Apocalypse NOW! (Ephesians 3:14-21)

These past few weeks we have been studying the letter to the Ephesians. The letter is written as a guide for the 1st century church and to keep it going in the absence of the disciples, the apostles, church leaders, and worst of all; no Jesus. 

The early church had been told that he was on his way, he was almost here, but he never appeared. At least not the way that they had hoped or planned. A church without Jesus really isn’t much of a church, wouldn’t you agree? The first century church thought so. If they couldn’t have Jesus, well, what was the point? They wanted Jesus but they wanted Jesus their way, just like us. The early Christian church was certain that the second coming of Jesus Christ was right around the corner. 

They stood by waiting and waiting and waiting. Many gave up everything, including possessions, marriage, and status because they knew they couldn’t take it with them. Some just sat around and did nothing, leaching off of the community because they believed this world wasn’t really worth the effort, after all, they were waiting for the Jesus train so why try? And wait they did, until they started to question if either they had missed the train or maybe, just maybe, the train wasn’t coming at all. Failed predictions of Jesus’ return was followed by the community’s disappointment.

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William Miller

In 1843 William Miller, a baptist preacher, also predicted that the end was near and Jesus Christ would return that year. When his prediction never came to fruition he reassessed his date and claimed he was off by a few months, but as we all can see, this prediction also never came to pass. When his final prediction of October 22, 1844, came and went, his followers were so distraught that the event became known as “the great disappointment”. Many of Miller’s followers, who have come to be known as Millerites, gave up their beliefs, some even completely rejected christianity and religion outright. 

They, too, were disappointed by the notion of a church absent of Jesus. The apocalyptic end times Jesus, the Jesus that would assure their admission onto the Jesus Express.This isn’t the first time we have witnessed these kinds of predictions. These types of predictions began in the 1st century and barely a year has gone by without such predictions since. We even hear of them today; if you can recall the predictions of Chuck Smith in 1981, Pat Robertson in 1982, Harold Camping in 2011, and the list goes on and on and on but here we sit waiting and waiting and waiting. 

It is in this state of waiting and disappointment that this letter, the Epistle to the Ephesians is written.

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Today’s reading from Ephesians chapter three is a prayer. It is a prayer for the Church, not just the church at Ephesus but the Church, God’s Church, inclusive of all of creation. The prayer calls for the Body of Christ, the Church, not just them (the first century christians), but everyone from the beginning to the end of time, to respond to the God that surpasses our human understanding. This prayer assures us that even if we grasp a fragment of God’s being, riches, power, glory, or love we will overflow beyond our ability to comprehend or understand. 

Before Jesus as the Christ breaks into our human conscience, our human history, there is no context for us to fathom the love of God but now, in this letter the author of this prayer doesn’t just predict Christ’s future return, he prays for a radical shift in the theology of the first century church. A shift from awaiting the end of time and the physical return of Jesus to a strengthened state of existence with God, a new foundation for living.

The author doesn’t pray for a zombie apocalypse, a global catastrophe, or some other variation of imaginative end times scenarios, the author prays that God will redeem and reclaim the Church by allowing the community to respond to Christ’s presence, right there, right then, in fact, right here and right now. By receiving the gift of God’s grace and love this first century church, and we, are not only receiving faith but we are participating in faith and that participation creates us anew. It creates us anew in prayer, in our confession, at the table, at the font, and in the Word.

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But much like that first century church our understanding of the gift of faith and grace has had a tendency to cause apathy, lethargy, and general laziness in our response to that gift.

Martin Luther argued that point in a sermon on John’s Gospel (6:28-29) claiming that “Faith is a work that man must do, and yet it is also called the work of God” 

It seems to be a far cry from the American Christianity Bonhoeffer critiqued in his book “The Cost of Discipleship” hundreds of years after Luther, when he proclaimed “Grace alone does everything they say, and so everything can remain as it was before.” 

He goes on to say; 

“Well, then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world’s standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin.”

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A mentor of mine once told me a story about getting his certificate from an auto mechanic’s course. 

Graduation day from the course came and his wife dropped him off to receive his certificate shortly before the informal ceremony. She dropped him off right next to his broken down economy sedan in the parking lot. Upon receiving his certificate, a classmate and new friend in the back of the class shouted to him; “Hey! Now you can go out into the parking lot and wave your certificate at your car so you can drive yourself home!”

You see, my friend and mentor had received certification to be a mechanic but he never got that car up and running. 

He ended up teaching Hebrew. 

Just because we receive the grace and love of God through Jesus Christ doesn’t mean we just wave it at the world waiting for the engine to turn. It’s an invitation to start anew. 

No. It’s more than that, it is an invitation to BE something new, to participate in something new, the new self, reconciled with God to be who God always intended for us to be. No longer predicting the apocalypse as we look at our watches and calendars waiting and waiting and waiting. 

Apocalypse is an old word, probably one used in the early Church, derived from Greek, literally meaning to be “uncovered” or a disclosure of something hidden. It is a revelation, a revealing, and yes, with that it is a destruction. It is a destruction of the old, the old self, the tainted creation, the tainted church, the tainted world in which we live.  It is, Sisters and Brothers, apocalypse now, right here, right now. It is the turning away from our selves, myself, turning toward the Christ that resides within us, within this body. It is an apocalypse because it is a response to that love.

So let me share another version of this prayer, written by Queen and David Bowie from 1981; 

Cause love’s such an old-fashioned word and love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night, And loves dares you to change our way of caring about ourselves this is our last dance this is ourselves; Under Pressure

And so I pray today;

Oh Infinite, indescribable, and in-comprehendible God; dare us with your love, dare us to be changed by it’s apocalyptic power to change this world, to change us, to change me. 

Amen



Sources:

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 1st edition (New York: Touchstone, 1995). Page 43-44

Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, Vol. 2: The Reformation to the Present Day, 2nd edition (New York: HarperOne, 2010). Page 340

Jaroslav Pelikan, Luthers Works Volume 23 Sermons on the Gospel of John (St. Louis, Missouri: CONCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE, 1959). Page 23

Queen, Queen: Greatest Hits I & II, Audio CD (Hollywood Records, 2000). Disk 2 Track 2

Opening the Doors of OUR Lives

Yesterday the Marines of 3/14 and a recruiting office experienced a tragedy at home. They experienced this act of violence while training at a military installation. A fellow Marine I served with expressed this vulnerability when he attempted to articulate the manner Marines train for war as opposed to the manner Marines fight in a war. Many believe that Marines walk around active duty bases and reserve stations armed to the teeth; belts of ammunition worn across their chests with night vision goggles cocked upright on their foreheads and a belt fed M240 (machine gun) in one hand with a belt of ammunition wrapped around their arm creating tension on the other end of ammunition that is ready to be fired from the hip. We see it in movies, we see it on tv, we envision it when we read news articles, or even hear stories. This isn't how it works, however. Our military men and women are rarely armed unless working in specific specializations (i.e. Military Police).

My favorite past time in the Marine Corps Infantry was sitting on the back of a rucksack cleaning my rifle (no ammo) while we smoked cigarettes, spit vile brown globs of saliva from our tobacco filled lips/cheeks, drank caffeine, and engaged in the most outlandish conversations one could imagine. This was community to us. Now, I could do without the tobacco, cigarettes, and even the rifle (I will hang on to the coffee, thank you) today but the conversation is what I long for the most. I miss my brothers, I miss their jokes, I miss their ridicule, and I miss every facet of our conversations on those "boring days". Yesterday the Marines of 3/14 in Chattanooga, TN were most likely having such a moment. Maybe they were carrying out some specific training but most likely they were under the illusion of safety, unarmed and unaware of the violence that was about to occur.

I'm not sure what transpired in either Chattanooga or Charleston during these two violent episodes our nation has experienced this summer. I do believe we can safely assume that both groups were not fully aware of the scale of violence or the outcome of those events. Neither were we, the American public. When we are caught off guard and unaware we have a natural, even instinctual inclination to react. Outrage, anger, cries for vengeance, and demands for empathy are the most frequent forms of these reactions. We seek an opportunity to assign blame and even if there is an individual to blame we now blame the causes that empowered the individual to commit such an act.

I watched this happen in Charleston but I did not feel that I could call out for a healthy response. Calling for the waters to calm, calling for peace, would have caused accusations of a callous and insensitive view that would certainly be labeled as obtuse or even simply "wrong". Today I have a chance to call for that same calm and peace.

I have heard many claim that many church bodies and public voices have become strongly opposed to police and military personnel. I have attempted to voice those same concerns and begged classmates, professors, and clergy to engage in dialogue with police and military to address their needs as members of the community rather than the embodiment of nationalism or militaristic imperialism. I have tried to implore leaders to invite them as the "other" that is not as easily acceptable when we "reach out to the oppressed" because we struggle to see how their service is congruent with OUR definition of Christian witness. This opposition is communicated clearly both intentionally and unintentionally. This event is just such an example.

Now, my intention is not to accuse but to clarify and suggest an approach. Just like in Charleston we are seeing reaction, at times confrontational and accusatory reactions. Behind those reactions is pain, fear, and frustration. Are the causes the same? No, but there are many veterans (especially combat veterans) who have returned home to find a community that will point to resources but rarely offer their own. Sometimes the best resource is our ability to listen and offer community. This attack has furthered the suspicion that a tragedy that occurs to any community besides their own (military/police) is a national tragedy but within a military or police community it is not a tragedy for any community other than their own. "Well, they signed up for it" and "They are the embodiment of imperialism" is often the difference that is cited. Cornelius also "signed up for it" and served an "imperial" force that had imposed its presence on Peter and the 1st Century Church. Cornelius was never told to resign his post nor to cease his service as a centurion. Jesus also responds to the needs of a centurion. Again we find a centurion that is the direct embodiment of the imposing imperial forces in the land Jesus calls home. Their welcome was made known and the assurance of their value to God was made known. But these were imposed forces from governments outside Peter and Jesus' homelands. Today we are talking about the embodiment of our OWN governments and therefore reflections of ourselves by election. How can Jesus and Peter reach out to those from outside imperial forces but we can see those who are expressions of our own political process as unwelcome?

A classmate once publicly claimed that the presence of a chaplain recruiter on the seminary campus had ruined their day. They further claimed that their own opposition should not have any bearing on how any other classmate's call to military service could seem congruent with God's peace and justice. It wasn't the first time I heard opposition to my presence on the campus and it wasn't the last. It was disheartening, however. Not because I was unwelcome but because I was concerned for those who were. It's not about me but today I have a voice I did not have when the shooting in Charleston occurred. I have the chance to call for those who feel most deeply affected to pray for the families of those who were wounded and killed in the same breath as we pray for the assailant in his vicious and misguided motivations. I have a chance to call for grieving, prayer, worship, and thoughtful reflection before we respond, or worse; react. I hope this can all occur in the worship spaces and sanctuaries where we can share in our pain as one community.

We don't have to loudly and publicly proclaim our loyalty to the military, police, or the Marine Corps in order to open our doors and hearts to those who feel that they are the "others" today. Many feel that this tragedy matters as little to our society if not less than the tragedy in Charleston appeared to matter for many. We are called to listen to that hurt even if we disagree, seeking the door into their lives. Black lives do matter, Marine lives do matter, Sailors lives do matter, Muslim lives do matter, but only if we accept that their lives are OUR lives. They are all members of our community but if we can only value those marginalized lives we choose to value, we will never have the peace and justice that God calls us to. That is peace and justice that our fallen nature cannot fully grasp but through the Gospel and witness of Jesus the Christ.

I pray that God can help me to accept all lives as lives that are directly tethered to my own, regardless of the communities which they belong. If I am honest I will tell you with all sincerity that I cannot do that on my own. The greatest tragedy in Charleston was also the most beautiful aspect of the event that occurred; the nine who were slain were worshipping with the assailant who slew them that day. I wish those Marines and Sailors had the same opportunity. I hope I can one day kneel in prayer and worship with not only those who despised me but those who tried to kill me so many years ago, I hope that is the full realization of God's creation, one day.

The photos included are pictures of the stained glass windows at Parris Island Marine Corps Recruit Depot. These windows comforted me following the events of 9/11 which occurred as I entered into the final phase of basic recruit training. I found that those images provided the same comfort last night as I struggled with a response. I pray they can provide that same comfort for others in light of these recent events. 

Source: http://54heaven.u.yuku.com/gallery/ls/aid/87651#.Vak1WXgk_ww

JOIN OR DIE (Jeremiah 29:4-14 and Mark12:13-17)

During the brisk evening of March 5th 1770 a lone British soldier stood guard outside of the Customs House, which was a symbol of royal authority. A scuffle broke out between a young man named Edward Garrick and the British soldier; Hugh White. After using the butt of White’s musket to repel Garrick’s physical or verbal assaults - it is still unclear to this day - Garrick assembled a crowd to confront White who promptly sounded the alarm summoning a detail of seven men. The crowd swelled to four hundred angry colonists who pelted the British soldiers with chunks of ice and snowballs, even striking at them with clubs. What followed is today known in our own history as “The Boston Massacre”.

Five American colonists were killed and six more were wounded at the conclusion of the incident in which this small detail unleashed a volley of musket fire upon this crowd. The officer on duty that evening was Captain Preston who was swiftly arrested along with the small detail that was under his command. For many, such as Samuel Adams, the event became a propaganda tool. 

The motto “Join or Die” which was coined as a caption on a political cartoon created by Benjamin Franklin and published in the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754 became the symbol of colonial unity against the British occupancy. You see, it was recycled to become a symbol of revolution. For Franklin, this symbol had a very different meaning as the Colonists debated their role and involvement in the French and Indian War in 1754. The picture was a snake cut into eight portions which were each labeled one generalized segment of the thirteen colonies. The cartoon was a call for unity. Ben Franklin was calling for all of the colonies to join with the British in order to avoid the total destruction of the colonies. Many joined together to serve as one, to survive, to thrive, or at the very least to unite the disjointed and disunited colonists who were bound by much smaller geographic loyalties. 

This flag went on in our history to become the Navy Jack and later the Gadsden Flag, or what is most often referred to as the “Don’t tread on me” flag. The flag transitioned from a symbol calling for the colonists to seek the welfare of the city where they had been sent and to pray on it’s behalf, to a symbol that was reclaimed within a context that called out to those who listened to “Join or Die”. This time, rather than a symbol of the need for unity it became a symbol for revolution. Franklin opposed this use, both as a   statesman and a colonist.

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In both today’s 1st lesson and in Mark’s Gospel we see some very difficult themes to address especially given our current context, our national holiday, and  our history. In our first lesson Jeremiah is calling out for the people to pray for the most unlikely people the prophet could call them to pray for; the Babylonians and the foreigners that the Israelites now call neighbor. Some of these neighbors merely pray to other gods and practice different customs. Certainly not too much to bear, is it? If we take a closer look in Deuteronomy, it is most certainly too much to bear for them. 

It is offensive because it is unclean and that uncleanliness could very likely invite further suffering. The sin of the neighbor is seen as a threat to all. But Jeremiah doesn’t just call for the people to pray for these people they are called to marry, give away their children in marriage,  and to seek shalom for them. Shalom, most of us have heard that word before but we seldom fully realize its meaning. We usually think of it simply as peace, welfare, or prosperity but it is so much more; it is a return to the state of things not as we want them or can imagine them, but a return to a state of things in a reality beyond our own imagining. A return to a state of things as only God can envision them. 

Now, noisy neighbors who dress funny, make too much noise, live a different lifestyle, and maybe practice a different religion; it’s a stretch but if the Israelites work at it, if we work at it, we can do it, right? I mean, Jeremiah is telling us to do it. It’s pretty clear cut. But these people are not just a bit different from the Israelites. Many of these people represent everything that has caused the downfall and destruction of Israel. 

The prophet Jeremiah himself describes Babylon in chapter six as "a people that grasp the bow and the javelin, they are cruel and have no mercy, their sound is like the roaring sea; they ride on horses, equipped like a warrior for battle, against you, O daughter Zion!" 

Does that sound like people you want to marry? To have your children marry?

Jeremiah further elaborates on the Babylonians claiming that “We have heard news of them, our hands fall helpless; anguish has taken hold of us, pain as of a woman in labor. Do not go out into the field, or walk on the road; for the enemy has a sword, terror is on every side.” 

Sound like a nation you want to call home or a home team you really want to root for in prayer or otherwise?

Jeremiah concludes his prediction of the impending doom of Israel by giving the following advice; “O my poor people, put on sackcloth, and roll in ashes; make mourning as for an only child, most bitter lamentation:  for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.” 

I am not certain that this destroyer is someone I could so easily pray for much less call neighbor. yet, Jeremiah regardless of his description calls Israel to do just that and more; Jeremiah calls for prayers of .... shalom? 

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On the morning of March 6th anti-British fervor had already taken hold. Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty had dubbed the incident the “Bloody Massacre in King Street”. Voices screamed out for the removal of all British in the colonies and the execution of each of the British soldiers for their actions. Following the arrest of the soldiers Paul Revere’s still famous depiction of the incident portrayed Captain Preston and his detail firing on a defenseless crowd, further stoking the flames of anger. 

Also that morning John Adams - the cousin of the charismatic leader, Samuel Adams, who was leading the cries for justice and vengeance - was approached by a man named James Forrest who reported he could not find a lawyer in Boston who would defend Captain Preston or his detail. Based on Adam’s account Forrest, a British Tory and sympathizer of the accused, came to John Adams with tears in his eyes after receiving the scorn, accusations, and attacks of those throughout the community. 

John Adams took the case and in return received well documented scorn, although historians still debate his motives for taking the case especially following the acquittal of Captain Preston and five of the seven accused. John Adams himself claimed “The Part I took in Defense of Captain Preston and the Soldiers, procured me Anxiety, and Obloquy enough. It was, however, one of the most gallant, generous, manly and disinterested Actions of my whole Life, and one of the best Pieces of Service I ever rendered my Country. Judgment of Death against those Soldiers would have been as foul a Stain upon this Country as the Executions of the Quakers or Witches, anciently. As the Evidence was, the Verdict of the Jury was exactly right.”

As many of you know John Adams went on to be elected as the first vice-president of the United States during the Presidency of George Washington and then was elected as the second President of the United States. He helped to draft and signed the Declaration of Independence beside his cousin, Samuel, and he served as the President during one of the first and most tumultuous times in U.S. history, when many reconsidered their slight against the crown and proposed a return to their status as subjects of the crown. John Adams stood on moderate ground. No historian will ever claim that he was not a patriot, nor that he was anything but an essential leader during the time of our Nation's infancy, but a revolutionary? That is not a title placed on John Adams very often. 

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Today’s reading from Jeremiah seems less than revolutionary. It is a call to pray for those we despise and to wish, of all the things, to wish shalom upon them. Mark’s Gospel takes a turn closer to what we like to hear. Jesus the revolutionary, it’s what we crave, a Jesus that hears our cry to “JOIN OR DIE!”. Of course, Jesus takes OUR side, doesn't he?

Jesus stands up against the appalling decision of the supreme court’s ruling this past week, right?

Jesus stands up against the appalling oppression of those who would withhold the rights of the LGBT community, praising the supreme court decision, right?

Jesus demands that we recognize the confederate flag is a symbol of racism, hatred, oppression, and slavery, right?

Jesus acknowledges that the confederate flag is a symbol of our heritage and history allows us to know where we come from and where we are going today and Jesus never denies our freedom to display such an image, right?




Jesus, JOIN OR DIE!

Change your Facebook profile picture, Jesus! Condemn those who would destroy our future and freedom! 

Jesus you know I am right! 

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Today, we hear of the Pharisees who approach Jesus. Carefully laying a trap before him. The Pharisees on one side and the Herodians on the other with the crowd surrounding. The Pharisees know that Caesar is not a god and he is certainly not the God. The Pharisees know that for Jesus to acknowledge the right of the Herodians to collect a tax is to acknowledge Caesar as a god. But if Jesus denies this he is most certainly a revolutionary. The Pharisees are quite certain that Jesus is not the Son of God or the return of Elijah. To them he is just a clever revolutionary who hasn’t shown his hand just yet. 

If the Pharisees can get him to show his hand at just the right time not only can they be rid of him but perhaps they can ride the wave of the mob that will revolt against Rome. They can renegotiate their terms, solidify their power in the temple and with the Roman authorities; the Herodians. Maybe, just maybe, they could even overthrow Herod, taking power for themselves. 

But it doesn’t work out that way. Whether in their tone or in their actions Jesus doesn’t respond to their question, he responds by first letting them know he is fully aware of what they are up to, "Why are you testing me, attempting to lure me into a trap?" Essentially, acknowledging he is fully aware of their intentions and is prepared for their challenge. 

Strike one for the Pharisees.

Jesus asks for a denarius because he himself does not possess one. 

Strike two for the Pharisees who pull out their own, acknowledging their own dependance on the symbol with which they are attempting to trap Jesus. 

And finally, Jesus uses a traditional Jewish method of religious debate; answering questions with questions. Yes, he asks who is on the coin but more importantly he asks for the superscription or title of the one on the coin. Certainly, the Pharisees cannot acknowledge the divinity of Caesar for the greatest law of all is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, and your very being and to place no other gods before THE GOD. 

Strike three, the Pharisees have overplayed their hand and acknowledged that Caesar is an earthly title thus giving Jesus the final say; 

"Give it back to the one it belongs to and give to God what belongs to God." 

It doesn’t matter what is printed on a denarius. Flags, rainbows, court decisions, presidential elections, my mob, your mob, my view, your view, my fear, your fear. We are all the people of God called to live like the mythological Greek beast the Hyrda. Many heads but one body. In every tale I have heard concerning the Hydra there was only one way it could be defeated; when one head attacked another thus destroying itself oblivious to the heart that is shared. 

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Sisters and Brothers, we have come to a time in our history that is ripe with fear. It is not the first and it will not be the last.  We can “Join or die” with the mob that seeks to overthrow those we fear, those we despise, those who we feel certain wish ill on all we hold dear. We can demand that those who disagree with us “Join or die” with our own mobs. If they are not with us then they are most certainly against us, right?

In HBO’s depiction of one confrontation between Samuel and John Adams, in the mini-series John Adams,  Samuel confronts John as he rallies a crowd through the streets of Boston behind a sign with Benjamin Franklin’s illustration of the eight portioned snake proclaiming “Join or Die”. Samuel asks John in a snarky tone; “How’s the case going John?” drawing the crowds attention to John Adams. At one point Samuel directly addresses John making him aware that “This is a time for choosing sides”John, much like Jesus, responds with a question; “I am for the law, cousin, is there another side?”

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Over this past year and especially this past week we have been informed that as Christians, as Americans, as friends, as family, as a church, “This is a time for choosing sides!” Can we find the courage to respond with the question? "I am for the crucified One, my sister/my brother. Is there another side?"

God help me, I really want to pick a side, I want to join a mob, but the one mob I keep trying to get into I am not strong enough to stay in, in fact it’s not really a mob at all, it’s just one man and he has been nailed to a tree. 

Amen