Daniel 12:1–3
Psalm 16
Hebrews 10:11–14[15–18] 19–25
Mark 13:1–8
Year B
I.N.I.
“Run for your lives! The sky is falling, the sky is falling, the sky is falling!!!
Who am I?
Why, I am Chicken Little, fabled character who thinks that the end of the world is imminent after unbeknownst to him, an acorn falls upon his head.
Chicken Little, which said backwards is Little Chicken, spreads the anxiety of impending doom to animals with rhyming names, among them: Goosey Loosey, Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Ducky Lucky, and Foxy Loxy.
And depending on which version you like, the end of the story either has Foxy Loxy eating all the gullible animals, or another where the word gets to the king who rescues everyone, or yet another where the sky does fall, but only on Foxy Loxy. And in the animated version released in 2005 by Disney studios, the sky falling was actually aliens looking for a lost child. I won’t attempt to add more details to that one!
There are Chicken Littles in every generation, whom we might call alarmists, and blow everything out of proportion.
At the same time, there are visionaries or prophets who see things beyond the pale and who speak of mysteries and portents that shake up communities in grave danger.
“The sky is falling, the sky is falling, the sky is falling!”
Who am I?
Why I am Daniel, who speaks of great battles, wicked tyrants, and angels like Mike (Michael) who will guard God’s people against calamity.
When Daniel speaks near the end of this book of the Bible read from today, the language becomes epic. It reads like the Inheritance saga--Eragon, Eldest, and Brisinger, or the Lord of the Rings trilogy, or the Chronicles of Narnia series. The world is topsy-turvy, the country is threatened with ruin. It’s the end of the world as we know it. I’m going to read the alarmist message from chapter 11 of Daniel, and rather than listen for detail wondering what king is being talked about or where Kittim is, I ask you to listen instead as you might a grand saga….
20Then shall arise in his place one who shall send an official for the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he shall be broken, though not in anger or in battle. 21In his place shall arise a contemptible person on whom royal majesty had not been conferred; he shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom through intrigue. 22Armies shall be utterly swept away and broken before him, and the prince of the covenant as well. 23And after an alliance is made with him, he shall act deceitfully and become strong with a small party. 24Without warning he shall come into the richest parts of the province and do what none of his predecessors had ever done, lavishing plunder, spoil, and wealth on them. He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time.
29At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but this time it shall not be as it was before. 30For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall lose heart and withdraw. He shall be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay heed to those who forsake the holy covenant. 31Forces sent by him shall occupy and profane the temple and fortress. They shall abolish the regular burnt offering and set up the abomination that makes desolate. 32He shall seduce with intrigue those who violate the covenant; but the people who are loyal to their God shall stand firm and take action. 33The wise among the people shall give understanding to many; for some days, however, they shall fall by sword and flame, and suffer captivity and plunder. 34When they fall victim, they shall receive a little help, and many shall join them insincerely. 35Some of the wise shall fall, so that they may be refined, purified, and cleansed, until the time of the end, for there is still an interval until the time appointed. (Daniel 11)
“Run for your lives, the sky is falling, the sky is falling, the sky is falling!”
Who am I? I am Jesus, who speaks of the destruction of the temple, future false messiahs, and trials and persecutions for his followers, and the end.
Or not. With Christ-like terseness, in the middle of speaking the truth that we all need to hear: nothing lasts forever, nations will continue to wreak violence in the ways of war, rather than saying “run for your lives,” Jesus says in the middle of the chaos, “Do not be alarmed.”
And then I find myself smack dab in the middle of what good end time theology says, in paradoxes like already and not yet, fear and hope, and death and resurrection.
We live as the ancients did, as those of a previous generation, and those of future generations, with all sorts of calamities, earthquakes, wars, power-mongering, and threats.
What are ones that come to your mind? When have you felt like the sky was falling? 9/11, H1N1, the murder at Fort Hood, the conflict in Afghanistan, the Great Depression, Global Warming, the death of a loved one….
We live in difficult times. We must acknowledge our fragile existence, the dangers that surround us, and know the threat of evil and evildoers.
In these November days, we began on All Saints’ with a feast that remembered the dead and we will end the church year next week, Christ the King Sunday, with a feast that acknowledges God’s rule for all eternity.
Like the ancients, those of a previous generation, and those of future generations, we must not allow fear and dread to rule. In the creed we confess that we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.
While we wait, and we know that God’s time is not our time, we also know that God continues to enter into the human story. We hear Jesus speak at the end of the Gospel about the beginning of birth pangs, as if something new is emerging from the creation that God redeems.
Here we do not run around like Chicken Littles wreaking havoc and spreading alarm, but instead gather in community, and promote reconciliation and peace. This is done as we breathe in the Spirit of God that is poured out and keeps us one, that points to Christ as the name above every name and who guides the church, which we call Christ’s body, and who another writer says is filled with Christ, all in all.
The story goes that a student of Martin Luther asked the great reformer, what he would do if he knew the world was coming to an end tomorrow. Let’s day Dr. Luther was told to imagine the sky falling, which meant he could invite prayer, issue warnings, or run in fear. Luther’s response was pithy. If he knew Christ were coming tomorrow, Luther said, he would plant a tree.
What could this mean> Participating in the greening of the earth? Doing something ordinary in the midst of upheaval? Not living in fear but living in hope?
Perhaps the letter writer to the Hebrews had a similar idea when speaking of seeing the Day approaching. What did it say? Encourage one another. Provoke good deeds. Do not neglect to meet. Why? Because the sky is falling?
No, because the one who promised is faithful.
God is good. All the time. All the time. God is good.
Christ is our light. Let those who walk with Christ in this life and in the life to come shine like the stars, and not be little chickens, but little Christs, washed clean, living in confidence and hope.
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. So we say with open hands, fervent longing, and expecting hearts. In these November days.I.N.I.
The Rev. Timothy J. Keyl, Pastor
Christ the King Lutheran Church
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