Spiritual friendship as evidence in the darkness...

NOTE: Here are this week's sermon notes. They wrap up a series I started - and then interupted - re: resources for journeying with God into the dark night. This conclusion speaks of both soul friends and worship as keys to discovering strength during our weak times. The texts include the lectionary readings: Daniel 12: 1-3, Psalm 16 and Mark 13: 1-12.

For most of us here today, the Biblical texts for this morning sound weird: they are bewildering and strange, a little frightening for sure and just plain peculiar to our post-modern ears. What’s all this cosmic talk about “those who sleep in the dust shall awake” or “nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines, too… for this is the beginning of the birth pangs” have to do with our contemporary lives?

• Why do these words matter when unemployment is over 10% and our national leaders can’t find a consensus for real health care reform?

• Who cares what esoteric wisdom might be distilled from these arcane and ancient texts when right now peace seems more elusive than ever before in the land of our Lord?

• And what, for the love of God, do these crazy words have to say about a time when soldiers turn on their own comrades in arms and slaughter them in a religious rage?

As an old mentor used to say: why does any of this matter? Which is as good a place as any to start with weird verses from the Bible – what use is there to these texts – because at first glance their value is not obvious: these are apocalyptic readings – and they are mysterious. Intentionally obscure. They are poetic words that require care and attention because they have been crafted not for their utilitarian impact, but rather for their symbolic significance.

• What comes to your mind when I say: the apocalypse?

• What does it mean to you and where did you learn about it?

Most folk in our tradition don’t know a lot about apocalyptic literature save those dreadful “Left Behind” books by Tim LaHaye and an NBC mini-series a few years back. Maybe you know that the last book of the Bible – Revelation – is also called “the apocalypse of John” – but as Richard Foster has written: “This book may well be the least read and most feared in the New Testament. Not only is it full of malicious monsters, but even the good guys strike us as bizarre creatures – a lion, an ox, a human face and an eagle, each with six wings and covered all over with eyes” – totally weird! It takes a lot of work to dig through the symbolism and, let’s face it, our lives are hard enough without adding more weirdness to the mix.

• But listen carefully: at the heart of apocalyptic writing is the belief that God’s goodness is stronger than evil and pain. We may face trials and suffering – and we do – but they are not the end of the story.

• Using bold and challenging images, the apocalyptic stories of scripture confront sin without reservation. “Evil is real,” they shout “and it wounds and defiles God’s people throughout the ages.”

Writer, Matthew Fox, puts it like this in his book, Sins of the Spirit and Blessings of the Flesh:

The biblical tradition treats sin as a cosmological event… in the apocalyptic writing of Israel… there is a struggle against the cosmic forces of the utmost malignancy. Their evil reaches everywhere – even into the human heart –and their defeat requires nothing less than the birth of a new creation… for chaos happens when evil reigns… The early church recognized this, too, as St. Paul wrote in Ephesians: our context is not against mere flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this present darkness, truly against the spiritual forces of evil in high places.

Evil and sin are real – and they create chaos and pain in their wake. And yet, at the same time, God’s love and presence is stronger than all the evil and sin in the world combined. How did Martin Luther King, Jr. put it? “The moral arch of the universe is tipped ever so slightly in favor of that which is good and pure and noble.”

And that is what our weird texts for today urge us to discover. The Jewish prophet, Daniel, writing about 160 years before Jesus asserts that: the protector of your people shall arise.

There shall be a time of anguish such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered… Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky and those who lead many to compassion shall be like the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12)

Jesus used apocalyptic words, too: “Watch out for the doomsday deceivers” he says in today’s lesson.

When you hear of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don't panic. This is routine history, and no sign of the end. Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Earthquakes will occur in various places. There will be famines. But these things are nothing compared to what's coming… it will go from bad to worse, dog-eat-dog, everyone at your throat because you carry my name. Remember: You're placed there as sentinels to truth. The Message has to be preached all across the world. So when they bring you, betrayed, into court, don't worry about what you'll say. When the time comes, say what's on your heart—the Holy Spirit in your heart will make his witness in and through you… Stay with it—that's what is required. Stay with it to the end. And you won't be sorry; you'll be saved and made whole.

Stay with it – God won’t let you down – there will be meaning and value and even inner healing and wisdom if you journey through the suffering. Because, you see, that is God’s nature – to redeem and make whole – to overcome evil with grace even when the jury is still out and the evidence is obscure. (Mark 13)

Now here’s the thing: NOBODY can do this all by themselves. One of the key truths for making sense of the darkness and finding value and even healing from our suffering is that we all need help. We need some evidence that Christ really is with us on the journey through our darkness. You see, there is an unholy and dangerous lie that most of us have accepted and affirmed – often without really knowing it – that sounds something like this: God helps those who help themselves.

• Have you heard that before? It isn’t true – completely – and doesn’t even come from the Bible. Like I’ve said before, this is an aphorism from St. Ben Franklin – who was a wise old dude – but not a spiritual master.

• And the fundamental problem with buying what Ben was selling is that it tends to drown out the authentic voice of God. If all we hear and know is that God helps those who help themselves, then we will forget that God’s true voice says, “Come unto me all ye who are tired and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”

Do you grasp the difference? If all we know is the command to tough it out in private all by ourselves, you can bet that we will become deaf to the Lord’s sweeter but more quiet song that says: The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup… I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me for I keep the LORD always before me; God is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body rests secure. For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful ones see the Pit forever. You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16)

You won’t hear that promise outside of worship, my friends. It just isn’t a song that is celebrated in our popular culture. The wisdom of our consumer society is if you work hard enough – and pay dearly enough – you can get everything you want and need. And if you don’t… you are a loser.

And that is why our tradition reminds us that in order to make it through the valley of the shadow of death, we need spiritual friends – wise helpers – to serve as Christ to us in our need. Without them, we’re sunk. And one of the most blessed things you can do for another is journey with them through hard times.

• It isn’t easy and it often isn’t pretty, but it is a blessing for all involved. So I want you to think about something: are there any here – or in our midst – who might be interested in serving as a soul friend to another in need?

• Think about that and if you sense your heart encouraging you, let’s talk because we need more spiritual friends to help others walk through the wilderness.

That is one way to become Christ for the world in these dark times: to serve as a soul or spiritual friend. The other is equally simple but also so hard, too: public worship. Most of us take worship for granted – the church has always been here and always will be – but worship is another sign of God’s loving evidence in the world. And if our worship is not strong and vibrant, some of Christ’s light becomes obscured.

You see, worship is an antidote to the lie that pain and suffering is all there is in life. It is a time-tested balm of healing that gently pushes us beyond our fears and limited vision. What’s more, worship saturates us with an alternative vision grounded in grace rather than judgment, hope not fear, blessing beyond the obvious suffering.

• What did our first hymn tell us? That the Lord will – not might – but will gather us in where we will be free from sorrow and free from sin!

• As soon as I get finished here we’re going to sing another affirmation of comfort – Like a Mother Who Has Borne Us – that tells us that God is Like a mother who has borne us, held us close in her delight, fed us freely from her body, for God has called us into life. Like a father who has taught us, grasped our hand and been our guide, lifted us and healed our sorrows, God has walked with us in life.

• And at the close of worship – Lift High the Cross – that assures us that just as God did not abandon Jesus despite the agony of the Cross, so, too, will God’s love fill and heal us, too.

Worship gives us an alternative vision – it trains us to see the bigger picture – the apocalyptic picture where we are not the center of the universe. And when we are feeling tired, afraid or worn down by anguish – and we really just want to stay in bed and be by ourselves – hearts and souls far greater than ours remind us that that is precisely when we need worship the most.

Because, you see, if you get your behind into gear and just park yourself in a pew, then just being here can open you to God’s grace in worship like water smoothing a stone.

The contemporary writer, Ann Lamott, tells the story of when she was at her worst: over the years she had become an alcoholic and if that wasn’t bad enough she also found herself knocked up and pregnant without any hope or desire of marrying the baby’s father. She was truly cruising in the valley of the shadow of death – and had no place to go. So what she found herself doing – often totally blasted on cheap wine – is stumbling into the back pew of a little urban Presbyterian Church in the Bay Area where she sat and listened to the hymns. She always left before worship was over so she wouldn’t have to talk to anyone – but she stayed for the songs.

And almost always the songs made her cry – weep and heave like Jesus – songs like “Precious Lord… hold my hand” or “softly and tenderly Jesus is calling… come home, come home, ye who are weary come home.” She did this for years – sat and wept and then snuck away – until finally she was ready to see whether this alternative vision of hope amidst the despair was real.

And now she is clean and sober and caring for that fatherless baby who has become a big, loving and smart mouthed adolescent – a little bit of divine irony – but Annie Lamott testifies to anyone who will listen that her healing BEGAN sitting in worship singing: “Amazing grace…”

But that isn’t the end of her story: she also writes that worship led her to ask for help – to be embraced by someone who could be Christ for her in the world – a spiritual friend. Spiritual friends, you see, can help us realize that we don’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to the journey of our darkness. Others have been there before and have discerned how to make the best of it.

So let’s face it: we have some work to do here, don’t we? Some of us need to discern whether God might be calling you to help out as a trained spiritual or soul friend. Others have to make sure you reach out to those who haven’t been in worship lately – not to scold them or to make them feel shame – but because worship can bring them hope and healing in ways unique to the Body of Christ.

And ALL of us – and I mean ALL of us – have been called to lift our voices to the Lord in song boldly, buoyantly and with gusto. So, let's do it!