Rev. Cari Pattison
Woodstock Reformed Church
Nov. 13, 2022
“Holding Fast Amid the Fear” – New Member Sunday
Worship welcome words
In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak.
The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, who will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Luke 21:5-19
5When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, 6"As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down."
7They asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?" 8And he said, "Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is near!' Do not go after them.
9"When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately." 10Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
12"But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 13This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; 15for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 16You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17You will be hated by all because of my name. 18But not a hair of your head will perish. 19By your endurance you will gain your souls.
***
Well, we’re nearing the end of Luke’s Gospel, and welcome to the end of the world.
It’s a troubling, and even scary passage for me, so I had to go looking for at least a little apocalyptic levity to take the edge off:
Here’s one-
People are making end-of-the-world jokes, like there’s no tomorrow.
Roger Zelazny once said, “Don’t wake me for the end of the world unless it has excellent special effects.”
And Mark Twain once quipped, “When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Kentucky. They're always 20 years behind everything.”
***
It’s week 2 in our sermon series: “A World of Impermanence,” and today’s message is “Holding Fast Amid the Fear.”
Maybe you are in fear, this very moment.
You have no idea what to hold fast to, or how.
Maybe you fear all of it- winter, being alone, getting older, the death of your loved ones. Maybe you secretly fear there is no God, and that the world is going under- environmentally, politically, morally.
***
Think of all the times the end of the world has been predicted, whether you recall Nostradamus and his ancient prophecies, or more recently, Y2K.
One of the earliest recorded accounts of an end-times prediction, comes 2800 BC – on an Assyrian clay tablet that bears the inscription: “Our Earth is degenerate in these later days; there are signs that the world is speedily coming to an end; bribery and corruption are common; children no longer obey their parents; every man wants to write a book and the end of the world is evidently approaching.”
Kids talking back to their parents? Everybody thinking they can self-publish? Watch out.
And yet here we are, nearly 5000 years later.
***
This passage from Luke is what’s known as apocalyptic literature- which we often equate with talk about the end of the world. But the word “apocalypse” literally means “to reveal.”
So what’s being revealed here?
Local writer Neil Gaiman, maker of fantasy books and movies, says, “I sat in the dark once and thought: There’s no big apocalypse. Just an endless procession of little ones.”
That rings true for me, when I think about what it’s like to be human on this earth.
An endless procession of little crises, interspersed with some big ones.
Jesus calls us here to not fall away, but how do we do that? How do we hold fast to what matters most?
***
Let’s look closer at this passage.
They’re standing in the Temple- a splendid structure built by King Herod- and some in Jesus’ company start talking about the beautiful stones and dedicated gifts. But Jesus says, “Yeah it’s nice. But it’s all about to be destroyed.”
For Jesus to say this to his disciples, would be as awful for his audience to imagine, as if Jesus told us today- the Statue of Liberty’s about to crumble. But even moreso here, because the Temple stood for a thousand years of God’s dealings with Israel.
I think about the passing nature of human structures, every time I walk up toward Overlook Hotel. It’s just ruins now. Beautiful, but no longer anything that it was designed for. Stairways that go to nowhere. A fireplace that warms no one. A ballroom void of dancing.
Jesus continues:
When you hear of wars and insurrections- like we still do right now- don’t be afraid. For this is not quite the end.
Nation rising against nation, kingdom against kingdom-
Earthquakes, famines, plagues- when have we been without these?
Then Jesus makes it personal-
“It won’t just be disasters out there,” he warns. “You too are likely to be arrested and persecuted and handed over to prison, brought before kings and governors because of their faith.”
***
This soon became a reality, for the early Christians. And yet- against all odds- the church grew.
Tertullian famously said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
It’s hard for us to even imagine this level of religious persecution, but it still goes on all over the world, and not just for Christians.
In our American life, we may not be cast out or put in jail for believing in Jesus, but I’m guessing most of us know the feeling of the weird looks people might give, when you say you’re going to church. The kind of skepticism many have- especially in the northeast- when you say you practice Christian faith.
And some of you know first-hand, what it is to feel betrayed by family and friends, as Jesus describes. Whether due to your spirituality, identity, or life choices, maybe you know what it is to feel ostracized, or cut off from those you love.
Maybe you were betrayed for no other reason except that the parent or partner or friend had so much internal trauma, they unleashed it on you.
I hear Jesus’ words here as a way of saying, “I see you. I see what happened, and I know it’s unfair.”
But Jesus says he will give us the words to bear witness to our story, and then he assures us, “Not a hair of your head will perish?”
For first-century Christians, if you’re thrown to the lions and killed for your faith, that sounds to me like a lot of hairs on your head will be harmed.
But I think it’s like Jesus saying, “You’re going to suffer, more than you know- but the ultimate core of you can’t be touched.”
***
One of my favorite authors on the planet, who happens to live up the street, is Abigail Thomas. She does not consider herself religious, and she once asked me about being a Christian, especially why I became a pastor- and what it’s really like to have belief.
I didn’t really have the words. It can be embarrassing at times, even for a pastor, to talk about God.
"But there's something about you," she said, "I noticed it when you came in. Like you're going to be okay no matter what."
I think that's what she said. And I keep thinking about it.
The irony is this: I so rarely feel like this contented, everything's-okay, Christian person. Every day I'm grasping for new scaffolding to build my heart back.
But deep down, if I were dying or the world was ending or everyone I love was leaving, she's right- in some ultimate way, I know I'd be okay.
That's not a statement of special knowledge or revelation. I don't see it as a point of pride or a prophecy of heaven.
It’s just a reality I believe that God extends to everyone- that grace and forgiveness and healing and resurrection. That life force. That Love.
I can't remember a day when I didn't trust that beneath it all- even the wars and disease and earthquakes and my own ravaged heart- Jesus was there. Holding everything up. Holding me.
***
Jesus ends with this:
“By your endurance, you will gain your souls”
I want leave you with three suggestions, for how we might endure, as people of faith-
***
Amy Henegar: Give thanks even for imperfect gifts. Give thanks even- and especially- when you don’t feel like it. Give thanks for the good in your life, even when you see all the bad around you.
We do a gratitude practice this month together online, because gratitude is contagious. It’s recognizing the gifts we’ve been given, and becoming more fully alive.
Geneen Roth says, when you can’t muster up this whole attitude of gratitude, try asking yourself this: “What’s not wrong right now?” Gratitude begins to serve as scaffolding (Mirabai), and a repurposing of what’s broken (Golden Notebook).
Jesus elsewhere asks, “What does it profit a person, if they gain the whole world, but lose their soul?”
Jesus says here that if we endure in the Lord, we gain our soul back. We gain our sense of grounding and peace. Our sense of deepest love and connection.
There are times when most of us will ask ourselves this terrifying question- Or do I want to call it quits? Or do I want to keep going? When we are barely hanging on by a thread.
It takes unbelievable courage, in such a moment, to ask for help. To find one small thing that keeps you alive. It’s worth asking yourself every day, the question posed by Barbara Brown Taylor, “What’s saving your life right now?” Sometimes I ask this before I go to bed at night.
Friends, I have faith in God, and I also have faith in the suicide hotline I called a couple years back. I have hope in Christ, but I also have hope in the therapy and yoga class and local healers who have helped me. I believe in the Holy Spirit, but I also believe in sending friends and family texts for prayer and support, when a fresh loss leaves me gutted.
Enduring in life takes courage, and we don’t do it alone. Which brings me to the 3rd point…
We are imperfect, but we are here, and we’re still going strong. Woodstock Reformed Church is an enduring faith community! Since 1799.
You don’t know if you don’t try. And here’s a tip- if you’re worried about bothering people or being indebted to them or whatever, then you take initiative first! Offer a small kindness or encouragement or favor to someone in this church you’re getting to know- and you’ll feel that much more comfortable asking for a favor in return, later on.
What if you chose one person in our church this week, and committed to pray for them? And see if they have a specific need you can meet- an errand to run, an item to fix, a ride to receive. If you need an idea of whom or what, ask me. Ask Annie.
This is how we help each other endure. How can you build them up this week, even in a call or text? While you’re waiting to be reached out to and welcomed into the fold, why not take the first step? Maybe the other people around you are waiting to be reached out to, too.
This is what membership is about. Keep showing up, not just for what you can get out of it, but for what you can give to it. Hosting a coffee hour, visiting seniors, giving a ride to refugees.
I loved what one of our new members said- “I’m joining this church because it feels like a good place to put my soul; and for me, practicing faith means seeking to give more than I get.”
I love that!
Jesus also says he will give you “words and a wisdom” to witness- that is, God will give you everything you need to tell your story. That’s part of why we do “moment for faith sharing” here.
So many of you have shared incredible stories with me, about God has met you in your hour of need. A few of you have even endured near-death experiences, and come away to tell.
Enduring in community together, we get to hear these stories, read each other’s gratitudes, and be inspired by each other’s courage. I love hearing about how you’re helping each other, reaching out to each other, taking care of each other: whether it’s after-church lunches, bringing food, paying a visit, or committing to the prayer chain.
This is an apocalyptic passage today- which means “to reveal.” May it be true of us, that what’s revealed is our endurance.
Our endurance in gratitude, courage, and community.
***
Author Margaret Atwood once said, “It’s the end of the world every day, for someone.”
Who is that someone in your life right now?
That end of the world moment came in 1932 for gospel and blues musician Thomas Dorsey. Born in rural Georgia, Dorsey supported his family by playing in churches and clubs and theaters. One August day, Dorsey left his pregnant wife in Chicago and traveled to be the featured soloist at a large revival meeting in St. Louis.
After the first night of the revival, Dorsey received a telegram that simply said, “Your wife just died.” He raced home and learned that his wife had given birth to a son, before dying in childbirth. The next day, his son died as well.
Dorsey buried his wife and son in the same casket and withdrew in sorrow and agony from his family and friends. He refused to compose or play any music for months.
While still in the midst of despair, Dorsey said that as he sat in front of a piano, a feeling of peace washed through him. He heard a melody in his head that he had never heard before, and began to play it on the piano. That night, Dorsey recorded this song:
“Precious Lord, take my hand. Lead me on, let me stand. I am tired, I am weak, I am worn. Through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light; take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.”
(nod at Krista, as a cue to start the song)
***
New member class- tell the garden story- we are growing alongside each other- different seeds, different points in our journey, bearing a harvest to feed the world
Genie Tartell- no patient of mine suffers in silence