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Isaiah 65:17-25 & Canticle 9 (Isaiah 12) • 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 • Luke 21:5-19

On Remembrance Sunday we recall with gratitude the sacrifices made especially by veterans who have fought in wars – to help destroy evil in our world -- so as to better protect the wonderful benefits of peace that many of us have been privileged to enjoy throughout much of our lives. I’m glad we have the Isaiah 65 reading today – one of several places in the Bible that describe God’s view of a peaceable kingdom, or a peaceful earth. This includes peace amongst nature’s creatures who are often seen as predator and prey. In the 1840’s Edward Hicks did a painting called Peaceable Kingdom – perhaps more based on another Isaiah passage in chapter 11 (6-9) in which human children are also part of this peaceful scene, having nothing to fear from formerly fierce predators. In this popular vision ‘nature red in tooth and claw’ changes to nature meek and mild. Today we heard that “the lion shall eat straw like the ox” so apparently God’s peaceable kingdom is ideal for vegetarians.
The beginning of today’s Isaiah passage has that compelling image of God saying “I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind” … and there’s a similar passage in Revelations (21). Do we welcome this message, or do we prefer things to be the same old comfortable status quo? Change is hard, especially when we are comfortable. “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating,” God continues, or the NIV version which says ‘rejoice … in what I will create’. Either way it’s clear that God’s Creation is an ongoing process. I love this idea that God continues to engage with and respond to the ongoing challenges of earth’s evolving problems and situations. Does that mean that we can ask God to magically fix the world’s climate crisis, rather than us having to change all kinds of lifestyle things … and also speak up for policies that begin to heal, rather than keep harming the earth? I doubt it. As we often taught our children – you made the mess, you clean it up – right?
Have any of you seen the 2003 comedy movie called Bruce Almighty? God is played there by Morgan Freeman who’s mistaken for the cleaning and maintenance person when Bruce first goes to see him. He’s washing the floors or on a ladder trying to fix a malfunctioning light fixture – no doubt a reference to how God is always trying to bring light into the darkness. In case that sounds potentially racist, the fact that Freeman plays God should counteract that. Some old hymns love to praise the ‘God as a Rock’ image – kind of hard and cold. But ultimately God’s compassion for the suffering, especially as revealed by Jesus, means that God cares about earthly suffering. Nonetheless we must step back from a more fundamentalist view saying that the climate crisis must be God’s will, or else it would not be here. Sorry, no, we don’t get to blame God for catastrophes caused by unadulterated human greed and disregard for God’s good Creation. As Gandhi said: ‘Earth provides enough for everyone’s need, but not for everyone’s greed’. Again, it’s human selfishness, greed and apathy that have been identified as the main causes of our climate crisis.
Last week I finished reading a delightful book called Tilly and the Crazy Eights by local indigenous author Monique Gray Smith. Eight indigenous elders from the Kamloops area decide to take a road-trip of a lifetime, especially to fulfil their ‘bucket list’ hopes of what they wish to see before they die. Most of them have never been outside BC before, and they have to spend months raising money to fund the trip. The book is profound, hilarious and very spiritual in my view. Dearly departed ancestors keep popping into some character’s lives to help keep them safe; while Lucy, for example, gets lost in Las Vegas; and instantly befriends a group of truckers in another town. Their ultimate destination is an international grand Powwow in New Mexico – something that had been forbidden to them in earlier decades in Canada and the USA. The characters have great fun and experience much healing as part of their journey. They did not sit around waiting for the end times while accepting their unresolved pains and struggles. No, they stepped forward towards this journey of redemption.
Are we also called towards journeys of redemption? In both the epistle and gospel today, people are kind of sitting around either worrying about the end times, or assuming they’re coming, so no need to do any work, right? Wrong. Heck, according to Paul’s extreme views: “Anyone unwilling to work should not eat” -- good time to recall that Mediterranean culture of exaggeration. Of course, there are many kinds of good work, including making arts and crafts to beautify the world and to keep people warm.
To conclude, I want to share one of Debra J. Mumford’s insights into today’s gospel from the Working Preacher website, especially with Jesus speaking about how despite its size and strength, the Jerusalem temple would soon be destroyed:
“… although the temple was indeed destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D., neither Judaism nor Christianity was destroyed. The Spirit of God transcends buildings and structures. Both religions continued to grow and evolve over the centuries in new geographical locations, nations, and among people of many ethnicities and races. People can take heart that though Christianity seems to be declining in some denominations, through the Spirit and power of God, it will continue to live and grow in new forms and new places. Our task is to ask for discernment about what God wants us to do and then follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit to get it done.”
https://www.workingpreacher.org/.../commentary-on-luke...
Wow -- the Spirit of God transcends buildings; and although Christianity seems to be declining … through the Spirit and power of God, it will continue to live and grow in new forms and new places. May we happily discern our role in what God is creating and renewing; and ask the guidance of the Holy Spirit to get it done, Amen