November 18, 2007; The 25th Sunday after Pentecost Readings: Malachi 3:13-4:2a, 5-6; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19; Psalm 98:5-10.   The Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith Apocalyptic Thought The words we have just heard from Luke's gospel could scare someone. If we were attempting to teach a person about the Christian faith, we probably would not start with this reading. Right? We would probably want to share our understanding of God's love and care for us, and our understanding of Jesus as our savior and friend, our thoughts about life in Christian community, and much more. Today's gospel reading would probably be a bit farther down on the syllabus of Faith 101. I've known people who were taught to fear for their salvation by those who focused on readings such as this. Remember all of the predictions about what would happen on the first day of the year 2000? The religious and secular minded alike, those who hoped to capture people's attention and, at times, money, warned of the chaos to come if not outright the end of time. As with all the end of the world predictions over the centuries that preceded the end of the l999, the predictions were incorrect. Predictions about the end of time and the implications for life based on an apocalyptic belief and focus have occurred throughout history. On the eve of the year 1000, an apocalyptic group in France called the Peace of God attracted many followers and is considered to be the first mass peace movement in history. The PBS program Frontline presented a fascinating analysis of the topic of apocalypse in December of 1999. I remember it well because, at the time the program aired, I was studying for the dreaded four-day General Ordination Exams, and there was a good chance that a question about apocalyptic thought could be asked. I was ready. You can find anything you have ever wanted to know about the topic of apocalypse in that program and now on the PBS website. One of the scholars interviewed, Richard Landes of Boston University, stated that apocalyptic beliefs have proved to be of continuing interest over time because they, "address profound yearnings in the human soul: a time of justice, when evil-doers no longer flourish and the good no longer suffer. A time when people overcome their self-limiting patterns of relationship and make an evolutionary leap into a new social paradigm." I think that he is referring to both our personal relationships and also relationships among the nations. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/apocalypse/roundtable/uno.html Great excitement and intense activity can result from an apocalyptic focus in religious communities. People can in fact find it easier to focus on the end of time than deal with the time we have in front of us right now. So how do you and I understand the parts of the Bible that contain apocalyptic literature? As we heard in our opening prayer, all scripture has been written for our learning so that we may hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life. What can we learn from today's Gospel reading to strengthen our faith, our community, and help us to embrace our faith in a way that makes a difference every day? As with life after death and resurrection, which we considered last week, a belief in the end of time is a core Christian belief. Every time we gather for worship, we proclaim our belief that Christ will come again, and that life and time as we understand it will be changed. For all Christians who have lived so far, that moment has come at their death. God has embraced them in the fullness of God's presence. Our belief in the Second Coming of Christ is our Christian hope, which is described in the Book of Common Prayer as living, "with confidence in newness and fullness of life, and to await the coming of Christ in glory, and the completion of God's purpose for the world (BCP p. 861.)" To "await" is certainly different than to "obsess." It is easy to see how people can get caught-up in apocalyptic thought when it promise to be a time of peace and justice when God's purposes for the world are complete. We pray for this fervently every time that we say the Lord's Prayer: "thy kingdom come." Jesus knew that his followers could become focused on the end of time and be led astray by those seeking to gain their attention. Jesus wanted this followers' attention to remain on Him and all that He was teaching them. Jesus was clear that the date of the end time could not be known. Rather than becoming focused on something they could not predict or control, Jesus advised them to focus on the work he had for them to do. In a similar way, it could have been easy for the disciples to stare at the beauty of the Temple, but Jesus explained that it would not always be there. We are called to be actively involved in God's call to us in this life, as opposed to simply staring at something of beauty-being mesmerized by what is already complete-or escaping into dreams of a future that is not yet. From Luke's reading, we are reminded that Jesus will always be with us in this life helping us through the struggles. It has been said that the, "gospel offers not a way of predicting the end of the world but the spiritual resources to cope with hardship and adversity (The New Interpreter's Bible, vol. IX, "Luke," R. Alan Culpepper, p. 402.)." With Jesus at our side, we can live in the moment dealing with what is difficult, rejoicing in what is good, and also acting in ways that make God's kingdom known now. For in Christ, our Christian hope has been realized. You and I, as the body of Christ in this world, bring that hope to others, making what will one day be complete, known at least in part here and now. Amen.