Advent 1C - 2024 - But YOU, when you see these things

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 Advent I- Year C- 2024- St. Mark’s, Charleston

Happy New Year! Happy New Church Year! We have entered a whole new Church year, and it is a new beginning — an opportunity for a reset in our relationship with the God of our hope.

This morning, I’d like to offer some thoughts about Advent - this mysterious season -, to look at our gospel reading a bit, and to explore the idea of judgement as a part of the last days.

Advent is a strange season, and today we are invited to push out into its deep waters. There is noise and cloud - shouting in the desert and heavy fog-like cloud, sounds like the roaring of waves, darkness, and, then, finally, silence...all giving way, at Christmas, to the light of a single flame burning in the enveloping darkness.

Now, in our time, its fairly normal to mark the New Year with fireworks and Jesus is revealing some of his own as we will hear in our reading from Luke...

One would think that it would make sense to begin at the beginning with this story of how God came to be with us but, instead, we begin with a vision of the end of all things.  It’s a little like reading the last chapter in the book before we start the first chapter.  So, let us step out and listen and see what the Holy Spirit might be saying to us this day.

Today, we’re in the Gospel of Luke and the disciples and Jesus are in Jerusalem. It’s a few days before his arrest and death, and they must have been asking about the end times.. .what it would be like and when it would come..

Jesus says, as we heard, "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations —  there will be chaos caused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.  Listen to this: People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

The experience of the end will be so intense that people will literally faint from fear.. .1 wonder if you have ever been that afraid?

And then Jesus says, but YOU, when these things start to unfold, don’t try to hide, you don’t need to be afraid, look up because your redemption, the great day of reckoning, where justice will be done and the healing of all that is broken will begin and the new creation will come into glorious flower. But YOU, look up!

These word remind me a little bit of those blessed first responders who run toward a crisis when everyone else is trying desperately to get away.. WE don’t need to be afraid on that day. .because the spiritual veil separating heaven and earth will be drawn aside and we will see him - the Beloved - our Jesus- the one who loves us and who treasures us - the one who is ever present although we cannot see him physically.  Although, perhaps, we can sense him with the eyes of our hearts.  Yes, we will see him, and it will a time of unbounded joy.

And then, Jesus switches from this cosmic imagery — from the terrifying sounds and fury to a humble, earthy example. Perhaps they were standing by a fig tree when he made these remarks- Look at the fig tree and all the trees.  When they come out in leaf... when they begin to green up, you know that summer is coming...

But here’s the thing, you won’t be able to see it if you are swallowed up with the cares of the world or with drunkenness or all of the myriad of ways we distract ourselves... NO, he says stay awake., pay attention, keep watch..

So, Jesus, what exactly are we looking for?

In the here and now, we need to keep looking for the signs of the kingdom breaking in and O they are all around us when we have eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts that are not distracted. So what keeps us from seeing the Kingdom that Jesus says is right here- (although, only in part) ?

I think we can’t see it most often because of fear so I’d like to come back to the fear response.   Jesus says people will faint out of fear. I want to suggest that part of this is the fear of judgement.  This is something, I believe, many of us wrestle with.

I’m reminded of the billboards I used to see all over the highways with words like — Jesus is coming back! Are you saved? - and words to that effect....

In our Collect for the Day, one of the most beautiful of them all, we pray, (this is the last part) - that “in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal;

To be judged is a frightening prospect., but, here’s the thing, it all depends on who the judge is...

Here’s a story - Many years back, one of our sons - when he was in high school- got into a fist fight with another young man over comments made about our son’s girlfriend. Our son broke several bones in his hand, and the other boy ended up with a broken nose. They both ended up in the emergency room. That young man’s mother decided that they should press charges for assault and battery against our son. So, our son got a phone call saying a warrant was out for his arrest. This was not good. We lawyered up and they did too.

On the day of court, we arrived and sat at the back of the courtroom. There were other cases being heard at the front.  At one point I looked up and realized with a terrible shock that I knew the judge. He was a former parishioner. I was horrified., what was he going to think of our son, of us - you can imagine... I felt shame, humiliation, along with great fear for our son and I prayed that somehow a miracle would happen, that he would excuse himself and someone else would hear our case. And, he would not ever know that we had been there. No such luck.

Finally, it was our son’s turn and we went forward and stood behind him. The judge looked at us and it was not the terrible, critical, judgmental look I had feared, but there was compassion. He asked both young men to come forward and tell him what had happened. They both admitted their fault. After listening carefully, he spoke sternly to them both, dismissed it, and required our son to get some anger management therapy. A good call.

Later, in addition to feeling a deep sense of relief, I realized., he knew us. He knew what kind of parents we were as he had seen our family Sunday in and Sunday out for years.  He knew our son.   Gradually, my personal sense of shame and fear for my son diminished., the judge knew us and he cared for us. I don’t think the way he handled our case was unusual - for, as we waited in the courtroom, I heard and witnessed his compassion in dealing with other cases. It turned out that was his reputation as well.

This is the point I believe Jesus is trying to make - yes, there will be a kind of judgement because what happens to us at the hands of other matters.  The injustice, the injuries we have suffered have consequence.   And, how we treat others matters BUT here’s the thing, we do not need to be afraid because Jesus—the one who knows us, who loves us is our judge and his compassion is unbounded and his remedies are grounded in love. Jesus says when these things begin - look up and raise your head because your redemption is drawing near.

So Advent is a time when we think about the last things and the first things - in my end is my beginning - noted TS Elliot, We hear the words of the prophets, and the words of an angel to a young woman.

So, We begin again in Advent.

We can run towards what is scaring other people ... And we can know that

The star is already tracing its path through the heavens...

 The wisemen are already on their way

The shepherds are already in the fields

 Mary is pregnant and Joseph is trying his best

The prophets have spoken

And John the Baptist has been born

Caesar Augustus has already declared a census.

The time of our Lord’s nativity has approached..

and his coming in glory at the end of time is already approaching...

So, beloved, let us wake up, keep an eye out for the presence of the Lord, let us love and trust the One who will be our judge and not fear him... 

Let us push out into the depths of Advent, let us love God, each other, and all those we meet along the way and above all let us stay awake and hold onto the God of our hope - the one who is and has always been in the boat with us.. 

For, in him is our hope.. ..St Augustine wrote “And when we say ‘God’ what have we said? That one syllable contains all that we hope for” .

May our God in Christ bless you with renewed hope, love and vigilance this Advent. Amen!

JTCO

 

Tomorrow, December 6, is the feast day of St. Nicholas of Myra - one of my all time favorite observances.  Here is a prayer (Lesser Feasts and Fasts),  a picture and a poem. 

Grant, Almighty God, that your church may be so inspired by the example of your servant Nicholas of Myra, that it may never cease to work for the welfare of children, the safety of sailors, the relief of the poor, and the help of those tossed by tempests of doubt or grief; through  Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Street Corner Icon

Street corner Santa,

with your padded red and polyester finery,

ill-fitting boots and occasional beard,

look who stands behind you.

Street corner Santa, do you know who you are?

Santa Claus, St. Nicholas in other times and places,

Bishop of Myra, champion of children,

protector of sailors and all those afloat

where benevolence is rare and sanctuary needful.

Street corner Santa, do you know who you are?

Consider a bishop’s garb and gear, then look

at your crimson and white and candy canes.

Beneath them are saints’ robes and shepherd’s crook

and where you walk or beg, so does he.

Street corner Santa, do you know who you are?

And behind you both, stands yet another.

The shepherd himself, his icon you are.

So, beckon the little ones to come unto you,

ring strong your bell and plead for us to care.

Then, help us, dear Santa, to see who you are.

© JTCO 1990

Breathe

 

Thinking of St. Francis whose feast day is tomorrow - Oct. 4

                                                Tree of Life - Mosaic by Irina Charny

For your Spirit woven into the fabric of creation for the eternal overlapping with time and the life of earth interlaced with heaven's vitality I give you thanks, O God. For your untamed creativity your boundless mystery and your passionate yearnings planted deep in the soul of every human being I give you thanks. Grant me grace to reclaim these depths to uncover this treasure to liberate these longings and in being set free in my own spirit to act for the well-being of the world.   Celtic Benediction, Morning and Night Prayer by John Philip Newell 

and, this one too...

Loving Father and Creator of all we come to you today deeply grateful for your creation. As we look around us we are amazed at the greatness and majesty of all that you have made. Nature around us speaks of your greatness - the vast expanse of the sky, the mountains, trees, oceans, lakes and streams speak of your great design. You have given us such beauty in the colors of the rainbow, the beauty of flowers and fields. Words cannot adequately express the magnificence of all you have created. We join in praise with the writer of the psalms when he says, "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth." May we show our love and reverence to you, our Lord, by caring for all that you have created. We humbly give you praise and thanks. Amen."

Big News!

Hi Friends, I am very happy to announce that I have been called to be the Interim Rector of Calvary Episcopal Church in Charleston. I am so excited to see what God will do with them! Please pray that it will be a productive time for us all. Blessings, Jennie+

Proper 7B - God, Don't You Care? -2024

 Christ in the Storm on the Sea at Galilee - Rembrandt

Audio Version can be found HERE

O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving kindness; Amen.

This morning, with God's help, I want to try to weave together some threads:  the Gospel text which has some genuinely good news for us; and some thoughts about the commemorations of this past week – I am speaking of the Mother Emmanuel shootings nine years ago and the loss of nine innocent lives… and also making the our newest national holiday – Juneteenth.

In our reading from Mark today, the disciples are struggling, having a very bad time..in fact, they are afraid for their lives – “Teacher”, they cry, “do you not care that we are perishing?”

They have set out to cross the sea of Galilee after a long and very demanding day of ministry…they had probably been doing crowd control…Jesus had been teaching and healing all day and he must have been exhausted.  I love the detail that St. Mark gives us…Jesus is asleep…in the stern of the boat, sleeping on a cushion…this is the kind of detail that lets us know that  an eyewitness account really does stand behind this gospel account.

And so they were heading home - most likely leaving from the northwestern side of the great lake and  heading straight across the top to Bethsaida, home base…it was probably one of those beautiful slightly breezy late afternoons, just perfect for a sunset sail when they set out…but , as you may remember, the sea of Galilee is a very unpredictable body of water because of how the mountains at the north can funnel down a storm in an instant and this is apparently just what happened….a squall blew up, the boat was in trouble…The waves were washing in …the boat seemed like it was about to sink…and Jesus?  Was he bailing with the rest of them?  No…he was sound asleep and they must have yelled at him…Jesus, wake up…we are going down…don’t you care…don’t you care?

I wonder if you have ever found yourself in a storm- maybe not a physical one …but one of those storms of life that come along every now and then… and felt that your little boat was about to go down…Jesus, don’t you care?  I am perishing...

This account, which shows Jesus’ power  must have been especially encouraging in the early days of the  church  when the disciples were so terribly vulnerable…with Paul, then Saul the Pharisee,  and other religious authorities chasing them out of town, throwing them in jail, and killing them…they must have wondered if they would survive…they must have wondered what would become of them when because of persecution, they were scattered all over the middle eastern world and beyond…from Antioch to Egypt to Greece to Rome ….and years later under the Roman emperors Nero and Diocletian, when they were being put to the sword and dying daily, they must have wondered if the little ship of the church could survive….could make it across the lake? 

And we, when we are in the storms of our lives…both as a church and as individuals and it seems  like disaster is straight ahead and that we are going down…we may want to yell out with the disciples…don’t you care, Lord?

In the anguish of the hours and days that followed the Mother Emmanuel shooting, I heard from several quarters --"God, don't you care?  How could you let this happen?"  I heard this question at the vigil prayer service the following Friday night at the C of C-- I saw it on social media and I  heard it at home...God, you let them perish..you let the boat go down...how could you let this happen?  

And, as we contemplate Juneteenth and slavery – the owning of another human being – it’s still going on in many places in the world – we have to ask, "God, you let countless souls be kidnapped, enslaved, perish for the purposes of human greed How  could you let this happen, Lord?"

Job has the same question (to jump readings just for moment).. our reading this morning from Job is God's response to Job's question -how could you let this happen? Job had lost everything - all his children died, his crops failed, his health failed and he was left only with his cynical and embittered wife who counseled him to curse God and die. He shook his fist at God and yelled -- how could you let this happen?

I want to suggest to you that when it comes to the shooting Mother Emanuel, when it comes to greed, and division, and the hatred and violence that seem to beset us almost daily, I suspect God has the same question for us -- How could you let this happen?

 How could we let these things happen?  That is the question I want us to think about.  Because, beloved, we do have agency.

What has gone awry in our common life-  in the common life we help create in our own time and place,  and in which we participate - what has gone so wrong in our common life that something like the murder of nine innocents at a bible study ,at their church , the  nine who welcomed a stranger into their midst.... how could  that happen?  We can talk about flags and guns, and drugs, poverty, immigration, abortion and systemic racism all we want but we are not going to get to the heart of the problem until we get to the state of the human heart and of our hearts in particular...and of our tendency to go for fear rather than love.. suspicion rather than trust...blaming rather than seeking to take responsibility for how we may be complicit...

God says to Job -- 'scuse me...where were you when I created the universe?  

When the disciples cry out to Jesus -- he says “Why are you afraid?  Have you no faith? - In the Greek he calls them -- "Little faith people"  and then he says to wind, the waves, the violent storm --  Peace, be still...at his word, the Peace was given... 

He had them.. he had them all along..just as God had those precious nine.. alongside all who perished in the Middle Passage and under the iron boot of slavery, those who have suffocated under the forces of dehumanizing brutality, and so many others down through time.    God has them now...they are with the Lord, the one who created them and who loves them and he has restored peace to them...they are fine...because God did not let go of them and God will not let go of us...of St. Mark’s, of you and me...

Paul writes, In Romans 8, Who can separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril or sword.. as it is written -- for your sake we are being killed all the day long - regarded as sheep for the slaughter - No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.. for I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come nor powers, nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God had the nine, God had the disciples in the boat and God has us.. and he will not let go...we are his.   This is reality.  This is the truth.

Dr. Martin Luther King said this -- " I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant."

Unarmed Truth and unconditional Love are what is most real- evil, sin and death may beat us up and take our boat down in this life...but that is only temporary-- because we belong to the God of love and truth who will not let us go.. if we can hold onto this -- plant it in our hearts and minds -- and let it grow...then it will crowd out the fear and hate that want to lay claim to us...

it doesn't mean that there will not be difficult days or that people will not go down - but it does mean - that we are called to hold up the reality which we know -- that Love not hate wins...and  life not death and evil, triumphs...

I want to remind you of a little verse that speaks to this...perfect love casts out fear...(1 Jn. 4:18).  This is a very good memory verse and I leave it with you. 

Let us pray..

 Lord Jesus, when we find ourselves in the middle of a storm, and we fear that we are sinking - perishing - fill our hearts with your love -- show us how to love as you would love even as we are fearful..we bless you and thank you that you are always with us..help us to know that we really have nothing to fear but the loss of you.  and help us to know down in our bones -- that you do not ever give up on us or let us.. for the sake of your son Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

 Proper 7B 2024 - St. Mark's Episcopal Church- Charleston, SC- JTCO

Someone I Know has Died Suddenly - A Booklet for Teenagers and Their Parents

I put this booklet together several years ago. It explains complicated grief arising from trauma and feel free to downlord if it can be of use. - JTCO

Someone I Know Has Died Suddenly - A Booklet for Teenagers and Their Parents by Jennie Olbrych on Scribd