NOTES FOR REFLECTION

November 6                           NOTES FOR REFLECTION                         Pentecost 21

Texts: Amos 5:18-24; 1 Thessalonians 4:9-18; Matthew 25:13

Theme:  Not easy to put into words today.  Perhaps "For Your Urgent Attention", except that it sounds like the heading to a scam email!  What we are dealing with is "the end of the age" in one form or another.  Perhaps "The Last of Many Comings" might suggest the approach I'm intending to take.  Rather than preparing for the "Final Examination" (actually, given the time of the year, that wouldn't be a bad choice of theme!), I want to stress that God in Christ is continually coming to us, if only we are prepared and ready to encounter him.

Introduction.  In Old Testament times there had developed an idea of a time of final accountability to God, usually described by the phrase "The Day of the Lord".  It took various forms; sometimes it seems that Israel as the chosen people of God would escape judgment, and the foreign nations would cop the lot.  At other times it seems that Israel was to be especially judged because, being the people of God, she was accountable to God in a unique way.  With the coming of the Christian era, the "Day of the Lord metamorphosed" into Christ's return (popularly but incorrectly called "the Second Coming").  With that change we move from judgment to salvation.

Background.  Metropolitan Anthony, one of my favourite spiritual writers, favours the word "encounter" to describe those tantalisingly brief moments when we sense the presence of God or Christ with us; and he says that every such encounter carries with it an element of judgment.  The classic text that perfectly illustrates the point is Luke 5:8, where Peter suddenly realises who Jesus is and falls at his feet saying, "Go away from me, Lord, I am a sinful man."  Metropolitan Anthony believes that God will not reveal himself to us until we are ready to receive that revelation: "it is an act of his infinite mercy to me not to be present to me while I am yet not capable of sustaining his coming".  Meditation on a Theme, p.38.

In the following passage (ibid, p.47), Metropolitan Anthony extends this concept of encounter to the meeting of others:

An encounter is rarely experienced, if you give it its full meaning.  People's paths cross, they come up against each other – how many pass us by in the course of a single day without seeing us?  And how many are those at whom we look with unseeing eyes, to whom we address neither a look, nor word, nor smile?  And yet, everyone of those people was a Presence, an image of the living God, whom God may have sent to us with a message or to receive a message from God through us, a word, a gesture, a look of acknowledgment, of compassion, of understanding.  To be carried past one another in the street or in life, by the crowd or by chance, is not yet an encounter.  We must learn to look and see – to look attentively, thoughtfully, taking in the features of a face, its expression, the message of a countenance and of the eyes.  We must learn, each of us...to see one another in depth, looking patiently, as long as necessary, in order to see who it is who stands before us.

Amos.  In one of the most scathing attacks in the prophetic books Amos excoriates the complacency of the self-righteous.  They are looking forward to the Day of the Lord (the Day of Judgment) because they are sure that their religious practices will have won enough Brownie points with God to ensure a favourable outcome.  But God abhors all their empty religious ceremonies and rituals because they are not offered from the heart.  What God wants of his people is true righteousness, manifested as justice.

Taking It Personally.

·        Do you look forward to the Day of the Lord with excitement, hope, fear, curiosity,

disbelief, or none of the above?

·        How might God view the worship we offer in our churches?  Do you enter into it wholeheartedly, or somewhat mechanically?

·        What do you understand by God's call for "justice"?  Do you consider yourself a just person?

·        How do you feel about the "Occupy Wall Street" movement?  Does the term "Equity for Humanity" sound like something God might be calling for in this passage?

·        What can you offer back to God in response to this challenging passage?

Thessalonians.  Here is another take on this whole issue.  It is very clear from the Scriptures that the infant Church expected Christ's return at any moment.  As months and then years passed with no such return questions started to arise, along with a great concern about those who die before Christ comes back.  Will they miss out on the salvation Christ will bring with him?  St Paul assures them that this will not be so.  Indeed, "the dead in Christ will rise first".  [v. 16]  I don't think we are expected to pay too much attention to the precise imagery Paul uses here.  [This is, perhaps, the very first letter he wrote, and there is a certain primitiveness about his style and theology.  Contrast this with his more mature thought in 1 Corinthians 15.]

Taking It Personally.

·        Is this aspect of our Christian faith of burning interest to you, or do you give it little or any thought?

·        How would you answer the question put to St Paul if a child asked you "what has happened to Granny?"

·        Do you find this passage encouraging?  Who might you encourage with these words?  [v.18]

Matthew.  Matthew starts this new section of his gospel with a thematic statement at 24:36:  No one knows about that day or hour [of Jesus' return], not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Then he records a group of 5 related parables, all dealing in different ways with the sudden return of someone and the need to be alert and ready for this unexpected return.  Today's parable is one of that group.  By today's wedding practices, the story strikes us as odd in detail.  And many of us get upset about the unwillingness of the wise ones to share their oil with their less prudent counterparts.  But, of course, this parable is not about the need to be generous givers to those in need; it is about the requirement to be alert and ready to meet Christ whenever he is ready to come to us.  It is a warning against spiritual procrastination – the idea that we will give some thought to spiritual well-being later – when we've got more time, when we're less busy with more important matters, etc.

The reference to the oil may be related to the (rather surprising need) for wedding garments in the Parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22:12).  We have to be ready, prepared, and not just in the right place at the right time.  Some commentators suggest that the supply of oil represents our accumulation of good works, but that can't be right.  That would be a gospel of good works.  It's more likely to refer to our preparation by prayer and practice, making us able to see God when he comes to us.  That cannot be acquired from others: spiritual practice is something we have to do for ourselves.

Taking It Personally.

·        Read the passage from Metropolitan Anthony above.  Do you really encounter those you meet – or are you more like ships passing in the night?

·        Imagine you are sitting in a waiting room outside a closed door marked "God".  How long are you willing to sit and wait?

·        What are your feelings as you wait?

·        When the door opens how do you feel?

·        Do you feel sorry for the "foolish" ones?  If not, what do you feel towards them?

·        Are you ever guilty of spiritual procrastination?  Next time you catch yourself at it, take a moment to construct "an apology for absence" and present it in prayer to God.