The End is Here

Sermon based on Jeremiah 33:14-16 and Luke 21:25-36; preached at Germantown Mennonite Church

In 2011, Bhuddist monk, Thich Naht Hahn, and ecologist David Suzuki, gathered for a weekend meeting in British Columbia.  They talked about all sorts of things, but ultimately the conversation turned towards life’s big problems–greed, power, waste, suffering, and the uncertain future of our planet.  And what was the thread that connected all these things for Hahn and Suzuki?  Despair.  

Hahn and Suzuki shared that same sense of despair about the direction the people of earth are taking–that humans are more motivated by self-interest and mindless consumerism.  Neither of these men had a sense of hope that humanity could or would change their ways.  

I understand the despair.  The news of the last week is enough to send anyone that’s paying even a little bit of attention into an emotional spiral.  What’s as disturbing is what is not being reported–ecological news isn’t nearly as sellable as “Muslim terrorists”, so we don’t hear much about the trash island in the pacific ocean, or the relationship between fracking and earthquakes, or the increasing temperatures of the earth, and it’s impact on our weather, ocean levels and food production.  Ecological news doesn’t sell, so it’s not well reported.

Naming all of this makes me want to put my head in the sand, plug my ears up, and hide.  The under reported and over reported news all feels oppressive.  All the problems of the world make me…despair.  

We live in a culture of despair.  There is a pervasive dread felt by many people who are genuinely concerned about the future of this world, a world that we see full of war, conflict, terrorism, economic disparity, and a struggling ecosphere.

But despair is nothing new–we didn’t invent despair.  David Suzuki and Thich Naht Hahn didn’t invent despair.  Humans have been despairing since long before our scripture was written.  But what has changed about the culture of despair is that we have ways of killing each other more quickly and and less personally.  I’m talking about weapons of mass destruction; I’m talking about drones; but I’m also talking about destruction by way of entertainment and distraction.  We have all sorts of ways to keep our eyes closed, our ears plugged, and the problems of the world away from us.  

It’s funny, actually, that we look at these apocalyptic texts during advent and worry that the apocalypse is coming.  But friends, I hate to inform you, but it’s already here.  There is flooding on the earth.  The earth is distressed.  There are signs.  But, just we just can’t bear to see it.  So, we distract ourselves.  We distance ourselves from each other and from the earth.  

When we read these apocalyptic texts, we tend to focus on the destruction.  But today, I want you to read these texts knowing that apocalypse is upon us.  What are the words of comfort from the prophet to those experiencing the end of the world?  What are the words of instruction from Jesus to a frightened group of followers?  What are the words that speak into our despair?

Jesus spoke the words from the gospel of Luke to a community of believers who had just experienced the end of their world–the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem, the center of the Jewish world.  To this, Jesus said, “When these things take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your salvation is drawing near.”

As the temple was coming down, Jesus wanted his followers to fight the urge to run and hide, to keep their heads up and look for the salvation that’s coming.  

Jesus also said, to the struggling community, “Be on your guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you like a thief in the night.”

I had to look up that word–dissipation–because I must have missed that in my SAT prep course.  But dissipation means engaging in bodily pleasures.  So, Jesus is telling his followers not to be weighed down by distractions–of bodily pleasures and drunkenness–and worries of this life, because otherwise the apocalypse will sneak up on you, because you haven’t been paying attention.  

The prophet, Jeremiah, spoke to his community in a time of great despair, a time when it seemed that the world had ended for the people of Israel.  They were brought into captivity by the Babylonians–not since the time of Egypt had the Israelites been in captivity, and they were broken-So, the prophet spoke this promise to the people:  “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to you.  In those days, and in that time, I will cause a righteous branch to spring up, and he will execute justice and goodness in the land. In those days you will be saved and live in safety.”

Between Jesus and the Prophets, we have two different yet equally important words–from Jesus, we have words of instruction– pay attention, lift up your head–and from the prophet Jeremiah, we have words of hope– God is about to do something.  

Thich Naht Hahn and David Suzuki were asked after a weekend of talking about all the things that make them despair, how they keep going when the world is falling apart.  They mentioned three things:  

First, they live in communities of simplicity and hope, places where people practice living Second, they live in communities that do not rely on entertainment, consumption and possessions to be happy.  

And finally, they live in communities that do not see activism as an act of punishment or self-torture, but of hope and truth telling.  

These communities fight despair by living fully into the reality of the apocalypse, which I should mention means “revelation” or “unfolding”.  They are not bracing for it to happen.  They know it’s already here.  They are practicing keeping their heads up and their eyes open.  They are practicing telling the truth.  

David Suzuki and Thich Naht Hahn are practicing the words of Jesus and the words of the prophet Jeremiah, whether they know it or not.  And these practices of full awareness combat despair and give them hope.  

I look at the problems of this world and I despair.  I worry.  I fear for the future.  And Jesus asks us to trust him when he says that we should lift up our heads, stand up straight, look for signs of Christ’s coming.  

Somehow, somewhere, with our eyes fully open, and our heads up, when we take in the full pain of the world, it is more difficult to despair when we are not distracted. (Note here that I did not say impossible)  In full awareness, our hearts are open to hope, and more ready to notice signs of Christ.  

This season of Advent, I invite you to practice hope, to practice lifting up your head and opening up your eyes, to practice looking for the righteous branch, to practice full awareness, as a way to combat despair.  Let’s try it together and see what happens.  AMEN.