By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, RectorThe Gospel of Luke describes disturbing realities that Jesus tells his disciples will take place. From the destruction of the temple to wars, plagues and persecutions, it is a fearsome litany of pain and misery. And yet in the midst of that list, even the part that includes their death, Jesus says , "But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls."
Scholars estimate that the Gospel of Luke was written at the end of the first century AD. This estimation comes from different forms of literary criticism and comparing the several Gospels that we have. Taking that estimate, the writer of Luke may have accounts of Jesus predicting the destruction of the temple, or the writer may have woven these predictions into Jesus' speech as a way of addressing the issues faced by Christians in the later part of the first century. By that time, Christians were in fact being persecuted and killed. There were wars and plagues as the period known as Pax Romana (the Roman Peace) was coming unglued. And the temple had already been destroyed in the year 67AD by the Romans who were punishing the Israelites for a rebellion.
Christians had been expecting the second coming of Jesus during their lifetime and looked to these catastrophic events as signals and were disappointed each time and for some it was cause to doubt that Jesus was in fact coming at all.
Luke employed a well known form of writing at the time called Apocalyptic to address these matters. Writers throughout the Old Testament had used this literary form to make points and so do the Gospel writers. They describe end times in bleak, horrific ways. The purpose is to encourage believers that God will come when things seem to be at their worst. We've all heard a phrase similar to, "Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse..." , something worse happens." Apocalyptic writers described in detail the things that would get worse before the end. And somehow it always seemed worse than what was being experienced.
Yet, no matter what happened, or was predicted would happen, there was always the assurance that God would be there n the midst of the suffering to help the believer through, even if the suffering included death. "Not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls."
There are a lot of ways we can read into this Gospel lesson. We can look at it in relations the trials and tribulations of the early Christians who watched their beloved temple torn down, and indeed heard rumors of war and plague. Those who suffered persecution and needed reassurance that they had not been abandoned by God at their time of pain and need.
We can measure this story against the times in human history since that people have predicted the end times up to and including some who thought the end was coming when we entered this new millennium. Cries of Y2K (remember that one?) echoed larger fears that our technological infrastructure would come crashing down and paralyze the planet which has become so dependant on this machinery. I remember that night of December 31, 1999 staying up and listening to commentators interviewing many people, some fearful, others hopeful that the end was coming. Well, at one minute past midnight when it became apparent that all the fuss was unnecessary some were relived and others disappointed in the smoothness of the transition.
The rector of my parents' church in Rhode Island had been preaching the end of the world and the coming of Jesus at the millennium with such fervor that she advised them to store food and water in advance of the disaster sure to come. She in fact resigned and moved with her family to upstate New York to wait for Jesus. What she was doing in the Episcopal Church I have no idea.
It was a confusing time for people of faith, especially those whose literal faith told them to expect the worst that never materialized. And here I'm not only speaking of people whose faith was in God, but those whose faith is in other gods such as computers and technology.
We pay people to think up worst case scenarios and solve them in advance. Often they are woefully inadequate in their expectation and their response. 911, Hurricane Katrina and the current war are examples of disasters in a scope no one predicted or was prepared for.
Yet the point of the Gospel lesson is that no matter what the trial that occurs, no matter how bad it may get, hope survives and life continues. God lives and so does the human family. Even those who have died do so in the loving care of God who does not lose anyone. What a comfort it is to hear the words, "Not a hair of your head will perish." In pain, we are God's beloved. In dire circumstance we are God's beloved. In death we are God's beloved.
Another dimension of the Gospel lesson reaches out to us in personal ways. Regardless of what else happens in the world, we each have our own worlds in which we live and move and have our being. Our family, our friends, our work, our neighborhoods. None of us know or can predict what may or may not happen. Each of us can, however, recall times when our lives as we knew them were threatened or in fact ended. Loved ones die, jobs are lost, illness occurs, homes are lost or devastated. I have yet to talk to anyone who can't think of something readily they would have done differently if they know their actions would have caused or precipitated negative consequences.
Yet, no matter what has happened, or in fact what may happen in the future, God's love will be there to sustain us, heal us and lead us beyond whatever trials may befall. Jesus told his disciples that they would be arrested and accused of horrible things and brought before kings and governors to be persecuted. This was a time to testify to God's goodness, not a time to worry or worse, give up hope. He said, "By your endurance you will save your souls."
Sometimes we see people who look as though the weight of the world is on their shoulders and the hard knocks that life has given them has taken the light out of their eyes. They are broken and beaten down. They have in one sense lost their souls. It is true that those whose faith stays with them survive even the worst tragedy. In this sense they gain their souls.
I read a lot of books on healing and faith and once in a while will come across a study done where it's demonstrated that a significant percentage of people in hospital suffering chronic illness, or recuperating from injury or surgery will have a higher rate of successful recovery if they have faith, pray or believe in a higher power that will sustain them. These studies transcend all faiths and to me point out the power of God who also transcends all faiths and the need each of us have in cultivating a significant faith and spirituality.
These lessons of "end times" are part of the lectionary cycle as this liturgical year ends. Whether the Old or New Testament, the readings point our attention to the coming of God into the world. The season of Advent begins in two weeks and brings that anticipation even closer in the expectation of the birth of God among us in the form of Jesus. But at this time in the year, at this time in our lives and in this time in history, God is here among us and God does come among us in times of need and regardless of what happens we are loved by God who tells us in so many ways that "not a hair of your head will perish and by your endurance you will gain your souls." Amen.
© 2007 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ
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