Not the End of the World
Proper 28B Hebrews 10:11-14, 19-25, Mark 13:1-8
November 18, 2012
The Rev. Canon Anne E. Kitch
Hear. Read. Mark. Learn. Inwardly digest.
Our collect today reminds us of the gift of our Holy Scriptures. I suspect our ancestors in the Episcopal tradition wrote this prayer because they knew that even faithful people don’t always pay close attention to what scripture has to offer. And today’s reading is known for being difficult. In fact, this passage from Mark’s Gospel even has it’s own name: the Little Apocalypse. So, perhaps especially it is useful for us to pray, as those who have gone before us have, that we may hear, read, mark and inwardly digest the Good News that Jesus has to offer.
I remember encountering particular moments of anguish as a young adolescent: when I was rejected by a friend, or mortified by some public humiliation, or failed at an important task. And I remember what my mother often said, “It’s not the end of the world.” These were meant to be words of comfort—and to give me a little perspective. I believe she wanted to remind me that no matter how awful I thought the situation was. it was not as bad as it seemed. Or even if it was that bad, there would still be life after it.
I think in the Christian life these words are worth giving some more thought. Why would we, as Christians, assure one another that bad times are not the end of the world? Perhaps because the end of the world is, after all, part of our story. And part of God’s story. And we know at some level that God’s story ends in triumph and glory. Who told us the world was going to end in fear, despair and destruction? The end of the world for Christians is not death and destruction, but life and hope.
Jesus’ friends asked him what the end of the world will be like and Jesus tells them not to be fooled. Beware that no one leads you astray. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but that it not it. Nation will rise against nation, there will be earthquakes and famines. But that is not the end of the world either. This is not the end, but just the beginning. The beginning of what? Of birth. Of new life.
For those of us in God’s story—in other words, for all of creation—the end of the world is nothing less than life. Why else do you think that Jesus not only died, but destroyed death and made all of creation new? As Christians we can look to the end of the world in hope, because it means the completion of God’s creation. It means rest and beauty and glory. For Christians, the end of the world is not to be feared, but to be celebrated.
This has to do with Christian hope. What is the Christian hope? The Christian hope is to live with confidence in newness and fullness of life. The Christian hope is to await the coming of Christ in glory. The Christian hope is to anticipate the completion of God’s purpose for the world. [The Book of Common Prayer, Catechism p. 862]
We seem to want to know, like the disciples wanted to know, when it will come and what it will look like. Why? Perhaps so we can be prepared. But Jesus’s point it this: First, this is on God’s time, not ours. We cannot know the when. Second, it is not about wars and destruction. Nevertheless, we are asked to be prepared. But the preparation is not about hedging our bets. The Christian hope is to live with confidence in newness and fullness of life. We are not to live in anxiety, but in the assurance of Gods’ love for us. We are asked to be ready, to be prepared all the time for the coming of Christ in glory. And we are ready when we exercise our Christian hope.
As it says in Hebrews, let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. We are to confess our hope. And let us consider how to provoke on another to love and good deeds. Part of living in hope is to provoke one another to acts of love and good deeds. To provoke means to stimulate or incite. We usually associate provoking with making someone annoyed or angry. But it comes from the Latin vocare: to call forth. We live in Christian hope when we call forth in ourselves and one another simple acts of kindness. Perhaps this is the stance to take not only in times and places when it seems like the world is falling apart (or that our lives are barren or just plain difficult), but in all times and in all places. As preacher David Lose puts it, “We are not called simply to live our lives with no thought of God or neighbor but keenly looking for the sign of God’s imminent coming so that we can clean up our act. Rather, we are called to live always anticipating the activity of God. *
As we enter the season of Advent, we will hear the message loud and clear to get ready, to be prepared, be alert for the Kingdom of God is at hand. We are meant to be alert and ready at all times, because God is acting and loving us at all times. David Lose continues, “Because when you live looking for the activity of God here and now, you begin to see it. In an act of kindness of a friend, in an opportunity to help another, in the outreach ministry of a congregation, in the chance to listen deeply to the hurt of another. God shows up in all kinds of places, working with us, for us, through us, and in us. You just have to look.
Let us go forth, anticipating the end of the world, and provoking acts of love.
*from the blog Working Preacher, by David Lose, homiletics professor at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN.
