relationship with God. The Bridegroom is coming (the Greek word is parousia which means “coming,” but also “presence”). Here’s the scene: When the Great One (King, Governor, or in this case, the Groom) is coming, everyone goes out of town to meet him or her at a distance and then accompany the person back to their city. If it’s at night you need a lot of lamps. When the call went out that the Groom was coming, the ten bridesmaids light their lamps and go to meet him, but the Groom being delayed, the maids all took some rest. When the call went out again, they all lit their lamps, but five of the maids ran out of oil and asked the others to share some of their oil with them. The five maids who brought extra oil refused. (They probably had a distance to go and if they shared they could all run out before the wedding party arrived at the city gate.) Five of the maids were foolish and five were wise. When the foolish maids went to get more oil and ran back to the city, the gates were closed and they were left out of the celebration. They had been complacent, thinking they wouldn’t need extra oil, or, if they did, they could borrow some in a pinch. Bottom line: They took their focus off of the one they were there to serve and honor.
What could the five bridesmaids have done? How about: Keeping their focus on the Groom, even when they ran out of oil and suffered some embarrassment? When the Groom saw their loving attention wouldn’t he overlook their misjudgment about running out of oil? After all, the Groom had been delayed! The foolish worried about themselves and what others would think rather than honoring the Groom.
Our apocalyptic thinking always includes a large dose of fear. The One approaching will judge harshly those who come up short, morally or otherwise. But if the First Advent of God in broken world was as a tender child who grew up and taught love and mercy, will the Second Advent, when it comes, show that grown Child become a vengeful, angry judge? I think not. This is the Good News: God really loves you and the created world. Return that love by paying attention to God, casting all your weaknesses and shortcomings on God and God’s mercy. Take care of the poor in your midst. Live in peace toward all.
Amen!
John+
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| St. Alban |
Saint Alban Episcopal Mission (English, Anglican Communion) meets for mass every Sunday at 10:00 A.M. (see welcome letter at sidebar) at Casa Convento Concepcion, 4a Calle Oriente No. 41, Antigua, Guatemala.
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| The Reverend John Smith, Vicar 5235-6674 cell telephone (502 country code) |
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