The Future is Now

Written by Pastor Ed

To listen to the German service for Nov 20, click on the following link

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/46934662/Nov%2020%202011%20Ger.MP3

To listen to the English service for Nov 20, click on the link below

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/46934662/Nov%2020%202011.MP3

 

The Future is Now

Christ the King/Memorial Sunday

Nov. 20, 2011

 

Ephesians 1: 15-23

Matt. 25: 31-46

At the end of the long discourse found in Matthew chapters 24 and 25, often called the “little apocalypse”, Matthew places the parable of the last judgment or the parable of the sheep and the goats.  We read it this morning, and many of us probably have heard it before.  As parables go, and it’s really more of an example story than a parable, it’s fairly straightforward.  We get the picture.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory.  All the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” (25: 31-32)  And then we have the long passage about the basis for the separation. 

“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”  (25: 35-36)  To the ones who did this the Son of Man says, “You are blessed, inherit the Kingdom.”   Those who did not do these things are condemned and sent away to the eternal fire. 

Of course, the interesting thing about both scenarios is that in neither case did the people know when they had done these things to the Son of Man.  “When did we see you naked, or sick, or hungry?” ask both those blessed and those condemned.  One might expect that question from the condemned, but certainly those who did those things would know, wouldn’t they?

And the Son of Man says, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” 

Now this parable has raised all kinds of theological discussion and debate.  For some, the idea of a loving God condemning some to eternal darkness is out of the question. I understand Rob Bell, a popular author these days has a new book out entitled Love Wins, which has created quite a stir around this issue.  I haven’t read it so can’t really comment on it, but it’s not a new argument. 

There has also been much debate over who Jesus is referring to by “the least of these my brothers.”  Some will argue that Jesus is referring to anyone who is poor or sick or in jail.  Others argue that, in fact, Jesus is saying that ‘the nations” which are usually those people outside the Kingdom will be judged on the basis of how they treat Christians – “my brothers and sisters.”  And you can make some good arguments for either case.

But, as one speaker this past week reminded us, we can get so caught up in trying to decide exactly what Jesus was saying and spend all of our time discussing the finer points of a parable, that we miss the point, or at least the practical aspects of what Jesus is saying. 

First of all, Jesus in this parable as elsewhere points to a judgment at some time.  There is an inevitable ness to the future that says we will be held accountable for what we do in the here and now.  Or to put it another way; what we do in the here and now does have eternal consequences for us, and, it would seem, particularly how we treat those who are the least in society.  Whether we like it or not, the Scripture clearly points to a special concern for those who are the lowest in society.  God delivered a slave people from Egypt, and set up special rules in the laws of Deuteronomy for how the poor were to be treated.  Jesus talked many times about the poor and those most in need, as he does here in this passage.

This past week at the Church Planting Congress I attended in Winnipeg, we heard a lot about hospitality, and this passage was referred to several times.  And the passage refers to several kinds of hospitality, which I’ve mentioned before.  One of the actions has to do with welcoming the stranger, but many of them are that third kind of hospitality, where we have to go out and meet the stranger or the poor or the hungry, or those in jail where they are at.  That’s the harder one for us to do.

But these are all things anyone can do.  As one commentator said, "It should be noted (1) that the duties named are such duties as every one can perform. Chrysostom says: "He said not I was sick and ye healed me; or in prison and ye set me free; but ye visited me and came unto me." (2) A real, personal service of Christ is implied, one involving some sacrifice of ease, time and property."

This and other passages make the point that it is not just in what we say or believe that makes a difference, but in how we live out what we say we believe.  Christ is waiting for us outside our doors, in the ones whom we meet on the street or who sit in jail.  At the MCC Alberta meeting recently, Jason Besserer spoke about his work with prisoners and noted that when he was quiet and just listened to those in prison, he became aware of God’s presence in new ways and recognized Christ sitting with him in the room.

St. Benedict encouraged his followers to always welcome the stranger that appeared at the door, because Jesus was present in that stranger.  That’s a hard one sometimes for us, but a challenge none the less.  And what makes it perhaps more of a challenge is the fact that Jesus seems to be saying it’s not just if we make a concerted effort to feed the hungry or cloth the naked.  Organizing food and clothing drives, or going to the prison for a once a month church service doesn’t seem to be what Jesus is talking about here, because then we could surely say, “Well, of course I did those things.  I can point in my date book to times and places.”  Rather, those acts of kindness and mercy need to be so much a part of our daily living that we don’t even remember doing them. 

So what does all this have to do with Christ the King Sunday, or Memorial Sunday.  Well, I think it is very relevant to today, for while we may read this passage as some future event, the reality is that the future begins now.  While we may focus our attention on the end times, and debate long and hard the “whens” and the “hows” of some future judgment or coming, we are reminded that our own end may come at any time.

There was a movement in the Middle Ages to hold off conversion until the last possible moment before death so that one could be sure that you didn’t sin again before you died.  And of course, it meant you could live as you pleased until that time as well.  But that doesn’t seem to be the thrust of passages like Matthew 25.  We all know that the end will come, whether at Christ’s return or at our own death.  And while we may think that we have a long time, death comes to us often unexpectedly.  I have held funerals for persons from a few days old to age 104, and many ages in between.  I have buried people who have struggled long with an illness, and those who have just been to the doctor and declared fit, only to drop over or be killed in an accident.  My brother, age 38, died of a brain aneurysm as he was waiting for the light to change at an intersection in Denver. 

And the point, as I noted last week, of all the Scripture about the end times is that we be ready now.  That our lives reflect the faith we proclaim and the life of justice and mercy proclaimed by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who sits at the right hand of the Father.  That means living our lives in ways consistent with Jesus’ teachings, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, visiting the prisoner, and welcoming the stranger.

It also means, I believe, preparing for our own end and following the example of those who have gone before.  One of the things I have found helpful as a pastor is when people have thought about their own deaths and made some arrangements about that.  I have often invited people to fill out some questions and give me a copy of their wishes related to funeral planning.  And this isn’t just for old people, but for everyone.  I would invite you to do that as well, and as you leave this morning you will find two forms on the literature rack in the foyer.  I would invite you to take one of each and fill it out in consultation with your family, and then give me a copy for a file here at church.  Doing this will be a help to everyone.

Christ, Paul tells us, was raised by God and sits far above all rule and authority and power, and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body.  We are the hands and feet of Jesus. Brian McClaren wrote a song which says, “God has no hands but our hands.  God has no feet but our feet.”  As we live our lives now spreading the good news and practicing justice and love for all, we can be assured that Christ is among us and in the stranger before us.

Today we remember those who have gone before us, particularly those who have died in the past year.  May their examples inspire us to a life of love and peace.  May we rejoice that Jesus is Lord over all, and that no matter when our end may come, we know that God sits on the throne, with Jesus at God’s right hand.  And may this knowledge inspire us to a life of mercy and hope.

 

Amen.