Where is Encouragement?
August 28, 2021
When
he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been
slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. (Rev 6)
Do
you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were
baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into
death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of
the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united
with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a
resurrection like his. (Rom 6)
(From the readings of Holy Scripture for the 14th Sunday after Pentecost)
I must confess this has been a discouraging week. Many people I care about are in pain, pain that will not easily heal. I believe that for many of us, watching the debacle that is Afghanistan has been disheartening. I watched our retreat from Afghanistan with sadness and frustration as the Taliban swiftly strode in and in a matter of days took Afghanistan back to where it was twenty years ago. But this could not compare to the horror and dismay of learning of the bombing at the airport in Kabul that cost the lives of thirteen young service members, wounding eighteen others, as well as killing many civilians including a British family with a young child who were just moments from safety.
Later that day came the news came that a friend of my family, a former parishioner, a young mother with two young children had passed after a three week battle with Covid. Then in the afternoon, a friend from High School posted she had lost her husband of over 30 years to the same.
It has been a sad and frustrating week, a week where the tragedy of this world is on stage, a week where we are reminded of just how powerless we are in the face of so many things. We hurt for the hurting. We grieve for the grieving. And we know there is more suffering to come. These are wounds that do not heal quickly. They remain with us when we awake the next day and the next week.
Our reading from Revelation for the 14th Sunday of Pentecost reads: When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. The Gospel story from Mark tells us of the beheading of John the Baptist. The Gospels show us that when the news came to Jesus and the disciples, many of whom had first followed John, that it was hard and distressing for them. Jesus sought out time alone with His disciples because they needed it. We may understand if some of the disciples wondered why Jesus had not asked His Father to intervene and save John. I read the comments of one woman who proclaimed the blood of the last week proves that God does not exist for if God existed all this evil would not.
Scripture reveals to us a stark truth. God will permit Christians to die even because of their faith. Does that mean that God will never intervene? No, but there is no promise that God will intervene. The Gospel reminds us of John killed for proclaiming the truth of God's Word to political power. Revelation describes saints killed for their faith. What does that mean? We'll come back to that.
Right now Christians are under threat in Afghanistan, lethal threat. News is coming through from organizations and from some of my friends who have connections in various church bodies with mission efforts there with reports of Christians being killed and threatened, especially clergy and missionaries. Reports of coming in of losing contact with Christians. There are reports of Christians reaching out to US contacts begging for help to get them out. But the biggest problem is they can't get to the airport and even if they do, Christians don't get priority for evacuation because of their faith. One Christian pastor wrote partners in the US saying he and his entire congregation expected to be martyred this week. Contact has been lost with them.
From war, persecution, plague and a host of things beyond our control we are seeing the world as it truly is when Jesus Christ is not at the heart of things. We are seeing a fallen sinful world on full tragic display. The things of this world too often fall short. Sometimes it is true that the things of this world save the day: a medical procedure saves a life, a government makes a right decision. But weeks like this one remind us that in the end there are limits to what people can do. In the end we shall all walk through the valley of the shadow of death. It is very discouraging, heart rending. Who would blame us if grief were to be the spirit of our times?
Where is there encouragement?
Where is there encouragement for a father who must now raise his two young children without a beloved wife and mother? Where is encouragement for two young children who thought they mommy was coming home, who didn't get to say goodbye? Where is encouragement for a wife who too soon has to bid farewell to her best friend and love of her life? Where is encouragement for families who in the past couple of days received a knock on the door from service-members in full dress come to deliver the news of the death of their sons? Where is encouragement when our nation's own leaders don't believe we can succeed and we must retreat? Where is encouragement when we hear the cries of brother and sister Christians for help and we have no power to help them?
We can only look to where there is true hope -- the promises of God in Christ.
The saints who are martyred cry out in heaven, how long Oh God?! How long will you tolerate this? How long before justice is done? And God says be patient to the saints for there are more yet who will be saved. And then God covers them with a white robe. For while our eyes are drawn to the sins, tragedies, and evils of the world, it is our own sin and contribution to evil that is the real existential threat to ourselves, an eternal threat.
And here Jesus does intervene, for He died for our sins and forgives those sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. He clothes us in a white robe, a robe of perfection, a robe of righteousness, His righteousness given for the saints. A robe so perfect that it is as if we had never sinned.
Christ intervenes to save us for eternity. Romans reminds us that all who are baptized into Christ are baptized into His death. Death will come for us, naturally after a long life, too early and tragically to disease, even unjustly to hatred and evil. But we who are baptized are baptized into His death and buried with Him so that "...as Christ was raised from the dead...we too may walk in newness of life." He promises us a resurrection like His.
This is where hope is found, where encouragement is encountered, where God is present. Jesus walks in the trenches among the dying and grants grace for everlasting life.
God calls us to do what we can for one another to prosper life and love wherever we can. But when it is more than we can do, when the fallen world has taken the upper hand and it looks like we must fail and fall, let us remember...
You are baptized. "For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His."
The ultimate victory was never about this world. This world is passing away. The ultimate victory provided by Christ is a promised new heaven and a new earth.
From Revelation Ch 21
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
In Christ's name,
Amen.
