This Too Shall Pass

Luke 21:5-19
The Rev. Sara Fischer

Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.

Once upon a time there was a powerful King who asked a servant to find something for him that would make him happy when he was sad and sad when he was happy. The servant, who was a good and faithful servant, and also a bit scared of this king, set off on his mission. He kept asking himself: what will make the King happy when he is feeling sad, and sad when he is happy? He looked high and low, all over the land. He saw lots of things that might make the king happy, and lots of things that would make the king sad. But what on earth could make the king sad when he was happy, and make him happy when he was sad? Finally, at the very edge of the land before it dropped off into the sea, he found a gift shop. And inside the gift shop he found exactly what he was looking for. He had it gift-wrapped and took it home to the king. The king opened it up and what do you think it was? A sign for the king’s desk that said: This too shall pass.

Sometimes I think that is a good story for all the threats and promises in the scriptures. These are difficult readings today. Not exactly the scriptures we necessarily want to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest, as our collect instructs us to do. Every year we have this collect near the end of the church year, and every year it is accompanied by harsh stories about the wrath of God and the dangers of discipleship. As we prepare for Advent—itself a season of preparation—we are asked to reflect on what this past year’s journey has meant to us. Where have we risen to God’s challenges, and where have we run as fast as we can in the other direction?

What is it that we are supposed to learn from this week’s scriptures? Well, just to sum up, on first reading it appears that the world is a corrupt and scary place, God is pretty scary, too, and being a faithful disciple is a lot of work.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Malachi promises that the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. You know, I really like Malachi, but he’s not helping much in my efforts to reform people’s view of a destructive, vengeful Old Testament God. Then in the second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul writes: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Wow! What would it be like is we applied that kind of standard to the meals we serve here, including the meal we used to call the Lord’s Supper? Where is grace and generosity?

Grace and generosity are not the first thing that strikes us about today’s Gospel, either. The first think about today’s gospel is the list of terrors that Jesus anticipates on behalf of the disciples. An inkling of grace comes in Jesus’ words: do not be terrified.

Do not be afraid. Things will probably get worse before they get better, the Gospel says, but do not be afraid.

Sometimes it feels as though we are indeed living in the world Jesus describes, full of war, famine, plague, and earthquakes. We live in scary times. Sometimes our fear is linked to events in the world; sometimes our fear is about our own human frailty.

Jesus says: do not be terrified.

Sometimes this is easier said than done.

Do not be afraid. Where have we heard that before? God says it. God says it to Abraham, to Hagar, to Isaac, to Rachel. God says it to Jacob, to Moses and to Joshua and to the people of Israel as they struggled in the desert. God says it to the prophets, to Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

God says it to Joseph: don’t worry about Mary; her child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. The angel Gabriel says it to Mary when he tells her that the child in her womb is the Son of God. When the child is born in Bethlehem, some nearby shepherds are terrified, and the angels say: “fear not!” Jesus says it many times to his disciples. Even after his death, he comes to Paul in a dream and says: “Do not be afraid.”

So why are we afraid? Judging by the number of times these words appear in the bible, we are a people who need to hear the message over and over again, because it is in our nature to be afraid. It is part of our humanness.

What is our response to be, to the fears within us and fears around us? The gospel tells us that Jesus will give us wisdom. The wisdom of God—the Holy Spirit—gives us strength to continue working to build the Kingdom of God, not in spite of our fears, but as the means of turning fear into hope. History is full of examples of people building the kingdom of God in response to disaster, not because they are afraid, but because inside each of us is also the spark of the divine that allows us to counteract fear with love. We saw it in New York City following the September 11th attacks. We saw it at our diocesan convention ten days ago, with the ingathering of money to dig wells in developing countries. We see it every Friday night at Rahab’s Sisters when volunteers create a little window into the Kingdom of God for women on the street. We see it at our clothing center when we respond to the personal disasters in families’ lives by providing new clothing for children.

The whole church, when it is at its best, is an example of building the kingdom in response to the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. This is not easy. If it were, we wouldn’t gather together every Sunday to hear God’s word. We wouldn’t need to hear St. Paul say to the Thessalonians, brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right. This is more accurately translated as “Do not be discouraged in doing good.” This is never easy. This is why, in the book of Kings, when the prophet Elijah grows weary and discouraged with trying to carry God’s message, and falls asleep midway through his journey, an angel of the Lord wakes him up and provides a heavenly meal for him. The angel wakes Elijah and says “Get up and eat. Otherwise the journey will be too much for you.”

Have something to eat. Otherwise the journey will be too much. This is no less true for us than for Elijah. And no less than for Elijah, God provides us with heavenly food at this table, our nourishment for the journey of building the kingdom of God.