November 15, 2015

                  We live in a time of anxiety. We are so surrounded by it that we have to make a great effort to avoid it. Only a little more than a year ago, we went through the worst of our financial crisis. No one knew if we would have any money or any jobs. We continue to be at war. We are under threat from terrorism and mysterious viruses. My children are finishing college and not only do I have to figure out a way to pay for it, there seems to be no guarantee that they will find a career once they finish.

                  Given our situation, we don’t know whether to be comforted or alarmed by Jesus’ words this morning. His dark vision seems a little bit of a non-sequitor after the harmless opinions of the disciples. They are impressed by the majesty of the temple. Jesus answers that the world will end. Where did that come from?

                  The early church had its own share of anxiety and uncertainty. The gospel of Mark was written down very soon after the city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. Perhaps it is a little comforting to know that other Christians in other times have had to live with impending disaster. We are assured that our task is not to figure out the answer but to remain faithful when all our familiar supports seem to be failing.

                  The early church had the hindsight to look at the destruction of Jerusalem as a kind of judgment of the disbelieving Jews as well as an affirmation of their faith in Jesus. But I think Jesus was speaking about something else besides cosmic events. Jesus was judging the very life of the temple and all the things that were done there in the name of God.

                  This reflection about the temple from Jesus and the disciples comes as they are watching all the people stream in and leave their contributions for the temple. The rich and powerful leave their very public gifts and Jesus notes that a poor widow gives all that she has (even if it only a few pennies.) I think this is part of Jesus’ declaration that this whole system will have to fall down. The temple may look impressive, but it had lost its purpose. Instead of freeing people to worship God, the temple had become an impersonal bureaucracy that used people and kept them from God.

                  The gathering of people in God’s name should be an occasion of joy. As we gather we should support each other and have the ability to draw in others to the love of God that we are experiencing. Our fear today is the future of this institution. We may not fear the apocalyptic vision of Jesus, but we wonder if we will still be around in the near future. We share the more personal and emotional anxiety of Hannah we heard about in the first reading. Her husband loved her but she was childless. We might have some understanding of the grief of a person who wants children but cannot have them. Hannah lived in an age when women were judged by how many sons they gave their husbands. Hannah was shamed and taunted by her rival Peninnah.

                  The extended family gathered to offer sacrifices to God and celebrate in thanksgiving. How many people do we know who will gather on thanksgiving with their families to face the shame of their failures. We are not unfamiliar with how families keep their pettiness for years. Siblings keep score and keep old grudges alive. Hannah was tormented at a time when she should have been celebrating. After the feast she goes off by herself to pray in the holy place. The insensitive priest tells her to stop drinking and get out. Even when she begins to open her grief to Eli, he still dismisses her with a curt “God bless you.” But God hears her. Hannah has a son. She gives him back to God as a nazarite. He becomes the prophet to anoint Saul and David.

                  You could say that her theology is deficient. She sort of bargains with God – “If you give me a son, I’ll give him back to you.” Her song of praise is sort of vindictive, crowing at the suffering of her tormentors. However, she is honest. She pours out her heart to God. She expects to be heard. Once she asks, she leaves her burden with God. Finally, when her prayer is answered, she keeps her end of the bargain. What she lacks in theological subtlety, she makes up for in faith.

                  Perhaps we can learn this from Hannah. We find ourselves in difficult time. The church is no longer in a place of respect. Our losses and failures have left us in a place of shame. We fear that we will lose our place of relevance in the life of this community. We deeply desire to be in a better place. There seems no easy answer.

                  Some sort of nifty gimmick will not save us. We won’t succeed by praying harder or working faster. We have to begin with our honest desires. We need to be open and sincere with God. We need to speak our hearts desire and we need to voice our deepest fears. Then we need to stop and let God work in and through us. Instead of telling God what to do, we need to seek what God wants to do in us. Finally, we need to walk in faith. God has shown us the next smallest step. We need to take that one step until we know the next.

                  This is not a blueprint of certainty. We have no idea what God has in store for us. We only know that God loves us. That has to be enough for us now.