Proper 28B (Mark 13:1-8) – 11/15/2009
The beautiful mobile of butterflies that hang in the nave are one of the many lasting memories I have from my first visit to St. John’s this past spring. The butterflies are vivid reminders to us of the transformation from one state of life to another. Transformations can take place in many ways and can come to us in many forms – creating changes to the appearance, the nature or the characteristics of people, places or things that are familiar in our lives. Although some transformations take place without assistance or perhaps even unintentionally, the most profound transformations in our lives occur through our intentional participation and our thoughtful attention.
When I was a young boy my participation and attention was primarily focused on family, friends and school. Every school day I looked forward to lunch because we were permitted to leave the school and eat at home. Because both of my parents worked and my grandparents lived just down the street, I was able to eat lunch with my grandmother every day. She would make the best lunches and every lunch finished with desert, which for me was always a chocolate ice cream cone! Day after day my lunch routine was the same and as I reflect on those days I can still remember that lunch at my grandparents’ house was an important part of my day; an important part of who I was as a young boy; an important and transforming experience as I grew older. As the years passed I moved on to middle school, high school, and college and I spent considerably less time at home with my immediate family. The lessons of my youth formed an important part of who I became as an adult, but as my future became the reality of living in the adult world, I seemed to be busy in new and different ways.
This morning we hear the disciples asking Jesus a question about the future: the future of the Temple. The Temple was central to Jewish life in Jerusalem, so the disciples’ question about the future of the Temple was also a question about the future of their lives…and Jesus realizes this reality. Peter, James, John, and Andrew (the first four disciples called by Jesus) ask Jesus in private, “Tell us, when will [the Temple be destroyed], and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” (Mk 13:4) The disciples’ question is prompted from Jesus’ prediction that “not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” (Mk 13:2b) Jesus foretells of a disturbing transformation of the great Temple; a transformation that will lead those who worship at the Temple to face a new life. No wonder the disciples are curious when this will happen and what will be the signs of this great change. Jesus responds to his disciples, but instead of answering their question about the end of the Temple, he teaches them about the end of his ministry with them and the future they will face…a transformation in their discipleship to Christ. Jesus outlines the dangers and temptations that will be presented to his disciples and he cautions them to not be led astray, as many will be deceived. The dangers and temptations of the future will include those people and actions that will pull the faithful away from God and create misunderstandings and anxieties.
In these final weeks of our church year we often hear lessons about endings, often times endings that appear to be full of conflict and concern. The end of our church year parallels the end of Jesus’ public ministry and the beginning of a new time for the disciples; a beginning that requires the disciples to transform their understanding of discipleship (a discipleship that does not include Jesus directly by their side). Throughout chapter 13 of Mark’s Gospel account, Jesus teaches his disciples that the future will hold challenges and temptations, but even in the midst of these challenges faithful attention to God will yield strength and courage. In verses just following our Gospel lesson this morning Jesus tells his disciples, “the good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. When they bring you to trial and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say; but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.” (Mk 13:10-11) The Holy Spirit is given as gift of great comfort to the disciples, even as they hear the difficult words about the Temple and about their futures. And for us, in the midst of trial and temptation and throughout the challenges of our daily lives, Jesus assures us that we should not worry because we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit to sustain us; to lead us; and to keep us close to God. But we must “beware that no one leads us astray”…and so we have some responsibility to be alert, to be attentive and active in our relationship with God. As we seek God and God’s love through prayer and service, we become more aware of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Phillips Brooks, a great preacher of the 19th century and Bishop of Massachusetts speaks of the transforming power of God’s love as he writes, “I am sure that we ought to dwell far more upon God’s love for us than on our love for Him. There is such a thing as putting ourselves in the way of God’s overflowing love and letting it break upon us till the response of love to Him comes, not by struggle, not even by deliberation, but by necessity, as the echo comes when the sound strikes the rock.”[i] Phillips Brooks’ metaphor of “putting ourselves in the way of God’s overflowing love” is a beautiful image of the abundance of God’s love for us, but also captures our responsibility to make time to dwell on God’s love and put ourselves in relationship with God.
As the busy days of my adult life continued, all those years ago, I remember finding little time for anything other than being a husband, a new father, and a naval officer. I struggled to find time for other activities and I struggled to find time to regularly visit my grandmother. One day, shortly after my grandmother moved to a nursing home, I stopped by to see her on my way home from work. I arrived at dinner time and as I entered her room I could see that her dinner was still in front of her. After seeking the advice of the nurses and, of course, my mother, I decided to help my grandmother eat her dinner. As I slowly helped her to eat some food, I remembered those days as a young boy when we shared lunch and chocolate ice cream cones. My simple afternoon visit to my grandmother had somehow become much more than just a simple visit. I must admit that I probably went back to my busy schedule and my short-term focus of my tasks for the day, but we all have experiences that point to something deeper and help us to understand that we need to discover opportunities to put ourselves in the way of God’s overflowing love. As we draw to the close of the church year, our lessons remind us that our time is limited and we are responsible to stay awake and beware that we are not led astray. But we are also assured that we live each day in the presence and care of a loving God…and given the gift of the Holy Spirit we can be sure that we will be transformed to a new life in Christ. Amen.
[i] Phillips Brooks, “Putting Ourselves in the Way of God’s Overflowing Love,” in Love’s Redeeming Work: The Anglican Quest for Holiness. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003), 486.
Padre Ryder's Journal 