Showing up

Luke 23:33-43

When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. [[ Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”]] And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.

On this last Sunday of the Liturgical year, just before we head on into Advent, we consider Jesus as king, or the Reign of Christ.

Before we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we consider his death.

And so our gospel reading this morning is part of the crucifixion story.

And, perhaps, in this small part of the story that we read this morning, we get a snapshot of the kind of king Jesus was, and a glimpse into the Christ who reigns today.

And, by considering his death, we might be better prepared to welcome his birth.

As Luke tells it, Jesus is led out to the site of the crucifixion and crucified with two other criminals.

Such execution was not done quietly or privately but in company, in full view of others, with as much shame and scandal, as much public outrage and mockery as could be mustered or incited.

So, in Luke’s retelling of the crucifixion, who are the key characters?

Who are our eyes drawn to - and why?

Perhaps the first characters we’re drawn to are the two criminals suffering a similar fate on either side of Jesus.

One of them, we’re told mocks Jesus: Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.

That seems, to me, like a reasonable request.

By all accounts, Jesus, even as he was paraded through the streets on the way to the place of execution is recognised as the one on whom revolutionaries and activists had pinned their hopes. He was recognised as innocent of crime - except perhaps the most dangerous sort of crime - noising up those in authority, questioning the place and the status of those who lorded it over others.

So, even at the point of execution Jesus is recognised by the criminals on either side as a notorious agitator, one who was even thought to be the Messiah - that longed for figure who would rescue people from the throes of oppression.

So, it seems reasonable to me that one of the criminals should ask him - or taunt him - Save yourself and us! 

If ever there was a moment to show your super power, this was it!

In contrast, the other criminal apparently treats Jesus with more respect. We’re told he rebukes his companion who is giving Jesus a hard time, he cites Jesus innocence as the reason they should be more respectful, and then he asks Jesus to remember him: 

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 

And, the astonishing thing is that Jesus assures him that that very day they will meet again in paradise.

So, in Luke’s account of the crucifixion, our eye is drawn to two criminals, facing the same fate, responding to death and to the person of Jesus so differently.

We might also be drawn to the leaders-  and the soldiers who carried out the leaders orders.

Mocking Jesus, taunting him with the titles “King of the Jews”, “Messiah”, asking why he can’t save himself, offering him sour wine, dividing up his clothes.

These folk were part of the oppressive regime that simply trampled others underfoot and, literally, go away with murder.

People so used to riding roughshod over everyone, that it ceased to horrify them.

Soldiers and leaders who took their cues from those above them and played their part in a system rotten at its core.

A system that oppressed the poor and paved the way for the rich to get richer.

Sound familiar?

So there were the criminals either side of Jesus, there were the leaders and soldiers who made life miserable for any and all who got in their way.

And there was the crowd:  And the people stood by, watching.

There are always the bystanders.

However many of these bystanders were not passive onlookers.

In this crowd, were those who, time after time, had been forced to watch countless acts of violence, been forced to look on as, time after time, justice was denied.

In this crowd, were many who bore witness to pain and cruelty.

There were mourners, there was family, there were Jewish officials, there were faithful women and men who showed up to witness yet another senseless act of death.

The faithful, who, it seems, could do little to change the course of events but who refused to turn away, refused to give in. The faithful who were committed to bear witness, committed to showing up.

And sometimes that is all we can do.

In the face of injustice.

In the face of evil.

When the mob rules and we cannot change the outcome.

Still we are called to show up.

And know that our showing up makes a difference.

It would be so easy today to resign ourselves to the suffering we see throughout the world, to the poverty, the homelessness, the violence we witness here on our own doorsteps. It would be easy to look away. To console ourselves with the promises of God that the Kingdom of God will be different. To lull ourselves into believing that better times are coming. And, in the meantime, we can wait it out.

God calls us to be better than that, to be more than that.

God’s call to us is to keep on showing up.

Because God’s kingdom is here.

Now.

And when we show up with all that we have alongside God, we bear witness, we hold out a light in the darkness, we hold out hope in the present and we make all the difference by simply showing up. 

Our God reigns - not in some future, longed for paradise - but here and now. 

And Christ the king calls us, the people of God today, to faithfulness, to showing up, to bearing witness and to living out God’s kingdom now.

As we approach Advent. As we prepare to welcome again, God born among us, let’s keep on showing up - for the glory of God.

Amen.

Apocalypse now!

Luke 21:5-19

The Destruction of the Temple Foretold

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”

Signs and Persecutions

They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them.

“When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

“But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.

Don't you just love this season of the year - I call it silly season.

The rest of the world, it seems, is gearing up for Christmas - and has been since Halloween - and the church is gearing up for Advent.

The rest of the world, in the unlikely event that it’s even considering sacred texts, is focusing on the Nativity.

And the church?

Is focusing on...  the Apocalypse.

Are we so out of step with our culture - the culture that God calls us to engage with good news?

And do we really need to read ancient apocalyptic texts today?

Isn’t there enough of the apocalypse happening in our world?

Aren’t there enough terrible things happening?

Isn’t there enough doom and gloom and scare mongering all around?

Do we need to indulge in it in the church too?

I happen to think that we do.

And here’s why:

When Jesus started spouting apocalyptic narrative and metaphor, he was appealing to those on the margins.

He wasn’t indulging those who were comfortable.

He wasn’t kow towing to those whose fortunes depended on the current structures remaining in place.

When Jesus got heavy, apocalyptic heavy, he was preaching a message of hope for the poor and the marginalised.

When Jesus got weird and started noising up the status quo, he was speaking words of security for the displaced and the dispossessed.

Because disruption of the empire could only be good news for those on the periphery.

The notion that all that kept the downtrodden in their place was about to be shaken up, literally toppled - was good news for the oppressed.

So even though, throughout Luke’s gospel, we tend to find Jesus being positive about the temple:

It’s the place where Simeon and Anna wait to greet the new Messiah

It’s the place where Jesus gets lost on a family outing

It’s the place where Jesus sets out his manifesto - Good news for the poor and the like

It’s the place that Jesus goes to lengths to protect as a place of prayer, driving out money changers and all that jazz.

Even though this has been a place Jesus has hung out in, observing and being seen, his prophesying its downfall would be music to the ears of those considered the dregs of society, those who longed for change, those who yearned for justice.

The destruction of the temple is, for them, a symbol of the possibility of revolution.

And that makes it entirely appropriate that these are the texts we turn to at this time of year - indeed at any time when we want to affirm that God’s kingdom is here and that we have a part to play in changing our world, in overthrowing injustice, in demolishing the status quo.

For those at the bottom of the heap, these are not words of the end times.

But words of hope in the present.

These are not words that invite us to indulge in escapism and imagine the new world to come that is out of this world.

Not words that invite us to dream of a blessed future.

These are words that speak of hope.

Hope now.

The hope that God’s kingdom, a kingdom of peace and freedom, a kingdom of justice and love will prevail in our world - not in some ethereal future, but here and now.

Apocalypse now would mean that those disenfranchised by Brexit would find a place to call home.

Apocalypse now would mean that those who are homeless would find shelter and those who are hungry would have enough to eat without being forced to rely on food banks.

Apocalypse now would mean that those who flee their homes because of violence and war would find a welcome and a refuge.

These words do not belong to the future.

They belong to now.

We are called to realise the kingdom of God among us.

Make up your minds, Jesus said. I will give you wisdom...

Our call is not to sit back and let governments sort out crises.

Our call is not to pin our hopes on an election or a referendum or a slowing down of climate change, however important those may be.

Our call is to live into and invite others into God’s kingdom of peace and justice, of equity and love - NOW.

Our call is to love as those who hope - not just for the future, but for now.

And that, right there, is counter cultural today.

Maintaining hope, not just for the future but for NOW.

Seeing beyond the appalling state of the world - globally and locally and knowing that it can be different.

And, out of our knowing, making a difference.

By showing up.

By speaking up.

By stepping up.

To serve God’s kingdom - that’s already among us.

What we do here week by week is counter cultural today.

And so is the kingdom of God.

So,let’s keep on being out of step.

Let’s take heed of Jesus’ apocalyptic words, words that are music to the ears of all who suffer, words of hope, not fear.

Hope will not be extinguished.

Love will not be defeated.

God’s kingdom is here.

May God give us hope and help us to live in love - not as those who despair today but as those who live and work alongside God in building God’s kingdom.

Apocalypse now.

Amen.