Scripture/Sermon of the Day.  December 3, 2023

Mark 13:24-37

The Coming of the Son of Man

24 “But in those days, after that suffering,
the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,
25 
and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26 “Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. 27 Then he will send out the angels and gather the elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

The Necessity for Watchfulness

32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Beware, keep alert, for you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35 Therefore, keep awake, for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening or at midnight or at cockcrow or at dawn, 36 or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

Reflection/Sermon:

I.      Jesus was talking to some of his disciples about the end of the world and what will occur before this happens.  He said: 
“See these great buildings around us now will all be in ruins — some of you will still be alive when they are destroyed!”

II.     The disciples said:  “When will this happen?” Jesus said:  “Only God knows.” 
Then Jesus lists all the catastrophes that will happen,
earthquakes,  wars, FALSE PROPHETS making up conspiracy theories like Pizzagate!  [On October 30, 2016, a Twitter account posting white supremacist material which said it was run by a Jewish New York lawyer falsely claimed that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) had discovered a pedophilia ring linked to members of the Democratic Party while searching through Anthony Weiner's emails]Proponents also claimed that Comet Ping Pong, a pizzeria in Washington, D.C., was a meeting ground for Satanic ritual abuse.

Jewish space lasers!  [First-term Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s claim that the 2018 California wildfires were ignited by a space laser controlled by a corporate cabal, including the Rothschild banking firm]

Stolen election!  [A major conspiracy theory that has been proven false by courts and state governments around the country, by both parties, is that the 2020 election was stolen.  Millions of people continue to believe and to claim that the election was stolen, no matter how much proof is given that it wasn’t.]

“Beware,” Jesus said, “don’t let anyone lead you astray!”

III.    FALSE PROPHETS WILL APPEAR SAYING: 
“I am your retribution!” 
Don’t follow them!  Don’t go down that road — BECAUSE WE ARE NOT ABOUT REVENGE — WE PRACTICE MERCY AND LOVE.  WAKE UP!!!  Jesus commanded.

IV.     Jesus warned us about a time when being AWAKE would be called a bad thing. 
Being Awake — or WOKE — used to mean being "alert to racial prejudice and discrimination". It meant working for racial justice and rights for persons whose sexual orientation was other than heterosexual. 
Being WOKE was about having a heart and caring for all people — loving all people — as Jesus did.   
But in Jesus’ time and today there are many people who do not want equal justice for all people, who do not want all people to be loved equally — SO BEING AWAKE — WOKE — TO INJUSTICE, PREJUDICE AND LOVING ALL PEOPLE EQUALLY for many people is A BAD THING.

To paraphrase one of the Beattitudes, Jesus said,
Blessed are you when you are persecuted for being WOKE (awake) and for loving all God’s children equally —

V.      BEING AWAKE — IN A SOCIETY THAT IS MORALLY AND SPIRITUALLY ASLEEP — IS DANGEROUS — IT CAN GET YOU KILLED!

VI.     There’s a Zen Buddhist story about seeing.  The master Nan-in was visited by his student, Tenno — who had finished his ten year apprenticeship and had become a teacher.
It was a rainy day,  so Tenno wore wooden clogs and carried an umbrella.  After greeting him, Nan-in said:  “I suppose you left your wooden clogs at the door where you entered.  Tell me, did you put your umbrella on the right or the left side of the clogs?”
Tenno, confused, had to think about it.  He wasn’t sure.
He realized he wasn’t able to carry his Zen every minute.  So he stopped teaching, and became Nan-in’s pupil, again, for six more years to accomplish his every minute Zen.

VI.     For a Christian, to be awake is to see God everywhere, in every person, in every fallen leaf, every bare tree branch, every animal — even the beautiful but unfortunate mouse my cat just killed.  Being awake is to see with Jesus’ eyes, and to love with his heart.
This morning, Jesus commands us to WAKE UP and see with his eyes, and to love with his heart.