My Sermon from Sunday, November 14, 2016 - preached at Svea Lutheran Church.
Grace and Peace to you from God our Creator, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ, Amen
"Where is the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? They have passed like rain on the mountains, like wind in the meadow. The days have gone down in the West, behind the hills... into Shadow. How did it come to this…"
King Theoden of Rohan in JRR Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings – saw the incoming masses of enemies at his doorstep. His world, as he knew it, was soon to be over. There was no hope for rescue, and he was fighting his battle with little resources. His time was up. He would fight his battle as long as he could, but with no help in sight, his prospects were low.
There are times in life, when whatever is going on in the world, or our own world – comes to a halt. When life just stops. We hear the news – a lost job prospect, a terrible grade in school, a partner no longer wants to be our partner, a death of a loved one. Our whole world stops. We start asking the questions of why, how, when… without ever hearing the answer. We feel numb to the world, and it takes a while for us to feel better again.
Grief is powerful thing, and I don’t think it truly ever goes away. When our world comes crashing down at our feet, it might as well be the end of the rest of the world too.
Our Gospel lesson this morning leads one to really question the meaning of Gospel. Gospel. Good News… At first blink, this gospel lesson is anything but Good News… The world will end. Nations will rise against each other, earthquakes, famine, plagues – not to mention that everyone will hate you. The world will end, and by the way, no one will be looking to you for help, because everyone will hate you. Gee, thanks Jesus…
This past Tuesday, the world did seem to end for some folks. The candidate no news agency picked to win – actually won. For some, this impossible possibility truly means darkness, as they may face terrible repercussions because of the decisions, or indecisions of the American people. Even if some milestones were not attained, others were. When they begin their session in January, the United States Congress will have a record number of women serving. For the first time in the United States, a Somali-American will serve as a legislator, and she will be serving right here in the Minnesota House.
And, after the seemingly very long slog until election day, with every day bringing more news as to what someone said or someone did – it’s still not over. Even after all of those promises made during the campaign, it seems not so many of those promises will be fulfilled. And, maybe that happens with every campaign. Every person who runs for office promises the moon, and finds out the moon isn’t for sale.
No one knows what the future may bring, so we hold onto hope that life in this country will be great for people, no matter who they are. For those that may not have such a great outlook, we fight for them, advocate for them, and be as Christ for them.
For Christ is our light in the darkness. Even if he foretold darkness when the world does begin to end, Christ is the light in that darkness. This Sunday, traditionally, is the beginning of Advent. Yes, that’s right, Advent used to be longer than 4 Sundays. I guess they figured 6 candles couldn’t fit on an Advent wreath. Because Advent mirrors Lent, Advent is still 40 days in the Greek church, and purple is still the color for Advent in some traditions, including Catholicism. This time of year, Advent or not, the northern hemisphere experiences a decrease in light. Up here in Minnesota, the sun is setting almost before 5 these days. People begin to start suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, when there’s not enough light in their day. For hundreds of years, people from many traditions have celebrated light this time of year, while hoping for its return. Advent and Christmas are marked with light, with the Christmas trees and everyone’s houses being filled with lights.
When faced with darkness, we have an urge to find the light, in that darkness. We fill our dark nights with light. When out of the light, we look up to see the crisp light above us in the twinkling of stars. I don’t know about you, but even if it’s cloudy out, I love the winter reality of a cloudy night in a city – when the sky above the city glows orange, with the light reflecting off the clouds above.
In the realities that we are faced with, when darkness surrounds us, we must seek out the light, fight for the light, and bring the light to those in need.
Today’s lessons seem mismatched, with ending on the Gospel as we do. Our first lesson and Psalm sing praises to God, of New Creation and celebrations. Then Jesus tells us the world is ending and everyone will hate us. And yet, out of darkness comes light. We know this, for this is our Christian hope. Our Christian identity is rooted in knowing that darkness can be, and was conquered by a man with humble beginnings, born on a dark night, in a bed of hay. This man grew up, taught, preached, healed, and fed those who lived in darkness, to show them the light. Jesus the Christ became a beacon of hope for people, a light in the encroaching darkness of their reality, and a savior to the world. For Jesus faced the ultimate darkness of death, and rose again in a shower of light. Jesus the Christ died for you, for me, for us all, and saves us from our darkness of sin and death to be with him in the light. Jesus the Christ conquers our darkness, and shows us the light. By the undeniable, unwinnable Grace, Love and Mercy bestowed on us all by God, we are saved from our darkness, no matter what mortal darkness we face.
King Theoden looked upon the sea of enemies, and knew his time was due. There was no hope. Then, with the rising of the sun, hope came. A wizard and reinforcements came to save King Theoden and his people, just when all hope was lost. The author of The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and many other authors throughout history have used this powerful image of light over darkness. It is a prevalent narrative in our understanding of the world, and still, it’s hard to hear it some days.
We know the light will conquer the darkness. You didn’t need to hear an entire sermon of me giving you metaphors of how darkness is conquered by the light, but at the same time, maybe you did. Jesus paints a very bleak picture in this gospel. Our world has given us plenty of bleak pictures to look at. No matter which side anybody was on, Tuesday’s election that seemed to never come, with an election cycle that seemed to never end – whatever side anybody was on, there were plenty of bleak pictures to be had. Each of us can watch the news, see the signs of what could happen given whatever reasons, and we can come up with our own conclusions. This idea of light conquering the darkness is very hard to hear some days. We have the worst day of our lives, when our worlds come crashing down – and someone telling you to look on the bright side?
Maybe the bright side is too much to handle right now, and that’s okay. God will be there, in the darkness with you. When the darkness gets too much to handle, the light will be there. Fight for it. Bring the light to those in need, and be there for people. When facing darkness, we all need light, even if it’s only a glimpse. Find that light. Be that light.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment