Reflection on Mark 13:24-37

 

That tender fig branch in today’s gospel reading has me captivated.  Jesus says, “as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.  So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near…” (Mark 13:28-29).  Jesus, of course, is referring to himself as the Son of Man.  Usually, the fear inducing darkened sun, failing moonlight, and stars falling are what get my attention, transfixing my mind (and we will get to that in a moment), but this time around, the image of that tender branch has me captivated instead.

It makes me think of breaking off tender branches as a kid and whipping them around, listening to the whizzing sound as we whipped them back and forth.  We were told to “whip those things outside,” of course.  That would be the safe and respectable thing to do; but the fact that I remember being told to do it outside leads me to suspect that we were not always safe and respectable when we were little kids. 

In either case, I remember my mom once showing me why those little branches whipped around like that when other branches would just break and shatter.  She bent it and peeled back the bark a little bit and showed me the green layer inside. 

“This branch might look dead, but it is actually alive,” my Mom taught.  “If you planted it in the ground with lots of water, it would grow into another tree.”

“This branch might look dead, but it is actually alive.”

“This branch might look dead, but it is actually alive.”

Whenever this memory wanders into my brain, I repeat those words again and again, because, in them, resides the gospel truth.

It might all look dead to us, but the truth, the good news, is that it is actually alive.

Of course, my mind goes immediately to Jesus as he gives his last breath on the cross and is buried in the tomb.  Now, does he stay in that tomb?  Of course not, on the third day he rose again.  “This branch might look dead, but it is actually alive.”

My mind also wanders to that sin-filled criminal who hangs next to Jesus on the cross.  The criminal admits that he has lived a life that is dead and full of sin.  He admits that he deserves the bloody and deadly end to his life that is the cross. 

“Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom,” he prays to Jesus (Luke 23:42).  Jesus looks at him with love and responds, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).  “This branch might look dead, but it is actually alive.”

I also think of that little girl who was sick and died, Jairus’ daughter is how she is known.  Jesus comes along, looks at the dead body, and does not give up saying, “Well, I guess it is too late.”  Instead, Jesus looks at the dead girl and says, “The child is not dead but sleeping.” 

Where we despair because we see death, Jesus delights because he sees life.  Jesus sees the green below the surface of the bark.  “Little girl, get up,” he says, and she gets up.  “This branch might look dead, but it is actually alive.”

Because of the power of Jesus, what looks very much dead to us can actually be very, very alive.  This is the truth.  And, I mean it.  It is the truth of all truths.  Death, sin, and destruction seem to be the truth…death and taxes, right?  But, they are not the truth of the world.  The power of Jesus, who raises us from the dead and recreates us, breathing new life again and again, is the truth.

The only problem is that sometimes we just do not see it.  The forces of death and destruction overcome our vision and cloud our imaginations, and we just cannot see where Jesus is actively present, creating new life.  We look to the darkening sun and see the moon failing to give its light.  We stare at the stars falling from heaven and despair that the powers from on high are shaken.  We see the type of world that we have known and trusted in the past crumbling into confusion and literal ash and dust.  We see the forces of de-creation at work and we fail to see Jesus.

De-creation is an actual term in biblical interpretation circles, by-the-way.  It refers to Bible stories in which the seven days of creation are somehow reversed, and all that God created is literally taken away: the sun darkens and the moon loses its light.  De-creation is being talked about right in this Bible text, but we do not need to read the Bible in order to see it at work in our lives. 

Just the other morning, the morning of my 48^th birthday actually, I woke up with super stiff joints.  This had never happened before in my life, and I sang to myself, “Happy Birthday to me!”  But, you know what I am talking about.  It is the literal de-creation of my body.  At age 47 and 364 days of age I had perfectly working joints.  One day later at age 48, my joints were suddenly toast.  It is like the warranty suddenly ran out.

I make fun of my own de-creation because to think too hard about it and look around at others de-creating agony too closely would just start to bring us to tears.  The sun darkening and the moon dimming is all too real for some of us, sin and death invading our lives and our bodies in devastating ways.  And, that is where we get stuck staring and anxiously worrying.  We cannot bring ourselves to peel back the bark in the fear that we would not see any green.

Of course it is there.  Of course, Jesus has the power to recreate and rejuvenate our lives in new ways, but sometimes we just do not dare to look and we just cannot see.  Sometime our eyes are closed and we drift to sleep.  Sometimes, we fail to keep awake.  Sometimes, we fail to keep awake to what Jesus is doing.

Do not worry if I just described you.  I know that I just described myself.  But, if I am too rotten of a person with whom to keep good company, there are others you can join: the disciples for example.   

Jesus directly instructs the disciples, “Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly” (Mark 13:35-36). 

And, in just the next chapter of the gospel of Mark we see Judas betraying Jesus in the evening.  He is asleep to what Jesus is doing. 

After that, as night falls in what the ancient people saw as midnight, the disciples literally fall asleep while Jesus prays.  In their groggy state, they lose Jesus to the soldiers and revert to ways of violence instead of peace.  They are asleep to what Jesus is doing.

At cockcrow, as we famously know, Peter denies knowing Jesus, completely asleep to what Jesus is doing.  And, at dawn Jesus is put on trial, and the disciples are nowhere to be found.  They had already fled.  They had all stared at their crumbling surroundings, transfixed by their fear, and they could not see what Jesus was doing.

But, my Mom’s voice rings once again in my ear, “This branch might look dead, but it is actually alive.”

Under that tomb of dead bark is life.  Death has nothing on Jesus.  De-creation causes no fear within Jesus.  His heart-rate does not increase and his hands do not become sweaty.  Jesus knows that tombs are not the end.  Jesus knows that the shaking of this world’s foundations are simply the clearing of the way for something new, something wonderful, something holy and awesome.  Jesus knows that dead branches can actually be alive and he invites us to shake the sleepiness from our eyes so that we can see it!

Jesus shouts, “What I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

All of us are called by Jesus to keep awake to what he is doing.  This is something that we do together.  He said it to “all” after-all.  When I am falling asleep, drifting off into despair, wake me up!  Remind me to look carefully so that I can see what Jesus is doing.  And, I promise to try to do the same for you.  After-all, because of the power of Jesus, what looks very much dead to us can actually be very, very alive.

“This branch might look dead, but it is actually alive.”

Reflection on Matthew 25:31-46

 

The primary objective of the sermon is to announce the good news of Jesus Christ.  So, the preacher’s primary job, then, is to study a given scripture, seek some words of good news, and proclaim that particular good news so that the word of Jesus Christ can give life to the hearer.

Sometimes we find that good news easily.  Take the parable of the lost coin, where the woman searches and searches until she finds the coin.  The good news is that God is like that; searching and finding us.  That good news is easy to find. 

Sometimes, the good news is hard to find, especially if it is a scripture that is full of judgment with almost no glimmer of light. 

And, sometimes, there is good news to be found, but it is overshadowed with threats of judgment and punishment.  For me, the scripture for today is like that.  There is good news to be heard, but it is overshadowed by threats that cause us to fear.

In it we hear of Jesus at the end of the age, separating us into sheep and goats.  The sheep will be blessed and will inherit God’s kingdom.  The goats will suffer an eternal punishment.  And, as if this threat of potential punishment were not fear inducing enough, those who are separated into the categories of sheep and goats have no idea which one they may be! 

When Jesus commends the righteous sheep for helping him when he was a stranger, the righteous answer in return, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” (Matthew 27:37-39). 

In a similar way the goats, which did not help Jesus when he was a stranger, had no idea that they had not helped.  “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” (Matthew 25:44). 

And, though I do find joy in the fact that those righteous sheep were led by Jesus into living lives that made the kingdom of heaven a reality right here, right now, by feeding, giving drinks, welcoming strangers, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick and imprisoned, that hope in the kingdom is somehow diminished in my mind by the thought that they had no idea they were living the ideals of the kingdom.  Jesus has to point it out to them.

“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).

And, maybe that is the way it is.  Maybe, the spreading of Jesus’ kingdom of love for the downtrodden and stranger is something that is best maintained by pointing it out; by naming it when we see it.  Maybe, the kingdom of heaven is something that is best spread when we do it together, and are able to point out to one another when we do or do not see it.

I can tell you right away about the time that my family desperately needed food, and it showed up right at our doorstep.  My father had just gone back to college, and our family of five was trying to survive on the income that my mom could pull in by working a minimum wage job.  Mind you, two of us were very ravenous teenage boys.  We were making it by OK.  There were a lot of meals that included sandwiches, which did the trick, but when Thanksgiving rolled around, the expense of a turkey meal was well beyond what we would be able to swing.  My dad had grabbed a turkey loaf out of the freezer section, because who does not like a good turkey loaf?  It you have ever had the pleasure of having a turkey loaf, you know that it is almost like food, and that it kind of tastes like turkey.

I once said that to someone, and they responded, “Hey, I love that stuff!”  They also ate Spam straight out of the can…so.

But, the day before Thanksgiving there was a knock at the door.  We opened the door to two men from our church, holding a huge, fresh turkey.  How did they know?  We had not told anyone about our situation.  But, there they were bringing a turkey to our stomachs and tears to my mother’s eyes.  Whether they realized it or not, they had brought the kingdom of heaven to our small apartment that day and Jesus was there.  “For I was hungry and you gave me food” (Matthew 25:35).

Then there was the time that I was at a concert with thousands of people, and everyone was jumping around to the beat of the music in the sweltering heat.  Someone in our group became severely dehydrated and needed water immediately, so we started waving our hands, jumping up and down, trying to get someone’s attention because dragging him to a water source was no easy feat when there are thousands of people through which to wade.  Just then, Taylor Swift stopped the show, directed her staff to provide us some water, and did not continue the show until some water was provided. 

OK, so that might not have really happened to me.  I know it is hard to believe that I am not a swiftie.  But, it really did happen to someone.  Just a few days ago, someone’s dire thirst was quenched because a superstar put the needs of one above everyone else.  Whether she realized it or not, she had brought the kingdom of heaven to that crowd of thousands and Jesus was there.  “For I was…thirsty and you gave me something to drink” (Matthew 25:35).

Jesus says that he is there whenever we welcome the stranger, and this story is my story.  Having a dad as a helping hand of hog farms allows you the unique opportunity of joining new schools often.  The hardest part of joining a new school is always the lunch table.  Where do you sit?  Who will want to talk with you?  How do you figure out if the kids are nice?  So, it is like the heavens are opening up and a ray of light is shining down in the middle of the lunchroom when someone sees you standing there with your tray and says, “You are sitting right here!”  She became one of my best friends in High School and on that anxious first day at a new school the kingdom of heaven which welcomes the stranger became real and Jesus was there.  “For is was…a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35).

There was also the time that my choir director handed me a shirt for a music festival, which puzzled me because neither I nor my family had the kind of money needed that would have allowed me to attend. 

“Someone from the church wanted you to go, so you are going,” my choir director said simply.  My teenage brain could not comprehend what was happening.  I had wanted to go, but had resigned myself, as I had many other times, to the reality that it just was not something ever in the cards for me.  But, I was going because someone thought I was worth sending.  No one ever came forward to tell me who they were.  I could not send a “thank you” card.  To this day, I do not think that they ever realized just how much Jesus’ kingdom became real to me as I put on that shirt and left for that trip.  In that moment, Jesus was there.  “For I was naked and you gave me clothing” (Matthew 25:36).

Jesus talks about being visited himself whenever we visit the sick and the imprisoned, and though I have never been imprisoned…I don’t care what you have heard…I have been sick more than a few times.  I think especially about the time I had my appendix taken out in an emergency surgery.  Right away that morning as I recovered, I was either visited or called by nearly every pastor in town. It was nice to see the faces of those who cared and to hear their concerned words.  The kingdom of heaven broke into that small hospital room, and Jesus was there.  “I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25:36).

Part of the Thanksgiving tradition is taking some time to give thanks for all of the gifts that have been given.  That is a great tradition, and it seems to me that the sort of reflection and recognition that happens as we reflect on all for which we are thankful actually is the sort of thing that would allow us to see Jesus actively at work in us and in our world.

I ask you, when has Jesus’ kingdom come down and broken open around you?  When was it that you were hungry and the kingdom of heaven became real because you were given food?  When was it that you were thirsty and the kingdom of heaven became real because you were given something to drink?  When was it that you were a stranger and you were welcomed, or naked and someone gave you clothing, and when were you sick or in prison and you were cared for and visited?  Rejoice and be glad in each of these instances because each and every time Jesus was there, bringing the kingdom to you.

Jesus has made you a part of the kingdom of heaven.  Your life has been blessed with the good things of Jesus Christ. 

Being a citizen of that kingdom, you are also one of those who offers food to the hungry, water to the thirsty, welcome to the stranger, clothing to the naked, and a holy and healing presence to the sick and imprisoned. 

I pray that the Lord, our king, point out to you all of the times that you have walked in the ways of the kingdom.  May you hear the words spoken by Jesus to trustworthy servants: “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). 

But, if you have somehow failed to be a blessing, I also pray that the time of correction from the Lord be fruitful and a little less than eternal.  After-all, the word “punishment” can also be translated “correction.”  That is a more hopeful translation to those of us who hopelessly fall short of the mark.  Hopefully, those words of correction come from the mouth of someone who is kind and who loves you very much; like when my best friend kindly pointed out one day that I was kind of being an insensitive jerk.  May Jesus allow our times of fiery, refining correction transform us into his kingdom people. 

Blessed are you who come to realize that Jesus has made you citizens in the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you who are citizens in the kingdom of love.

Reflection on Matthew 25:14-30

 

For generations it was the family’s Thanksgiving tradition to box up the massive amounts of leftovers from the family meal and deliver them to those in the neighborhood who they knew were alone for the holiday.  The children would excitedly run meals up to the doors of neighbors in the waning afternoon sun, proud to be a part of such a giving tradition, and those who received the meals felt truly blessed, not only by the food but by the smiles from the children handing them this special meal.

For years and years this was the unquestioned holiday tradition, until the day that someone in the family questioned it.  “Why do we head out into the cold to do this?” asked a new addition to the family, a new son-in-law.  “My family relaxes Thanksgiving afternoon, watches football, and enjoys leftovers the next few days.  Why do we ruin our relaxing day to do this?  Who else does this sort of thing?  Why do we give up all of this great food that the good Lord has given us?”

Of course, grandma was dedicated to the tradition, and the kids loved it.  The tradition would continue as long as she survived.  But, a rift started to ripple through the family as they wondered if the tradition, which survived generations upon generations would last beyond the current generation.  Would the day of thanksgiving be only about “thanks” and have nothing to do with “giving?”  Was the family on the cusp of burying their gifts?

The image of burying a gift, of course, comes straight from the Bible.  It is in the story of the talents in which a man entrusts his property and wealth to his servants.  To one servant he gives five talents (a talent being a weight of money).  To another he gives two talents.  And, to another he gives one talent.  He gives the wealth according to what he thinks each servant will be able to do with it…what he thinks each servant will be able to create with it while he is gone.

The first servant produces five more talents by the time the man returns.  He is commended and rewarded.  The second servant produces two more talents by the time the man returns.  He too is commended and rewarded.  But, the third servant buries his talent in the ground and has nothing but the original talent to offer his master in return.

And, that is where idea comes from: burying your gifts.  The family feared that future generations would bury their gifts, producing no goodness for their neighbors in return.  The family feared that Thanksgiving would produce no sense of “giving” to future generations of children, and the tradition of goodness and love would be lost.

Sometimes, I think that people’s idea of stewardship embraces too tightly the idea of burying.  How many times have you had a great idea that would help your neighbors, whether in a church or a community organization, and there is always that one person who says, “I don’t know if we should be spending money right now.  Aren’t we supposed to be good stewards of what we have been given?”  Their assumption, of course, is that stewardship is all about saving and burying.  But, that actually is not what biblical stewardship is all about.

In Genesis, when God tells humans to steward all that has been given them in creation, it is paired up with the injunction to “be fruitful and multiply.”  The idea is that what we have been given is to be used to continue what God has started.  What we have been given is to be used appropriately to promote God’s life and God’s love. 

Jesus continues with this very notion when he warns, “Every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit,” and continues, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:17-20). 

The basic, plain understanding behind this text is that trees bear fruit.  And, fruit is to be used to both grow more trees and to offer food to other creatures.  “You will know them by their fruits,” Jesus says.  You will know someone by how they do or do not prosper others.  You will know someone by the life and love that they do or do not provide to others.  But, what happens when God’s gift of life and love is buried?

A teen pointed out to me a few years ago in confirmation class that if your gift is not money, but a gift that resides in your body, like singing or dancing, or painting or healing, that if you bury your talent you are actually burying yourself. 

I have to admit that I was blown away by that idea.  Are you blown away by that idea?  Now, I had thought about what it meant to bury my talent before; like burying my guitar playing.  If I buried my guitar playing, then it would not be helpful to anyone or bring joy to God in any way. 

But, I had never thought about the fact that burying my guitar playing is actually burying a part of me.  It is digging a grave for me.  It is digging a grave for a premature death, stifling not only my gift, but also me. 

That is a mind-blowing idea, is it not?  I am so thankful that teen did not bury their wisdom, because their wisdom has been so life-giving to me.

A lot of things make sense when you think of it that way.  Fine actors who end up burying themselves and their talent under illegal substances now make so much more sense to me.  If you bury yourself, you become worthless.  You become a “worthless slave” as the Bible story says (Matthew 25:30).  Now, understand, this is not a moral judgment; it is just the simple truth.  If you are dead and buried, you can help no one.

People who become bitter after the stresses of life have become way too much, who bury their love so as to protect their own hearts make so much more sense to me.  If you bury yourself, you become worthless, as the Bible story says.  This is not a moral judgment; it is just the simple truth.

Those who have used their gifts to only support themselves and improve themselves make so much more sense to me.  If you bury yourself, you become worthless, as the Bible story says.  This is not a moral judgment; it is just the simple truth.

We were created to be trees that are fruitful.  We were created to be servants who use their gifts to create and prosper life, and show love.  In fact, the Greek word used to describe what the two good servants did with their talents is ποιέω, which literally means “to create” or “to produce.”  From the beginning of creation, we were put on this earth by God to help create.  We were put on this earth to produce more life and more love from the gifts we have been given by God.  We were not created to bury our gifts.

But, sometimes we do.  Sometimes, we bury what we have been given.  Sometimes, we have been discouraged in the use of our gifts, and we bury them.  Sometimes, we are tricked out of our gifts, and they become buried.  Sometimes, our gifts are taken away from us either through theft or through poor health, and they end up dead and in the ground.  Sometimes, we have no intention of burying our gifts, but they end up in the ground anyway.

In just the next chapter of Matthew, Peter will bury the gift of knowing Jesus and deny him three times.  In just a couple of chapters, the people will nail God’s gift of goodness and love to the cross, and will bury his lifeless body in the ground, in a cold tomb of death.  Sometimes, we bury what we have been given by God.

Thank you God that when you are buried, you are not like trash that decomposes; rather, you are like a seed that springs to new life. 

God’s gift of life and love for the world, Jesus Christ, cannot stay buried for long.  Like a sapling springing up through the ashes of a burned forest, Jesus rose to life, breaking free from burial and death.  Jesus is God’s life and love!  Jesus cannot be buried for long!  Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). 

So, this Thanksgiving, let us pray that we and our gifts not remain buried.  Let us pray that Jesus lift us out of the ground, into new life.  Let us also pray that Jesus help us remember the “giving” part of Thanksgiving.  And, let us pray that Jesus will share some good fruit plucked from our branches and given to others, that all might give thanks to God. 

The family never stopped, by the way.  To this day, the family still boxes up their leftovers and gives them to lonely neighbors on Thanksgiving.  Guess who heads up the project now that Grandma is gone: the son-in-law.  After a couple of years of participating, he grew to love “giving” on Thanksgiving.  If at all possible, Jesus does not let our talents stay buried for long.

Reflection on Matthew 25:1-13

 

Jesus teaches us to, “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13).

This is not the first time that Jesus tries to convince us that we cannot know the timing of his second coming.  In the chapter just before this one Jesus is explicit, “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36).  Jesus says that not even he knows the timing. So, it seems amazing to me that so many people are convinced that they know the timing of Jesus’ return and they try to convince you that they too know when the end of the world will arrive.

In fact, there are at least 159 recorded, official predictions of the end of the world since Jesus ascended into heaven.

One of the first was right away after Jesus’ time on earth.  The Jewish Essenes, who were like John the Baptist and lived in the wilderness saw the Jewish uprising against the Romans in 66–70CE, and the following destruction of the temple as the final end-time battle which would bring about the arrival of the Messiah. 

But, Jesus said, “You know neither the day nor the hour.”

In the years 992-995, Good Friday coincided with the Feast of the Annunciation; which had long been believed to be the event that would bring forth the Antichrist, convinced a lot of people that the end-times would arrive within three years.

But, Jesus said, “You know neither the day nor the hour.”

Martin Luther, the architect of the Protestant Reformation, predicted that the end of the world would occur no later than 1600.

But, Jesus said, “You know neither the day nor the hour.”

In 1986, a man named Leland Jensen predicted that Halley's Comet would be pulled into Earth's orbit and would cause widespread destruction, bringing about the end of the world.

But, Jesus said, “You know neither the day nor the hour.”

And, quite recently, with recent events in mind, some evangelists have speculated that 2028 is the "most likely" year for the beginning of the end of the world.

But, Jesus said, “You know neither the day nor the hour.”

Even with Jesus’ reminder, the recent attack on Israel by Hamas has caused many people to speculate that the end is near. By the way, this is the number one requested sermon topic as of late.  The horrible loss of innocent life mixed with the world threat of climate change has caused many people to start searching their scriptures for clues to the end. 

Climate change is the beginning of this speculation, finding its prediction in Revelation where “the fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch them with fire...”  (Revelation 16:8)

This is important to this “end times” argument because climate change is actually drying up the Euphrates river as the Bible seemingly predicts.  Iraqi officials are predicting the river to be dry by 2040.  The farmer’s anguish and fear along the shores of the Euphrates have caused them to interpret their reality in the words of Revelation 16:12 which says, “The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up in order to prepare the way for the kings from the east.”  Could this be the beginning of the end they wonder?

But, Jesus said, “You know neither the day nor the hour.”

Some think that the attacks on Israel, as predicted in the Bible, have just begun as prophesied in Daniel 11:40, “At the time of the end the king of the south shall attack him. But the king of the north shall rush upon him like a whirlwind, with chariots and horsemen, and with many ships. He shall advance against countries and pass through like a flood.”

But Hamas is not from the north, nor do they have ships.

Could the attack from the north actually be an attack from Russia yet to come?  Check out these words from Ezekiel, “Therefore, mortal, prophesy, and say to Gog: Thus says the Lord God: On that day when my people Israel are living securely, you will rouse yourself and come from your place out of the remotest parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army; you will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the earth. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I display my holiness before their eyes.”  (Ezekiel 38:14-16)

And though the events of recent times, mixed with these biblical prophesies seem tantalizing, Jesus reminds his followers to “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13).

One of the most basic Christian teachings is that we follow Jesus.  We listen to him.   Jesus is Emmanuel, “God with us.”  He was sent to us, to save us, to set us free, and to lead us.  Therefore, we listen to him.  Other teachings we hear from preachers cannot contradict the words of Jesus.  If they do, they cannot be trusted.  And, Jesus clearly says, “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son.”  He reminds us again to, “Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13).

Even Jesus does not know when the end is coming.  So, the tragic attacks in Israel that caused the horrendous loss of innocent lives at the hands of terrorists, and the continued loss of innocent life in Palestine due to the continuing war against these terrorists might really mean that the end is tomorrow, but it could also mean that the end is 2,000 years from now.  In other words, Jesus does not know, and neither do we.  But, the one thing that God is awakening within us through these events, the one thing that Jesus does want from us, is for us to remain awake.

“Keep awake,” Jesus teaches.  He does not want us to be lulled into sleep.  He does not want our lives to be distracted away from the things that actually matter; the things that Jesus cares about.  And, all of this speculation and calculating of the end of the world is a distraction.  It is a distraction.  It can cause people to forget and stop living their Christian lives of love of God and love of neighbor, drawing them to use their resources to build bunkers and stock up on canned goods.  Or, it can cause people to simply give up trying to make a difference in this world.  “Why do anything, it is all just going to end anyway,” they dismiss.  Do not be distracted, Jesus urges.  “Keep awake!”

Jesus hopes and prays that we will not be like the bridesmaids who failed to bring extra oil for their lamps, just in case the bridegroom was running late.  In the story, when the bridegroom was running late, and they could not keep their lamps lit, these bridesmaids were not able to fulfill their role in the wedding celebration.  You see, their role of lamp bearer was more than standing in the wedding hall as some sort of primitive light bulb for the wedding feast.  These bridesmaids were essential in the splendor and ritual of the occasion.  It is almost as if other people were let down because these bridesmaids were not able to stay awake and be ready for the bridegroom to arrive.

Who would be let down if you stopped caring about God and you stopped caring about your neighbor?  Who would deeply hurt you if they stopped caring for you?

“Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13).

After-all, Jesus graciously makes you the light of the world.  “You are the light of the world,” Jesus declares.  “A city built on a hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14).  You are Jesus’ light shining right here and right now.  You are his hands, feet, and heart right here in this corner of the world in which he has placed you.  Do not let your light go out!  Do not let anyone blow it out!  No not fall asleep and forget about who you are.  You are Jesus’ light.

With that said, sometimes our lights do go out.  Sometimes, we are unable to be the light in the world.  Sometimes, we are unable to even get out of bed, and wash the dishes. 

There is little in the world that is as hard as having your light blown out.  Maybe, it was blown out because of exhaustion.  Maybe, it was blown out by someone else who did not want to see you shine.  Maybe, it was blown out because you were depressed.  Or, maybe someone convinced you to hide it under a basket by distracting you from what is truly important in life.

Sometimes our lights do blow out.  Sometimes we do fall asleep.  Even the good bridesmaids in our story fell asleep; they just were prepared in case something happened.

And that makes me wonder, how do you stock up on love and kindheartedness?  How do you fill a flask full of self-giving?  Maybe, it helps to have a savior who continues to pour that love into your soul.  Maybe, it helps to have a savior who would go to the cross for you.  Maybe, it helps to have some divine, self-giving love stored in your flask so that the Lord might pour it all over you head, hands, feet, and heart when you have run low. 

That sort of love, Jesus’ never-ending love, can help us to keep awake.

There is a legend about Martin Luther that I really like.  No one knows if he actually said it, but if he did not, he should have.  According to this legend, when Martin Luther was asked what he would do if he ever found out that tomorrow was the end of the world, his response was, “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree."

Because, whether the end is tomorrow or twenty thousand years from now, it is always good to plant some life and some love.  Even if the end is hours away, it is still worth it to live in the light and walk in the love.  It is always good to promote life until the very end.  Jesus did.  He loved us to the end.  He loved and forgave that thief hanging on the cross next to him in the end.  And Jesus gave us life even beyond the end in his great resurrection. 

May we all keep awake.  May we all continue to plant our apple trees of goodness and love.