When we woke up this morning, many of us stepped into
a world of expectations. This was not a conscious decision; it's just where we
live, in a land where life is so good we have the luxury of taking many things
for granted. The air conditioning stayed on, so we could awake to a comfortable
room temperature; and if it was dark when we awoke, we reached for a light
switch, so the invisible dangers could be revealed. Then we walked into a room
with running water inside the house. On a Sunday some of you will be even
listening to my voice over the sound system you expected and hoped to work so
you could hear me when I turned the switch on. However this Sunday will be
different in that we are in Melbourne but the expectations are still there.
So many things we expect in life we just take for
granted until something doesn't work. The alarm doesn't go off. It's hot in the
house. The light switch is non-responsive. We panic for a minute. We get
frustrated. Then we think, "This is not how my day is supposed to be. My
life is supposed to play out in such a way that I have all that I need to be
comfortable. However, this morning, somebody or something flipped the script.
And now I have no power when I'm supposed to have power."
Most of the rest of our world plays out a very
different script; a minor power outage is disappointing. Outside of our country
or outside of our neighbourhood there are problems and concerns many of us
can't even begin to comprehend. There are illnesses that can't be treated,
people dying in need of food, political and civil unrest, and overt
exploitation and abuse of humanity and nature. A power outage in most of the
world is a good day. Yet many of us see the discomfort and shock of power
outages in this country, natural disasters like hurricanes and weather-pattern
changes, wars in places where wars have been waged since the beginning of
recorded history, and some of us interpret these events as "the sign of
the times."
Where we live, 'be alert' became more a catch-cry in
the 'war against terror' or a tool in the weaponry of road-safety campaigners,
than an issue of spiritual 'safety'. What kinds of spheres do we need to be
alert in where we live? What do we expect our world to be like in such an
environment? One field in which we certainly need to remain spiritually alert
and informed about our expectations is in the face of the multitudinous cranks
out there, peddling extremist, fundamentalist versions of what Jesus is on
about.
Not just in what we consider 'extremist' churches, but
within mainline ones these days. The recent debates and news about abuse issues
and about same gender acknowledgement are some examples. It can happen!
It doesn’t just happen out there
somewhere but can happen right here amongst one’s own community. How
can we live in our time and God's time at the same time, in the world and in
the church as Christ's Body, and do it free from fear? 'Perfect love casts out
fear' says John. Persecution of Christians these days in some of our societies
is just as likely to come from fundamentalist protestant or catholic factions
within churches more than from outside.
Those out there in the wide margins can still
persecute and the possibility is growing within in some quarters. The places
where misguided people try to draw in church margins tightly round fellow
Christians. Isn't it ironic that that's the way Jesus' warnings may be
fulfilled today? That Jesus speaks of wars, earthquakes, and famines, as 'the
beginning of birth-pangs' could be a helpful way of exploring the pains that
our world still - as always - labours under. We have become very comfortable
with the expectation that all will remain the same or get better. I really
wonder where our focus might be. Is it in the expectation of all the comforts
being there and available all the time?
On the other hand, is it on where God calls us to be
and is it on the most important thing of God’s great love for us.
What do we really have to bear to bring something worthwhile to birth? Have we
even thought about it? Have we thought about what it is we are meant to be
doing here and now? As
distinct from theological philosophising, what practical and constructive steps
must we take to 'endure to the end'? I will leave you with some more questions
to ponder over the next weeks before our focus is taken to shops and parties
and gifts and all the other trappings of our western Christmas lifestyle.
Are we as Christians or even those outside the faith
listening for what we say and working out how we act in love as we face those
whom we meet day to day? And what is this end that Jesus talks about? Whom, is
the end for and is it important? Is the Christian call to be working to enable
God’s
kingdom to be here and now in his love the most important thing? Is this
scripture passage too close to the bone?
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