None of us is entirely comfortable with our own mortality, although we’re constantly reminded of its reality. When we look in the mirror and see lines and wrinkles and graying hair, we’re confronted with the disquieting truth that we’re traveling along a road which ends in death. As we notice that our physical stamina isn’t quite what it used to be years ago, we can’t help but be struck by the fact of our slow physical decline.
Some of us deal with our mortality by simply ignoring it. It’s almost as though we believe that by not thinking about death, the problem somehow goes away. Or we might engage in a more active sort of denial. Botox and surgery and chemical hair coloring, for instance, go far in masking the symptoms of aging and eventual death. So, perhaps, might compulsive jogging and daily trips to a local health club. But while these things might make us less anxious, they can’t do a thing to change reality.
Just as we know that our bodies are transitory, so we’re aware that the world around us shall one day come to an end. And we don’t like that very much either. The prophet Malachi foresees “the great and terrible day of the Lord” (4:5), and Jesus makes it clear that signs of the end are always present around his people. Nations constantly rise against nations, he points out, and there are always wars and insurrections. Famine and plague dot creation, and natural disasters occur frequently. And these are all signs of this age’s mortality — present constantly and everywhere throughout history.
A great many Episcopalians deal with the inevitability of the end by ignoring it. We assume, like those living on the San Andreas fault, that the longer the “big one” doesn’t come, the less likely it is to happen. Many Christians around us practice a more elaborate form of denial, buying into the non-scriptural idea of “the rapture,” in which lesser Christians (and everyone else, for that matter) will be “left behind.” Again, these things can make people feel less anxious, but they don’t do a thing to change reality.
Today’s readings make it abundantly clear that there’s no reason for anxiety as we face our inevitable death. Neither is there any justification for fear as we approach the end of this age. Yes, we shall undoubtedly be judged, both individually and as the body, the Church. To the extent to which we live out our faith, that judgment becomes our invitation to enter the kingdom. “[D]o not be weary in doing what is right,” the author of 2 Thessalonians encourages us (3:13). Jesus himself sums it up for us: “By your endurance you will gain your souls” (Luke 21:19).
Look It Up
What problem is there with looking to current events to find evidence that the end-time is at hand? (Mark 13:32-36)
Think About It
How can we best respond to those who claim that prophecy is a roadmap to the future?
Next Sunday
The Last Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 29C), Nov. 21, 2004
Jer. 23:1-6; Psalm 46; Col. 1:11-20; Luke 23:35-43 or Luke 19:29-38
