Stand Up, Raise Your Heads

Luke 21:25-36

November 29, 201

Starry Night, Vincent Van Gogh, 1889

5

Every time I’m in a bible study

or reflection on any of these apocalyptic

readings that mention all kinds of world

events happening at once that cause

fear and foreboding and stress and confusion

we always say the same thing

“This reading is really appropriate right now”.

So, it might be redundant, 

but I’ll say it again,

“This reading is really appropriate 

right now.”

I mean the list is too long, 

I’m sure I’ll forget something:

Islamic terrorism, Christian terrorism, race relations,

droughts, floods, other natural disasters,

disputes between countries, inside countries.

Huge big world engulfing events,

and small personal, terrible tragedies.

The signs seem to be there.

The reality may be that maybe

the world is always on the brink of destruction.

There has always been one natural or human disaster or another

that make these readings just really appropriate at any time.

Life on this planet can be exhausting.

One option we have I guess,

is to ignore the outside world

forget about geo-political events,

things happening in other cities or countries,

just worry about ourselves,

and our families and our immediate neighbors.

This is actually an option that Christians have taken.

We have the extreme example in the Amish

who don’t engage in the world

and don’t yield to modern conveniences or temptations

  

But other Christian groups have asked the same question

should Christians hold office? should we vote?

should we put ourselves outside the events of the rest of the world?

The logic being that as Christians, we know

that we are not of this world, that

Our kingdom is God’s kingdom and no matter what happens,

we’re just called to live our lives and

pass through here as unaffected observers.

We see this lived out popularly today in churches

who mostly focus on self-improvement and

personal prosperity, home, family and personal happiness.

No matter what’s going on in the world, just keep

my family safe and protected and I will keep

the joy of Christ in your heart and a smile on your face.

These are very popular these days.

It’s kind of the mega-church way of being.

I actually understand where that’s coming from,

But I don’t think that view is completely genuine to who Jesus was.

Another option that people have taken

is to be hyper-aware.

To watch for every sign, every political

and world event is a sign

of God’s judgment and displeasure

Every day feels like it’s closer to the end

every sermon is a tale of caution,

and is there to assign blame and inspire

 fear and dread in the hearer.

This group engages in politics for a particular

idealistic religious outcome, some even hoping that

more destruction and pain will somehow bring

Christ’s return faster.

Pat Robertson and that man and woman

who come on TV late at night and talk about

their take on news events in the world

take this view of world events.

I can possibly understand where this comes from too,

but I don’t think this is completely genuine to

what Jesus tells us to do.

In the Gospel for today, Jesus tells us to

Be alert at all times,

Not to bury our head in the sand

and avoid the world.

And that makes sense.

Jesus became incarnate in our world

Jesus became human to be with us

to live with us and suffer the same things we do.

He was not just an unaffected observer

the world who kept to himself and his family

and avoided political or world events.

But he didn’t just watch and say,

Look out, that’s not good, this is the end of the world here.

He got involved, he commented on the political systems,

he preached about the religious systems,

he went around the systems and through the systems

started his own system of forgiveness and love

and eventually was a victim of the systems of this world.

So, I think we’re supposed to engage,

as much as Jesus did, not just as casual observers,

or hyper vigilant worriers

We’re supposed to notice the signs,

look at the world with a critical eye,

look through even terrible events and 

see God’s presence and work all around us.

But when we see these events,

the signs in the stars and moons and

the roaring of the seas and the distress in the nations,

as terrible as they might be,

we’re told to “stand up and raise our heads

because our redemption is drawing near.”

In other words, we’re not supposed to

face these things with fear and hysteria,

but with confidence, always knowing that

whatever happens, God is with us.

God will be with us. God will not leave us.

As we watch the world on the brink of destruction every day,

Jesus wants us to “stand up straight and raise our heads”

Jesus doesn’t want us to forget what we’ve

learned, what we believe, and what we value.

Jesus doesn’t want us to let fear dictate our words and actions.

“Do not be afraid” Jesus says this more times

than anything else in the scriptures.

Because he knows how strong fear can be.

He knows how fear can change people

how it can make us react instead of act,

how it can make us do things we wouldn’t

normally do and we’re not proud of later.

Over the last couple of weeks, in response to the

terrorist activity in Paris, many American

governors in the US announced that they would not be

accepting refugees into their states.

Just four days after the attacks in Paris,

Ohio passed a resolution not to accept Syrian refugees.

Senators voted to add extra red tape

to the process of refugees from Syria resettling in the US

almost ensuring that they would not be able to get it.

We already were only allowing a small number of

immigrants and refugees to come into our country.

The number has been dramatically reduced  since the fear of 9-11.

These resolutions would make it almost impossible

for refugees -  people escaping wars and destruction - to settle here.

And the governors and senators were just reacting

to the initial fear of the American people because

a majority of Americans polled said they would want

to restrict the number of refugees coming into the country.

All because of our fear.

Most pastors and religious leaders have been

disturbed by this series of reactions, and rightfully so I think.

Because it’s not just about refugees and people in need,

There are lots of injustices in the world to be riled up about -

This is about ourselves, selling our values and our souls out to fear.

We are Americans,

a country of immigrants and refugees.

All of our ancestors -- unless we’re Native Americans,

at one time, left bad situations in our home countries

and came to the United States hoping for a better life.

We’ve proudly quoted the poem that’s quoted

on the side of the Statue of liberty:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

Can we only quote this ironically now?

And most of this country, and definitely most of the

people who have been elected into

the house and senate and governors are Christian.

A religion that outlines again and again for us,

Welcome the alien and the stranger,

For you were once aliens in the land of Egypt.

I was a stranger and you welcomed me,

show hospitality to strangers.

Are we only supposed to live by those values

when things are going perfectly well?

or are we supposed to live by our values

in difficult and scary times too?

We are nestled right now between two holidays

Thanksgiving and Christmas.

On Thanksgiving we celebrate

the refugees who came to America

from European countries and were welcomed

by those Native to this country.

And on Christmas, we watch as

a middle eastern family shuttles around without a home,

dragged around by government bureaucracy,

and has to have their first child in a cave with animals.

And then we watch as they take their

little child and run off to Egypt to escape

a crazed power-hungry leader

who doesn’t care who he kills in the process.

That little child grew up to be the savior of the world.

And our savior tell us, “Hold your head up.”

Do not let your fear dictate your values.

Just remember when you see these things,

“Your redeemer is near” God is always with us.

That’s why we can be both incarnate in the world

and observers of the world.

Not hysterical at every passing event,

but staying true to what Jesus has taught

and what God has created us to be.

Our theme for Advent is “Get Ready”

we get ready for Christmas with lists

and recipes and plans,

but Getting Ready for the coming of Jesus is simpler.

Getting ready for the coming of Jesus

means a constantly remind ourselves

what we already know:

That we are all sisters and brothers

That we are all children, loved,  blessed, and forgiven by God.
It means reminding ourselves over and over again

what we value and hold true.

And remembering

that no matter what happens in this world,

that God is always with us.