The Scripture Readings this week are:
- Daniel 12:1-3
- Mark 13:1-8
The Sermon title is Is the End Near?
Early Thoughts: This past weekend I was thinking of a quote from the movie Hope Floats (which may make a re-appearance on the first Sunday of Advent when we consider seeking hope in the midst of chaos):
Beginnings are usually scary and endings are usually sad, but it's the middle that counts. Try to remember that when you find yourself at a new beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up. And it will.
It is my firm belief that really life is a series of endings and beginnings (with more than a few continuings thrown in for good measure). That can be both exciting and distressing. IT can lead us to explore a brave new world or it can lead us to weep and wail, to tear our clothes and mourn.
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| Maybe not this particular preacher |
Our Scripture readings this week come from a genre of literature called apocalyptic. Apocalyptic literature often leads to discussion of the 'end times'. It is also not a part of Scripture that many United Church folks spend a lot of time talking about. Talking about the end times conjures up images of the street corner preacher with a sandwich board and a loud voice calling everyone to repent before it is too late.
However it is undeniable that talk about the end is a part of our faith story. In both the Jewish and Christian Scriptures there are predictions of what will happen when God transforms the world and what currently is will come to an end. So we really should talk about it at some point.
I see at least two things that need to be part of our discussions. First is to ask what we mean by 'near'. Scripture does not tell us how to know exactly what near might mean. The apocalyptic literature in Scripture can, and has, been used to describe almost every era of human life in the last 200 years. And given that Christianity talks about the coming of the Kingdom of God in terms of the 'now and the not yet' that is not really surprising. If God is, as I believe to be true, constantly at work transforming and changing the world the the end has come, is now, and is yet to be. So maybe near is not the best term to use unless your vision if of some cataclysmic event where everything will be changed in a flash.
The other question is based on remembering a couple of hymn lines: "In our end is our beginning..in our time eternity..in our death a resurrection", The Christian story of cross and empty tomb reminds us that endings open the door for a new beginning. I also remember that all good things come to an end, that nothing human is in fact meant to remain the same forever. Change is, as they say, the only constant.
As God's Reign grows to full flower in the world some things must end so that the new thing God is doing can start to grow. Some things have to end so that others can begin. In a finite world, where energy and resources are limited, the only way to grow is to die.
So the end being near might be a good thing. It might be a cause for celebration as well as a cause for concern. Talking about endings may bring sadness as we prepare to say good-bye to something we hold dear. But talking about beginnings may bring hope and promise (as well as a bit of anxiety). As we celebrate the coming of the Reign of God the end is indeed near...but so is the beginning. Thanks be to God.
--Gord
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