Be with us, O Lord, for if you are with us nothing else matters, and if you are not with us, nothing else matters. Amen.
Things fall apart – it’s one of the truths of the natural world. As many are currently experiencing in one way or another, our bodies degrade over time. Maybe it’s an achy joint or a memory that isn’t quite as sharp as it used to be, our bodies fail. Relationships also fall apart – sometimes a friend moves away, differences become irreconcilable, or we end up so busy that we can’t keep up with all of our connections. Throughout our lives, our sense of who we are can also fall apart. Sometimes the death of a family member precipitates a change in our identity, or maybe it’s hitting a milestone birthday, or becoming an empty-nester. Whatever the cause, our carefully constructed sense of self is upended by the realities of life.
And then there’s the election – some voters report that it seems like the country is falling apart, so they voted for the person who they thought would fix things. Others say that the results of the election make it seem like civility and morality have been eroded and that our democracy is crumbling.
It’s disconcerting to have things falling apart all around us. That’s the mood the disciples were likely experiencing after Jesus said that the temple in Jerusalem will be thrown down and fall apart. The temple was an incredibly impressive and massive structure, so the thought that it could ever fall would be shocking. But it did fall apart. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, just a tiny section of one wall remains. Even good and beautiful things like the temple fall apart; all things are passing away.
So how do we endure in a world of decay? This is the question that the author of Hebrews is contending with. On this side of Easter, after the Resurrection of Jesus, why do sin and evil not only still exist, but why do they even seem to be winning? That’s one of the questions that people of faith struggle with the most and, according to surveys, it’s the thing that makes people choose agnosticism or Atheism. Put simply, if God is on the throne, why are tyrants allowed to sit on earthly thrones, why does cancer strike people down in the prime of their lives, why does bullying seem to get us further than kindness?
The response that Hebrews is working towards is that Christ’s redemption, which comes through the Cross, meets our brokenness and his love is making all things new. In other words, Christianity’s solution to suffering and evil isn’t to prevent it, but to redeem it. God’s power is manifest in being with us, not in making all of our problems go away. It’s the same response that Jesus offers the disciples when they ask him, “When will this happen; when will the temple fall apart?”
Jesus doesn’t answer them because they would have taken a direct answer and tried to control the situation. They’d waste a lot of time trying to prevent the unpreventable. They’d become myopic and closed-minded about everything other than the preservation of the temple. They’d live in fear and anxiety as destruction approaches. I’d also like to know “when” for a lot of things. When will enough pledges come in so that I can stop worrying about the parish budget? When will the wars in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan stop? When will we get back to having a political system that is respectful and functional? But Jesus doesn’t tell us when, instead he cautions us to “beware.”
Jesus knows that the anxiety and uncertainty that go along with things falling apart easily lead to our destruction as well. None of us make our best decisions when we are stressed or on edge. So it doesn’t matter when the trials come, when the phone call we never want to receive comes in, or when someone tells us “We need to talk,” rather what matters is that we are on guard against those who deceive us into simple solutions to complex problems and who tempt us with taking the easy way out. Jesus warns against people who will come in his name and lead many astray – in our context, this is known as Christian Nationalism. Beware of wars and rumors of wars; in other words, watch out for scapegoating where we blame others for our problems or the lie that violence is ever a viable solution.
The way we endure and persist in the midst of struggles and decline is not to buy something that promises to be the quick-fix, not to follow someone who claims to have all of the answers, not to ignore the hard work that is before us. These temptations are real and such snake-oil salesmen are all around us as opportunists who prey on our insecurities and vulnerabilities. Sometimes these deceivers are politicians, sometimes a new technology, sometimes celebrities, sometimes clergy. Any response that does not involve the hard and persistent work of love is the wrong answer. This is why Jesus tells us that things falling apart are the beginning of the birthpangs, meaning there is more pain to come, but there will also be new life. Anyone who distorts that reality and offers a path forward without pain is a false messiah. Love is the the way. As Hebrews reminds us, our salvation comes through Jesus’ own sacrifice and death.
So the question remains, not how do we solve all of these problems and avoid pain, but how do we endure and wait upon the Lord to come? In the reading from Hebrews, there are three “Let us” statements. Think of it like a salad, three “let us”es.
The first is “Let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith with our hearts sparkled clean.” In other words, hold onto the gift of Grace. It is the foundation of everything that the Church stands for and does – the undeserved, unmerited, unconditional love of God for us despite the fact that we are who we are and we do what we do. You belong, you are accepted, and you are loved as you are. God is not waiting on you to clean up your act before blessing you. You would not be loved more if you made more money, gave more money, lost a few pounds, came to church more often, cussed less, or anything else. You are enough.
This is how people exploit us – advertisers, politicians, and influencers use our fears of scarcity, insufficiency, and shame to manipulate us. You are enough and our community has enough to make sure everyone has enough. This is the first thing we do to endure things falling apart, we hold onto the gracious love of God which is given in plenty.
The next “let us” is “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering.” The world and those who would lead us astray have a way of gaslighting us – making us question things that we know are true. From the very beginning, this is how deception works. The serpent said to Eve, “Did God really tell you not to eat from that tree?” One of the ways that we are tempted and weakened in the midst of decay and challenge is to compromise. We compromise on our values, we convince ourselves that we’re doing the lesser of two evils, we settle for less than what God’s call us towards.
Give some thought to what you are hoping for, waiting for, and longing for. Because false messiahs will come in and tell us that what we’re hoping for isn’t reasonable, so we should settle for what they have to offer. It’s the question of discernment – how do we know if something is of God or not? False messiahs try to convince us that what they have to offer us is holy, but it’s really just full of holes.
Through the prophet Amos, God has told us that the vision is that justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. So let us not settle for a trickle or a stagnant pond. Let us not be satisfied with a community that celebrates Juneteenth but has rampant inequality in housing, education, employment, and income along racial lines. Let us not be content with a church that uses the name of Jesus in worship but then ignores him among the least of these in our society. Let us not accept the avoidance of hard conversations and true apologies in favor of remaining comfortable and maintaining a façade of politeness. Let us not sell out our hopes for something less than the Gospel promise that Jesus is making all things well.
The final “let us” is “Let us provoke one another to love and good deeds.” Hebrews notes that this is done, primarily, by meeting together and not neglecting the community. The word “provoke” can also be translated as “spur,” “sharpen,” or even “annoy.” The beloved community of the Church is not easy, but is a tremendous gift because we work through our annoyances with one another as we grow in grace and are sharpened in faith.
Sometimes people ask me how they can support the church and I tell them, “Come to church on Sunday.” That’s the most important thing you can do – because when we’re gathered together, there’s no telling what connections the Holy Spirit might make; no limit to how we will bless one another. The vast majority of congregations do not have the same attendance we did before the pandemic, and so your presence here adds so very much – it gives more energy to our gatherings, your voice adds so much to our prayers, your presence at the Altar gives us a fuller sense of the Body of Christ. Your presence matters deeply.
As we gather, we provoke one another to love. Love, by definition, is self-giving and so it is not utilitarian or profitable, meaning that false messiahs have no use for love. They need to sell us something else. So by focusing on love, we persevere in a world that is passing away. I have two movies on my mind. The first is Ghostbusters II. The basic plot of the movie is that a demon is trapped inside a portrait and is trying to get out and become the ruler of this world. The way this particular demon gains strength is by feeding on the division and animosity in society. Playing on the stereotypes of New York City in the 80s, this demon has no trouble growing stronger by the minute.
Of course, it’s just a movie, but isn’t that how hatred, resentment, and anger work? It feeds on itself and devours us in the process. We might not live in a world of the paranormal, but we do live in a society in which false messiahs gain power by dividing us, by feeding on our mistrust of one another, by inciting us to anger. One way to resist the siren song of answers that are too easy is to ask the question “Is this about love, or something else?”
The other movie is Star Wars, when before Darth Vader turns to the dark side, the nefarious false messiah Palpatine encourages the impressionable Anakin Skywalker, whose world is falling apart around him, to “Let the hate flow through you. Embrace the dark side.” In times when everything is falling apart, it can very tempting to do just that – to focus inwardly, to hoard and stockpile, to build up our defenses, and close ourselves off to others. And that’s exactly what the forces of evil want; that is precisely how society crumbles even further – by giving into resentment, anger, and hatred. As Martin Luther King cautioned us, “We must learn to live together as [siblings] or perish together as fools.
The word “embrace” means to surround or hug. What do we surround ourselves with? What do we put our arms around? Is it worldly goods and comforts: things like money, possessions, collections? Is it our sense of being willing to be a bully who belittles others, is aggressive, threatens to withhold their gifts, and walks all over people and just says “This is how I am, take it or leave it?” How open are we to others – can we admit that we need help, can’t do it all, and rely on others to make it through?
As we are thinking about provoking one another to love, Hebrews mentions that we are to encourage one another. Here’s a challenge for us all to try – have a goal of giving out five blessings this week. Maybe that’s a phone call to thank someone, perhaps an unnecessary compliment, it could be a gift to a charity or someone in need. Instead of adding to the collective hatred being conjured up by false messiahs, let us add words of encouragement and deeds of love to our community.
Several times in the reading from Hebrews, we find the word “since.” Since is a word of Grace because it assumes that something has already happened. Indeed, God’s love precedes and follows us. We are already forgiven and always loved. That’s the first half of “sinc,” which also anticipates a response. Since we are so graciously loved, we are able to participate and grow in the way of love. Since is a word of Grace and of mission. I wonder, since we have a great high priest, Jesus Christ, what love the Spirit is provoking in you?
