Date: November 27 & December 1, 2022
Preacher: Pastor Ashley Rosa-Ruggieri
Readings
- First Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5
- Psalmody: Psalm 122
- Second Reading: Romans 13:11-14
- Gospel: Matthew 24:36-44
How many times in your lifetime have you been told a set date for the end of the world? For myself it is at least 4 times, the two most notable being Y2K and 2012. But there have been others throughout time that have been distributed to the world as the day when the world would end. Usually this is backed up with a series of signs and clues that those who have decided on this new date have compiled. Many times we associate this coming destruction with the word apocalypse, but the meaning of this word often gets lost in translation, literally. Apocalypse at its base meaning is a revealing, a pulling away of the veil or curtain that was covering something that was already there. In our Bible we have many examples of writing that we consider to be apocalyptic. This passage from Matthew today is one example. But when we say apocalyptic, we do not mean future-telling or an exact prediction of the things to come. Instead, passages of scripture written in this way are meant to use a possible future as a lens that magnifies whatever is going on around us in the present day. It is a revealing of the present, through the possibility of the future.
The problem here then occurs when we read passages like this and try to determine from them exactly what is to come in the future and when it will happen. Trying to interpret these signs and times is futile, and yet it is a common trap that Christians will fall into from time to time. Consider my opening question–how many dates in your own lifetime have been set aside as the possible end of the world? Humanity often tries to figure out this undecipherable mystery because the idea of not knowing what is to come can be even scarier than just reading the things mentioned in passages like this one as uncontrollable possibilities. But we know that these observations and predictions will never come to be at a time that we can determine because Jesus tells us so in our Gospel today. Right at the start of this passage he says that the day and hour is known by no one but the Father. Not angels, nor heaven, nor the Son, so not even JESUS knows the day or time, which means it is pointless for us to think we could know ourselves.
Since this is the case, we can focus on what the passage is trying to teach us, rather than reading it as some sort of guide to the signs and symbols of the future. We can prepare for a future that is ahead of us, but we cannot predict what is to come, because none on Earth and even most in heaven does not know. So, if these signs and symbols are not meant to provide a day and time, then what are they for? To answer this question, we can first go back to the meaning of the word apocalypse. It means to reveal, or take away a covering. And so when we read scripture that is speaking of the future times, we understand it to mean that we take the lessons that future time would give us and utilize them here and now instead. We can change our lives now so that the future ahead of us is better and brighter, even if we do not know what the future holds.
This passage from Matthew shows Jesus teaching those around him to stay awake, or alert to the world around them, because the things to come are unknown. The example is given that a man would stay up if he knew when in the night a thief was coming. However, we have already been told by Jesus that no one knows the time, so we will not be staying up all the time, waiting for the exact moment to come. Rather, we continue to live our lives in ways that prepare for the coming Lord rather than in ways that rely on the Lord coming based on our own timelines. What does it look like to live our lives diligently in this way?
Living in ways that prepare for the Lord means building up community. It means establishing justice. It means exhibiting humility and generosity. It means giving out abundant grace and hospitality. It means sharing God’s love with everyone. It means living our lives in ways that are meaningful and faithful. When we live in this way, we are doing so for the betterment of our current reality, but also with the knowledge that our future selves can look back on this time and see how the possibilities of the future improves the present. Living in these ways means that we are considering what the future will hold, acknowledging our own part in the journey toward that future or away from it, and pursuing the path forward that will lead to a future that is better than the present we currently live in. The future possibilities reveal the actions that can be done in the present. Apocalypse or not, there are revelations and removed curtains that are affecting the lives we live right now, day to day.
Especially in this next month as we enjoy the season of Advent, we are offered constant reminders of the patience it takes to wait for the coming Christ. That waiting can be difficult even when we know the day we are waiting for, let alone not knowing the future day or time our journey is leading to. Throughout this journey there will be times for adjustment, for learning, for changing in the face of new information. Not only that, but this path forward is paved through community work. There is a sacredness to the reality that community efforts can shape the coming future in powerful ways. Over time, we continue to support this work in community, so that even the occasional calls for the end of the world do not throw us off course. The message of Jesus has been revealed to us, and so we can share that message with the world around us. Sharing the Good News of peace on Earth and goodwill for all that the incarnate Jesus made possible. So, the next time you hear of another predicted end of the world or of the impending apocalypse, instead of trying to decipher the future, consider what that message reveals to you right now, in this moment, and adjust your actions accordingly. Thanks be to God.