As human beings we seem to have always been
impressed by successful people, large incomes and large and beautiful
buildings. We read in Mark 13:1-8, that as Jesus and his disciples exited the
temple, one of them looked back, and impressed, said, “look, what large stones
and what large buildings!” Jesus, not so impressed, replied, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be
left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” Later, as Jesus and his
crew were sitting around on the Mount of Olives, Peter, James and John asked
Jesus, “when will this happen?” Jesus cautioned them to be very careful about
predicting the end. “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be
alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will
rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in
various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the
birthpangs.” Good advice to which we should pay attention, even in our
day.
Jesus is not prophesying so much
as describing the world as it is. Then he calls the disciples, calls us, to
look not at the world as it is, but as it can be: to look for the beginning,
not the end, to look for birth not death. There are many examples of death and
destruction in our day, always have been, always will be: the attacks of
September 11, 2001, Hurricanes Harvey and Maria, the current wild fires in
California, unending wars in the Middle East, political murders and politics in
the USA and around the world, just to
name a few. These rightly cause us despair and could even lead us to believe that
the end is near. BUT, Jesus says, “not yet! I have a better plan, and guess
what, you are that plan!”
The Prophet Joel (2:1-3, 12-17) proclaims
on behalf of the Lord, “Your young me and women will dream dreams and your old
men and women will have visions.” Like the ancient Hebrews, we are called to
share in God’s dreams and visions for the world as it can be. Then God sends us
to work: to pray without ceasing, to love our neighbors as ourselves, to
welcome the stranger, to do unto others as we would have them do to us, to”
feed the hungry, cloth the naked, bring release to the captives and proclaim
the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19) In this we become co-creators
with God in bringing about God’s Kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven.”
In another time of trials and
tribulation in the world, John the Divine wrote words of comfort and hope to the
Christians in what we now call the Book of Revelation (21:1-5). “Then I saw a new heaven and a
new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the
sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down
out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I
heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is
among mortals. He
will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be
with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and
pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.’
And the one who was
seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’
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