The Proclaimed Word
Preached by the Right Reverend Grant Lynn Ford at
the Sunshine Cathedral on Sunday, November 18, 2007, at the 8:40 and
11:10 am services.
There are some axioms that just bear repeating. You know, those pithy
sayings that simply ring true the very first time you hear them. Such as,
“If at first you don’t succeed, then skydiving isn’t for you.” Or, “A day
without sunshine is like, well… night.”
How about this one? “A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad
memory.” And then there’s: “42.7% of all statistics are made up on the
spot.”
This one will make you think: “Despite the cost of living, have you noticed
how popular it remains?” And don’t look around when I remind you: “Half the
people you know are below average.”
This is my personal motto: “I intend to live forever; so far so good.”
It’s not surprising, then, to hear some interesting statements in our
readings this morning.
Baltasar Gracián was a 17th century preacher, writer, and
rebellious Jesuit priest. Today he is known as the quintessential Spanish
baroque writer, though in his day he was known to play pranks, even in the
pulpit. One Sunday his sermon was a so-called letter from hell, which got
him in trouble with his superiors. But his quote that we read today really
makes us stop and think. “Only excellence counts; only achievement endures.”
It brings us to the words of Jesus, when he tells his students:
“Know this: nothing material lasts forever!”
We don’t like to hear that. We want to go on forever. We want our life to
remain the same, only more comfortable, with more gadgets and goodies.
All this talk about the End Times is distressing. As the prophets cry out:
“The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The
rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not shine.” So what is all
this about “the day of the Eternal… a fierce day, with wrath and frightening
anger”?
Well, of course, prophets like to scare their listeners. But when we put
apocalyptic language into context, within the hopeful message of the Bible,
the “day of the Eternal” is not quite so scary. All this business of a
cosmos in turmoil reminds us that we as a human race — on a grand scale —
are in constant evolution, changing and growing. Why, even the Sunshine
Cathedral — on a more local scale — is changing and growing, and it causes
some of us to experience anxiety and stress. But it’s not the end of the
world, and it’s not the end of the church.
There is this strange little book at the back of your Bible called
The
Revelation of St. John the Divine
. If at all possible, ignore it.
Otherwise, please take note: it was undoubtedly not written by the Apostle
John. It is most likely at least three different documents.
Chapters one through three are letters to seven different actual churches
that really existed in Asia Minor at the end of the first century. They are
Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
These letters have been allegorized to death, but they were real letters
from a prison chaplain on the Island called Patmos. The African bishop
Dionysius, in the third century, calls him John the Presbyter or John the
Elder. He lived on the Island of Patmos, in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of
what we would today call Turkey.
Chapters four has a different flavor. I tend to agree with those who say it
was a theological treatise based on a communion liturgy used in the church
on Patmos.
The rest of the book was to the church back then as Star Wars is to
us today. Science fiction tells us what could happen, not what
will
happen. The same is true of apocalyptic or prophetic literature.
Barbara Marx Hubbard is what we call a futurist. In 1984 her name was
placed into nomination for Vice President at the Democratic National
Convention. Paul Ray, author of The Cultural Creatives, calls her “an
American original… one of the great visionaries of our time.” She even wrote
quite a commentary on the book of Revelation, taking a much more positive
view of this business of The End Times.
In an online interview, she spoke of the tragedy of 9-11 and other
cataclysmic events in the world, looking for hope “in every great tragedy,
if there is some sense of deeper meaning…”
She points to examples such as “people in concentration camps, people in
the most terrible situations as POWs,” saying that “it is said that when
they had a sense of faith and hope they could make it through.”
She continues: “If you have no sense of faith and hope and think it’s a
totally meaningless act, it’s almost intolerable. If you think that
underneath this terror, this horror and this suffering that there could be a
stimulus for millions, if not billions, of people to say: ‘Let’s go for
healing; let’s go for caring for each other; let’s go for cooperation…’”
In other words, she points out that the future has alternate possibilities,
just like prophetic writings. The choice of what we do about it will make
the difference as to the world we create for ourselves and our descendants.
Victor Frankl, the founder of the “Third Viennese School” of psychotherapy,
or Existential Analysis, says: “We who lived in concentration camps can
remember [those] who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away
their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer
sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a [person] but one thing:
the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set
of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Barbara Marx Hubbard calls all these turmoils “birth pangs” as we move into
a new millennium. She says, “I would like to see an uprising of
responsibility in social wellness and healing come out of this…”
And this is what Jesus is calling us to, when he warns us,
“Watch out so you’re not duped and deceived. All
kinds of people will come along, saying, ‘I’m the one!’ or ‘The time is
coming!’ Well, don’t run after them. You’ll hear of revolutions and riots.
Don’t be afraid! It’s not the End of All Things. These things happen.”
Even Jesus doesn’t get all upset with apocalyptic grumblings. Sure, he
says,
“Know this: nothing material lasts
forever!”
But he ends up by saying,
“By
not giving up you gain life!”
Victor Frankl also says, “Ever more people today have the means to live,
but no meaning to live for.”
But our shared ministry gives meaning to my life. It’s true that I am no
longer the Canon Pastor of this church. It’s also true that I am Dean of the
finest Cathedral in Christendom, and because I so passionately believe in
our shared vision and ministry, with the Reverend Canon Durrell Watkins
leading the way, I am increasing my giving by 25% beginning January 1, 2008.
I believe in what we are doing, and I believe we are creating a new world
with our shared ministry.
When your turn comes to make your pledge, I hope you’ll join me in a very
generous way, and that you’ll be proud to give with great joy.
We are making a world of a difference for people right here in South
Florida. We are helping to save lives in Jamaica and soon throughout the
Caribbean. With our MCC partners around the world we are helping to usher in
a new age of tolerance and respect, of love, consideration and compassion…
that will make Jesus proud. Why? Because we are continuing the work he
started, the work he then assigned for us to do.
Nothing lasts forever… but life itself. That’s why Jesus said:
“By
not giving up you gain life!”
And that’s the truth!