Sermon; Proper 28C; Luke 21:5-19

We remember from last week that Jesus is in Jerusalem in what we call Holy Week.  He’s taken on Pharisees, Sadducees, High Priests, scribes, and elders.  And now he’s talking to some people about the temple, the last days, and signs of the times.

Just as Jesus is in Jerusalem and preparing for his last days before his crucifixion, we are approaching Advent, the season of preparation and a season with its own end-times focus.  This is why the lectionary gives us apocalyptic passages at the end of Ordinary Time as Advent approaches.

In biblical terms, an apocalypse is a revealing, a revelation, of the supernatural world beyond what we experience here.  In apocalyptic writings there is often a vindication of God’s faithful people with some form of punishment for people and institutions who have rejected God.  Apocalyptic writings tend to appear when people are suffering, which are used as a vision of hope for life with God and an end to present misery.

In today’s gospel Jesus does indeed predict the end of days.  He says, “As for these things you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”  Someone then asked, “When?  And how will we know?”

Notice that Jesus doesn’t give an answer to that question.  Instead, he gives a list of when it will NOT be and of what not to do.

Be aware of false messiahs and do not follow them.

Be aware of people predicting the end times and do not follow them.

Know that wars, famines, plagues, and earthquakes will happen, but do not be shaken.

Even with these warnings, there have been those who make false claims about being the messiah or these being the end of days.  Those who make such claims have been leading people astray for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. 

False messiahs include people like Jim Jones, David Koresh, or political leaders who claim to be THE answer and demand unfaltering loyalty from their followers.  Those who have claimed to know when the end of days or the rapture will occur include people like William Miller in the 1830’s and ‘40’s, Hal Lindsey in 1985 and beyond, Harold Camping in 2011, or Joshua somebody who put out videos claiming the rapture would occur on September 23 or 24.

All of these people have at least one thing in common:  They’ve all been wrong.  And yet . . . people keep listening to them and following them.

But here’s the thing:  unlike their fantasies of being whisked away and spared from pain and suffering, we are not exempt from the problems of the world.  Neither should we be so arrogant as to think that God loves us more than others, therefore we will be protected while others suffer.

Instead, notice what Jesus does say about the end times:  terrible things will happen and it will be our job to proclaim the good news of the gospel in the face of it all.  And what is the message of the gospel?  It’s the message of love and hope.

Have you ever noticed that those who preach and advocate messages of exclusion, exceptionalism, division, and hate seem to garner the greatest number of followers?  Those people and that message are, for some reason, held up as icons to be followed and emulated.

Those who preach and advocate for love, acceptance, welcome, inclusion, protecting minorities and those at risk, healthcare, and similar things are labeled as pariahs and a danger to society.  But these are the things that are gospel based.  These are the things that Jesus stood for.  These are the things that God cares about.  And it will be preaching and advocating for these things which will get us in trouble with the authorities and wider populace.

So, what are we to take from this apocalyptic vision of Jesus?  Three things.

First, pay attention to what people say and do.  If someone makes claims, or someone makes claims on their behalf, of being a messiah, listen to their words and watch their actions.  Do they speak of justice?  Do they defend the marginalized?  Do they, as our baptismal covenant says, respect the dignity of every human being?  Or do their words and actions run counter to what the gospel actually says?

Pay attention also to those who claim to know the day of the return of Christ or the imaginary rapture.  No one knows that day or hour, and the rapture is nothing more than fantastical fiction.  Anyone claiming otherwise is lying.

Second, natural disasters, man-made disasters, wars, and other calamities will, unfortunately, take place.  We must not be so preoccupied with these in an effort to find an escape that we fail to be present and helpful to those in need.

And third, Jesus says that before the actual end of days there will be a time for witnessing, for proclaiming the message of the gospel, and to stand opposed to those people and institutions who would corrupt the message of Christ.

That last point is important.  You’ve heard me say that, when asked if we’re in the last days, I respond, “It’s always the last days for someone.”  This means that all our days are the last days.  And THAT means now is the time to proclaim the message of Christ – not some far off, unknown, “end of days,” but NOW.

In these last days, then, let us proclaim the love of God and extend hope to all people.

Which, as fate would have it, just happens to be our Vision Statement for this parish.  So let’s get to work.

Amen.