A ministerial mentor of mine, Diana Butler Bass, wrote that in 1968 when Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, her husband’s family went to their Presbyterian church the next morning. “They went with heavy hearts, expecting the pastor to help make sense of the tragedy. The minister rose to preach. The congregation held its breath. But he said nothing of the events in Memphis. He preached as if nothing had happened. [Her] husband’s family left church that day disappointed; eventually, they left that church altogether.”
I share that story because yesterday 6 people were murdered and another 12 were injured when a young man opened fire at a grocery store in Arizona. The apparent targets were attendees of a community political event hosted by US Representative Gabrielle Giffords. This event has and will continue to receive a great deal of media attention.
The reason these killings capture so much of our attention compared to the murder of an Oklahoma high school principle 4 days ago is because they are mixed with our fear of social unrest, the intrigue of assassination, and the sensationalism that so typically marks our culture’s appetite for drama. But the even deeper reason it captures the attention of many of us today is that we feel powerless to do anything about it and hopeless that it will ever get better.
We turned on our TV’s, hopped on the internet, or talked to someone on the phone only to find out that something horrifying happened. Quickly without even realizing it, we were drawn into the short on facts, high on assumptions reporting, including the early report that Rep. Giffords was dead. Liberal talking heads quickly pointed to violent rhetoric from republicans as the cause. Conservative media talked about progressive policies and the fall of individual morality as a root cause. And somewhere in the middle were real people, politicians or otherwise, that were scared for their own lives and the lives of their loved ones and friends.
As I took this in, started to realize that how we experience powerlessness and hopelessness has everything to do with how we respond. I also realized that for all the fear that swirls in our culture, many media outlets and politicians use it against people or at minimum are just putting a Band-Aid on the fear. At their best politicians try to fix it with policies, reporters seek to ease our minds with education, and social groups attempt to give us a vehicle for action. But here we are, real people, in the middle of all this with held together with quick fixes rather than real solutions.
Diana Butler Bass’s family came to church looking for answers in 1968 just as many of us do today. It is the job of church to offer real solutions, solutions that heal our weary souls, bring transforming light to our fears, and fill us with true meaning and purpose so that we are no longer powerless. As we move forward this morning and in all the days to come, let us be that church. The answers are not in what I proclaim but in what we claim together. Our path is not in our perfection but in our earnestness to live out our individual and collective roles in the body of Christ. We are the church, entrusted with offering authentic solutions. It is with that charge that last week we looked at a text from Matthew and suggested that sometimes we are called ahead to pave the way for those who will come after us. As we continue to dive into some biblical texts from the apocalyptic genera, I think this week’s passage also speaks to that healing, transformation, and purpose that provides genuine solutions in our lives.
Our second scripture reading for the day was from the book of Revelation. I think most Christians, including ministers, have a hard time figuring out what to make of this book. What does it signify? How is it applied to today? I mean, most biblical stories have multiple meanings, but we have a hard time just figuring out where to start with Revelation.
But it’s really not that hard. You see, apocalyptic writings are written not to offer crystal ball prophesy into the future but to jar us out of our typical thinking here and now. They are supposed to startle us so that we will let go of an old way of viewing and doing and move forward with a new vision. When we read from the book of Revelation, we are taking in visions and symbols that spoke to the writer’s life in practical ways just as it also does today. But we have to be willing to let it rattle us a little before we can see it’s meaning.
First, let me give you a little background about this passage. You see John of Patmos is sharing his visions of people coming before God and Christ. Just before this passage, he heard the numbers of the 144,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel, who were sealed with God. So this story comes directly after that. We are basically breaking into John’s vision at mid point when this passage begins. So let's look and see what the story tells us.
John said he saw a great multitude so much that people couldn't count them so these aren’t the well-defined 144,000 from the previous passage that are sealed with God. They were from every nation, all types of people, and they spoke many different languages. They were standing in front of the throne before Christ. They were robed in white and they had Palm branches in their hands. They sang praises to Christ in gratitude for their salvation. And at this point, an Elder said to John, “who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?” John said, “You are the one that knows.” Then the Elder replied “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship the Holy One day and night within God’s temple, and the One who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Every time I read this, it always strikes me that the Elder had a pretty detailed reply for man who, at first, didn't admit that he knew who these people were. maybe he didn't want to recognize them like the way we sometimes don't want to claim we know the homeless or the abused. But he tells us a lot. First of all, he told us that they it been through great ordeal. So, what is this great ordeal? Well, with what the Elder said, we can know that these people suffered a lot because he says that they won't be denied basic needs anymore. That they will not go hungry and not be without shelter, because they will be with the shepherd, the Christ.
So what do we make of this passage? What is this great ordeal? And what does it mean to us today? Well, let me share a few of the features that stand out to me about this passage. Many scholars point to the fact that these are not the protected ones, sealed by God. Some suggest that this countless multitude are the “sheep of another fold” referred to by the Gospel of John. I don’t know. But what I do know is that arguing about who they might be misses who they are for sure.
From all that this passage says, it seems to me that these people are the ones of subjugation and oppression in the world. These are people who have been denied and deprived… abused and ignored. These are people that our governments, our societies, and our communities have forgotten or chosen to ignore. They are the homeless… They are the poor… They are the racial ethnic minority… They are the refugee… They are the mentally ill… They are the ones suffering with AIDS… They are the battered… they are the violated… They are the ones without voices… The ones without hope. But here they are singing praises and being healed.
So, one of the important meanings of this passage is that hope is available to the downtrodden. Hope that Christ, the Shepard will care for them. Christ does not want them to suffer. Christ desperately wants them to experience victory over oppression. I use the term victory because they were waving palm branches. And palm branches are always a symbol of victory and triumph over evil in the bible. These people of long suffering had finally prevailed. This is what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. meant in his closing words of a speech the night before he was killed. He said,
Those are powerful words from a prophet that would be murdered the very next day. But he knew hope. He had glimpsed it in the vision of God for God’s good creation.
Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.
But you know, I have to admit that asking the homeless and the hungry to wait for the hereafter in order to be liberated seems unfair. So I am reminded that we are called to be the body of Christ in the world. This passage can be seen as a call for us to step forward and help the widow and the orphan, the marginalized and oppressed to find victory. Maybe this is passage should serve as proof that Christ does not want humanity to suffer. Our response to that call should be to help in the work by truly being the body of Christ and living out our calls… living out God’s vision of victory over sin and death.
But let's go one step further. There are more ways to hunger and go without shelter than just physical ones. There are those who starve for love, acceptance, and invitation to the table. There are those that have endured great struggles in this world without the shelter of community, without the shelter of church, or without the shelter of the Christian family. You see I think this passage is also talking about the human struggle. The struggle to find nourishment and sustenance in the faith.
John was seeing all people who hunger and thirst after righteousness. It is a long suffering struggle to find what we need in this broken world. We are called to live in community with one another as the body of Christ. When we are sick, lonely, or tired we struggle to find hope for something better… hope for salvation. But hope is in Christ and the promise to relieve us of our struggle and bring us to victory. Hope is also in those around us who embody Christ in this world and help us through the struggles. Salvation is truly a great ordeal. Not because of Christ; Christ’s work holds all grace and sufficiency. The great ordeal is because of our brokenness.
This is where we find ourselves today. An apparently mentally ill young man did something horrific yesterday. Several bomb like devices have been sent to politician’s offices around Washington this past week. Some politicians are urging us to not “retreat” but to “reload.” Drug violence in Mexico continues to escalate. And even close to home, domestic violence and poverty in Lake County are on the rise. Where’s the hope in such overwhelming facts?
Friends, we find hope in Christ and find hope in those around us who help us through struggle. We then turn around offer that hope to others because we are the body of Christ. In spite of all that is “wrong” around and within us, a lot more goes right even if we don’t see it. Who knows how many shootings have been prevented because a concerned neighbor or family member reached out to someone with an emerging mental illness to provide shelter and support? How many crimes of desperation have been avoided because of food pantries and resale shops like the ones at First Pres? Can we even begin to count the number of children who are touched by youth events at this church and others? How many people have lived to find a better way than abuse because of a friend reaching to them? And who might we each have become but for way we’ve been touched by the body of Christ? We can look far and we can look near. There are countless multitudes who have tasted Christ’s salvation because of the way we reach out. We, in this room, are even among those multitudes whose lives have been transformed by hope in Christ.
Sisters and brothers, let us grieve for those who suffer. Let us shed tears of sorrow for lives that will not be. But let us also hold tightly to our hope in Christ… hope that we’ve tasted through our own needs and experiences, hope that others need too. When the message of the world is fear and fight, let us be and offer a true solution of relationship, connection, and love. Amen.
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