The King and the End of All Things

On this day, Dr Mary Neal, an orthopedic surgeon, will tell us what happened to her when she died. Today is the final Sunday of the Christian year. Next week, we start a whole new year with the season of Advent. Today we are not afraid to talk about the end, the end of life as we know it and even the end of time itself.  Today is about what happens at the end.

Christians call this Sunday Christ the King Sunday because we read gospel accounts which talk of Jesus Christ as a King, who, in the end of days, will sit on his throne and determine who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. The King sits in his throne, according to Matthew's gospel, and he separates the sheep from the goats.  But in order to begin to understand what Jesus was trying to tell us, we have to understand what it meant to be a King. 

Sheep verses goats.

Today, when we say the word King, we think of Disney world, make believe, or some form of formal monarchy like in Britain, a monarchy that it is more about old traditions and celebrity than about actual power. Kings just don't exist in modern, enlightened countries anymore, or, if they do, they are just figureheads.

For the Jewish community of Jesus' day, a King still meant something. A King was the source of ultimate authority. To have a successful monarchy, like that of King David, was to ensure stability. It was an end to chaos. A truly good king was their best hope for peace, finally having wisdom to rule the land. It was the best of all worlds, to live under a good king. It was paradise. Just as a bad king could bring terror and famine, a good king could bring a golden age.  A good king could fix all your problems and make everything right.

Jesus was telling us that he is the King. Christ is in charge and that should come as a great relief. It would not have been a source of terror for those who loved him but a source of relief.

Today it is hard for us to imagine any one person having that kind of lasting authority. We want to be in charge of our own lives, to order our own food, to chose our own education, to determine our own destiny. The rise of technology has led us to believe that we can answer any question on our own. Who needs a King when I can fix my problems myself?

 My oldest son was asking an atheist why he chose not to believe in God. He said that he refused to believe in a God who would allow humans to suffer. So basically, when he didn't understand God or  disagreed with God, he would just stop believing, like turning off a switch. Oh, I don't want you, God. I chose not to believe in you. I chose for you not to exist. Now, who is the King in that scenario? Who are we to determine the existence of God based on whether we approve of the workings of the Universe? Who are we to switch channels from believer to atheist to agnostic depending on our evaluation of God's behavior? It is not like visiting websites or buying a new car. When it comes to God, we cannot think of ourselves as consumers. Who is in charge of who?

In the same vein, we often want to determine the salvation of those around us. When someone dies, we tell each other that the person is going to heaven. Notice that there is never talk of hell at funerals.  But the reality of this gospel text is that there is such a place as hell, the alternative to being with God, a place of pain and alienation from God. More importantly, this text tells us that no one but God determines who goes where. It is Christ who makes the call and separates the sheep from the goats. (I always feel bad for the goats...I think they are great. But the reason Jesus uses an image of sheep and goats is that sheep follow the shepherd, while goats do their own thing and tend to roam)  To say that all are going to heaven is as arrogant as saying that certain people are going to hell. It is the language of judgement and arrogance and ultimately of violence because it is not our job to act as King. Only the Holy One sits on the throne. Whenever we try to enthrone ourselves, we do violence and make terrible mistakes. 

The truth is that there is so much that we still do not understand. We may have all kinds of knowledge at our fingertips, but there is still so much more that we can't even begin to contemplate.

Quantum Physicists tell us that the more that we learn about the workings of the Universe, the more we realize how little we know. The more we realize that we are not the King. To learn at the highest human levels is ultimately to become more humble. Wisdom actually begins when we acknowledge our ignorance.

A few days ago, I was driving home in San Marco. I was thinking about work and I was about to make a phone call on my cell phone when a small but fierce crossing guard starting blowing her whistle frantically and marched out into the street towards my car. She stared me down and made such a racket with that whistle that I slowed almost to a stop. It turns out that I was going too fast. It was a 15 mile an hour zone because the kids were just about to get out of school. She was waking me up to the fact that I could hurt someone if I didn't slow down. Once I was nearly stopped  she nodded and smiled at me, as if to say, "Good. You heard me." 

5 foot nothing and full of authority, she was right.

Jesus is blowing a whistle with this story. Is it designed to frighten you? Maybe a little bit. I am not opposed to a hellfire and brimstone in the Episcopal church for a change! Because the truth is that it is not OK to just do what you like with your life. No, how you treat others, especially the poor, has a direct impact on your salvation. So slow down and pay attention to what you are doing with your time, with your life. It does matter. We don't know how, because we are not the King, but we need to be concerned with the matter in which we live our lives.

In this story, salvation has everything to do with recognition. When you serve God, you come to know God, and when you die, the King recognizes you. If you race through life doing what you want, if you live your life like a goat and do not follow Jesus and you don't take time to get to know the King, the Holy One won't know you. "I do not know you," he says. "I have not had a relationship with you." 

When someone comes to your front door, you let them in if you know them. That is what the King does. Salvation is based on recognition and relationship.

We don't know exactly what will happen at the end of our lives or at the end of days, but we know what we need to know. We know that serving God in this life matters, that there is a judgement and that we are to take our faith seriously. The whistle is blowing even now. Slow down and make sure that you come to know the King.

Oil for Your Lamps

It's not every day that two members of this Cathedral are on the front page of the Florida Times Union. Congratulations to John Corse and Ed Graves, two of the four swimmers whose collective ages total 362 years, which means that their average age is 90. They recently won 14 events in the Rowdy Gaines Masters Classic in Orlando. As John said, there are not many in their age bracket. They seem to win mostly by outlasting the competition. They have been swimming together three times a week for many years and continue to compete. What an example for us all. They keep moving and acting as if they are young, and lo and behold, they are still carrying the torch. They are incredible!

How do we keep our light shining? How do we keep young and fit, and not just physically but spiritually? How can we make it through the struggles and challenges of this life and not get beaten down and still find joy?

The season of Advent is rapidly approaching and already we are hearing echoes of Christ's coming in Scripture. Already, we are told to wait, to keep our lights burning, our lamps lit. Jesus tells us to be ready, for when he comes, we want to recognize him. 

Jesus tells us a story this morning about a wedding banquet. When it comes to alluding to heaven, Jesus often talks about parties or banquets. There was no better comparison for heaven itself than a great party, full of joy and celebration. And in Jesus' day, there was no greater party than a wedding banquet.

Scholars have not been entirely able to piece together the events of a New Testament wedding at the time of Jesus. We don't know the exact order of events but we do know that the wedding was a whole series of parties and banquets, often lasting up to one week. We also know that it was the single greatest celebration in that culture, for a man was about to leave his father and mother and make new life with a woman. It was a celebration of procreation itself, of the miracle of childbirth and the continuation of the family line. And much of the ceremony had to do with moving the bride from her parents house to the home of the bridegroom. 

A number of bridesmaids would gather at the home of the bride in the evening. They would be carrying lamps, lit with oil. We don't know if these lamps were simply pieces of wood, wrapped in material that was dipped in oil or if they actually were some kind of enclosed fire. The gospel mentions trimming their wicks, so the old parts of the lamp that had burned would be trimmed back and more oil had to be added in some way if they were to last a long time.

Once their lamps were lit, the bridesmaids would then escort the bride to the home of the bridegroom, where the bride would enter and become his wife. One theory is that once the marriage was consummated, the bridegroom would open the doors of his home and invite the bridesmaids inside to a great banquet, a great feast, where all his friends and relatives would be gathered. And everyone would eat and dance and celebrate love and life itself.

In this parable, there are ten bridesmaids, five are wise and five are careless. They walk to the home of the groom and wait outside for the party. This waiting takes awhile and they all go to sleep, as it is late at night. But only the five wise bridesmaids bring extra oil. Only the wise have a reserve. When the bridegroom opens the door to let them in, they must have their lamps lit so that he can see them. When the five foolish bridesmaids realize that their lamps have burnt out, they ask for oil from the wise bridesmaids but the wise ones tell them that they do not have enough and the foolish are forced to go and buy more. By the time that the foolish bridesmaids return, the bridegroom has shut the door. So the foolish bridesmaids knock and the bridegroom opens the door but does not recognize them and will not let them in. Presumably, many others have knocked and tried to enter as well and the bridegroom does not know that these ones are bridesmaids. Their chance is lost because they did not bring enough reserve.

Did you know that you can store up love and joy in your heart? Did you know that gratefulness actually multiplies but so does despair? Just like John and Ed swim three times a week and build up strength in their bodies, so we can practice thanksgiving and joy in an effort to wait for God.

Most of us have already experienced both great joy and great pain in this life. Your identity, your knowledge of your self and the way that you picture your life will come from these experiences. You can choose who you are and what you store up for yourself. Do you hold onto grudges and unfair circumstances? There are plenty to pack away in baggage that you can carry everywhere, you know. Or are you able to forgive the past mistakes that you and others have made? Can you hold onto the memories of happiness that you have, moments of insight, time spent with loved ones, inexplicable glimpses of beauty? What do you hold in your reserves?

The oil that the wise bridesmaids carried with them was fuel for burning, for making light. It illumined who they were so that the bridegroom could see them and invite them in. When Christ comes again, will you be lit up with thanksgiving, or will your life be shrouded in the grey matter of worry and doubt and despair? Love burns brightly. Gratitude burns brightly. And every one of us has something that we can be thankful for.

In 2011 a Canadian rabbi named Ronnie Cahana had a stroke. He was 57. He lost his ability to move any part of his body. He was paralyzed from the neck down, had to be on a ventilator. When his daughter came to him in the ICU, she began to speak aloud the alphabet. He would blink when she came to the correct letter. Slowly, she wrote down his first communication. "Kitra, my beauty, don't cry. This is a blessing." He would later go on to tell her that there are no dead ends, only doors to move through. He would remain grateful for his life, and become an inspiration to many. 

As you begin to think of the coming of Christmas, think of the true gifts that God has already given you. Know that Jesus wants you to come inside his kingdom, his banquet, but he will not recognize you if you have covered yourself up with fear and resentment. Who is it that you chose to be?  A child of the light or a child of the darkness? What is in your reserve? What do you practice? Resentment or Thankgiving? Fear or hope? Self-pity or awareness? What is in your reserve?

John and Ed get into that cold water three times a week to praise life, even when it hurts. They keep their lamps lit even as they age. Keeping joyful is not easy. It is work. It is choosing, every day, to see the good, to give thanks for the gift of life, even when it hurts. Keep your lamps lit with joy for the greatest joy awaits you and Christ always recognizes a grateful heart.