“The Realm of God is Like This” Part 5

Apocalypse! Wildwood Mennonite Church // July 19, 2020

Worship Leader: Warren E // Music Leader: Linda G // Sermon: Joe H

Welcome to Wildwood...

...or rather, thanks for welcoming us into wherever you are in this at-home worship format.

This is not where we thought we'd be this summer! We are grateful for the familiar patterns

and relationships that we have been able to resume, yet we are still grieving the loss of those

that have changed and we are still feeling our way through the murkiness of whatever it is that

is emerging.

As people of faith, we trust that God is present in all of those spaces: in the familiar, in the

grieving, in the unknown. And we are grateful that you have joined us in this place, a reminder

that we never walk alone. Welcome.

We would like to welcome each and everyone of you to our worship service today. May we all

experience God’s presence wherever you are joining us from this morning. Let us take a

moment to calm ourselves, and listen to our music for meditation.

Music For Meditation // Parable of the 10 Virgins Song

Call to Worship // from Psalm 19 (NRSV)

The heavens are telling the glory of God;

and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

Day to day pours forth speech,

and night to night declares knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words;

their voice is not heard;

yet their voice goes out through all the earth.

May the words we express both out loud and quietly all be heard.

Prayer for Truth and Reconciliation // Marg Epp

For today’s prayer for truth and reconciliation I’d like to share some thoughts from a book

which I am presently reading. This book, from the pastor’s library is titled Don’t Label Me:

How to Do Diversity Without Inflaming the Culture Wars by Irshad Manji, a Canadian writer,

who has a knack for using humour in tackling a serious issue - how we tackle diversity. She

writes about there frequently being two camps - those for and those against/the us and the

other. Manji’s point is that if the social gains we've made are to endure, they need buy-in from

those who disagree with us. This means seeking common ground, even as we stand our

ground. To put it simply, if you want to be heard, you first have to hear. She uses a powerful

metaphor to illustrate this. Be like water.

Martin Luther King Jr., in one of his famous speeches, said “No, no, we are not satisfied, and

we will not be satisfied until “justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty

stream,” right from Amos 5:24 (which is a passage better left to Joe or Eileen to interpret than

me!) Manji refers to Bruce Lee, yes Bruce Lee, Hong Kong American actor, director, martial

artist, and martial arts instructor. Many labels! I knew of Bruce Lee as having those labels but

when I went to Google to find out more, he is also described as having been a philosopher and

a famous quote of his was Be like water, my friend.

So here is Irshad Manji’s explanation of “be like water”, some worthy thoughts to ponder as

we think about truth and reconciliation and how to live alongside those with whom we

disagree.

Water respects the obstacles in its midst by treating them as a natural part of the

surroundings. Water could choose to view rocks as the Other, since they get in the way of the

flow. But to focus energy on pushing the rocks aside, or to demand that they disappear, would

be to wage war against the life-breathing universe that gave rise to both the water and the

rocks. Water is going to lose that war. Thankfully, water knows better. To keep flowing, it

approaches the rocks with grace, washing over them, gliding around them, seeping into them,

loosening them, reshaping them, and with time, eroding them. Some of the rocks will fall away

from the wall and enrich the water with their nutrients. Water wins without the rocks having to

lose. Water makes room for the majority of the rocks - not the ones that seek to keep water

out, but the ones that water itself has prematurely kept out.

When we, diversity’s supporters, clear space for diversity’s skeptics, then diversity will be

consistent. It will have integrity.

The Prayer for Truth and Reconciliation.

Help us to be like water

Help us to love our neighbors more than we love ourselves, respecting differences,

and embracing our commonalities to find common ground.

Help us to be your echoes of mercy and whispers of love.

Use our hands to extend help to those who are in need of it.

Help us to listen.

Help us to be like water.

Amen.

Offering Prayer

Dear Lord, May you use all the gifts we have in your name, as we share a part of what we have

to give to your service in this time of much change. May it all be blessed by you.

In Jesus name Amen.

Song // Man of Galilee // Linda Rich

Children’s Story // Click here for video storytime with Brenda!

Today’s story is Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCoskey.

Scripture // Matthew 25:1-13 (The Inclusive Bible translation)

“Then again, the kindom of heaven could be likened to ten attendants who took their

lamps and went to meet the bridal party. Five of them were wise; five were foolish. When

the foolish ones took their lamps, they didn’t take any oil with them, but the wise ones

took enough oil to keep their lamps burning. The bridal party was delayed, so they all fell

asleep.

“At midnight there was a cry: ‘Here comes the bridal party! Let’s go out to meet them!’

Then all the attendants rose and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise,

‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘Perhaps

there won’t be enough for us; run to the dealers and get some more for yourselves.’

“While the foolish ones went to buy more oil, the bridal party arrived; and those who

were ready went to the marriage feast with them, and the door was shut. When the

foolish attendants returned, they pleaded to be let in. The doorkeeper replied, ‘The truth

is, I don’t know you.’

“So stay awake, for you don’t know the day or the hour.

Sermon // “Apocalypse Now (and then)” // Joe Heikman

(If you’d rather watch than read, click here for the full video version on youtube)

What does it look like to live in wisdom and faithfulness

in the middle of the Apocalypse?

Remember the days when that used to be a

hypothetical question reserved for zombie movie

enthusiasts? Those were the days...

I suppose I have thought about this more than some folks even before 2020. I spent a good deal of

my teens fascinated with the genre of biblical doomsday fiction popularized by the Left Behind

series of novels.

But now that an actual Apocalypse is upon us, it certainly looks and feels much different than I had

imagined it would.

And yes, I do think that 2020 is an Apocalypse, though I don’t think it’s the end of the world.

As you biblical scholars will know, that word goes back to the Greek title of the last book of the

Bible: Apokalypsis Iēsou Christou, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ,” that’s how the book opens.

While the definition of apocalypse has since taken on the “end of days” connotations of the

subject matter of the book, its literal meaning is indeed “revelation.”

Kalýptō: “to cover” and apó: “away from” - to take away the cover, to lay bare, to bring to light, to

reveal, to make known.

So there’s a tension in this word as we use it now. There’s the negative of the disaster, the end of

the world as we know it, yes, and that is tragic and threatening and traumatic.

But there’s also something gripping, something provocative in the potential of the unveiling.

When the surface stuff of the old way is gone, what will be strong enough to remain? And what

new ways might grow on the indestructible bones of what remains?

Of course, I don’t need to tell you any of this. We’re all living it. Apocalypse 2020, the year of the

Great Unmasking.

What does it mean to live in wisdom and faithfulness amidst this kind of revelation?

Of course, this is an ancient human question. The Bible has a whole genre of teachings devoted to

it; “apocalyptic literature”, the scholars call it. The writers were attempting to come to terms with

the uncertainty, present and future, to separate the good from the bad, to understand which

pieces were to be resisted and which parts were the necessary earth-shattering tremors of God

bringing about a new and better age.

The “Parable of the Bridesmaids” that we’re focusing on today is part of that collection, filled with

that Apocalyptic tension between what will happen at “the end of days” and what is happening

right now.

What we now call the 1st Century was filled

with that tension for Jesus’ Jewish people.

The dominance of the Roman Empire meant

that stability and security were beyond their

control. The common people were subject to

the whims of the empire, and their well-being

was dependent on the integrity and skill of

local political and religious dynasties that

often did not have their best interests in

mind.

Someday, perhaps soon, this will all come crashing down. For worse, or for better, it was beyond

their control.

So that’s part of what was on the mind of Jesus’ followers in Matthew 24 when they came to him

to ask, “when is the end of days coming, and what will it look like?”

But there was also a personal, immediate tone to that question for those specific disciples and

their leader.

The day before this conversation, Jesus and his followers were leading a parade into the City of

God. You know the one, Palm Sunday, the Triumphal Entry,

“Hosanna, hosanna! Blessed is the One who Comes in the

Name of God!”

This was an event filled with symbolic meaning. For

generations, centuries, the Jews had been waiting for the

promised one, the one who would come and fulfill God’s

commitment to them. They were God’s Chosen, God’s Beloved, and when Messiah came, he

would usher them into the Kingdom of God, a new stage in their relationship. Like a coronation or

inauguration day.

Or, I don’t know, a wedding party.

Jesus led that parade straight to the Temple of Jerusalem, the House of

God. That was where the revolution was meant to begin. They had

always imagined the resistance of the religious leaders melting away,

that all of the Jews would embrace Jesus as Messiah. Like Moses and

Elijah in the ancient stories, he would lead the rise and reformation of

God’s People. A whole new world for the Jews, centered on Jesus as

the true representation of God in the Temple.

But that’s not how the day went. When Jesus and the

crowd marched into the Temple, the religious leaders

barely noticed. Until Jesus started flipping over tables in

the market. When their economics were on the line, the

leaders gave Jesus all the attention he wanted--and quickly

pushed him out of the Temple.

The next morning, Jesus went back to the Temple to give it

one last shot at explaining his vision and calling to the temple leaders. But they put up the same

old resistance, the same tired arguments, and Jesus got fed up and left, but not before he tore

them a new one on his way out the door. (Look it up, it would have been a huge hit on Twitter!)

And so the disciples were back on the outside of the “House of God.” There would be no

inauguration, no throne speech, no wedding feast in the Temple this day or any other day.

Can you imagine the despair of that moment? It’s tough to speculate on what Jesus himself was

thinking, as he seemed to have seen this coming from the beginning.

But for his followers, this was devastating. They had been looking forward to this moment for

years, pushing Jesus to make his move, to declare himself publicly and claim his throne. This was

the day of the most important sales presentation, the AGM, the big interview, the entrance

exam...and they had fallen flat on their faces. No one was convinced, they failed the test, nobody

signed up for their program, just hostile silence in

the conference room.

And collectively, this was to be the day of hope for

their movement, their nation. This was election

day, the day of the big march, the first day of the

new world! And then nothing. Their candidate lost,

the crowds failed to materialize, the headlines

were all bad news. The revolution burned out. The

New World was lost.

It was the end of the world as they thought they knew it, and they did NOT feel fine.

And so that evening Jesus’ followers came to him privately and asked, “What is going on? If this is

not your time, our time, when is it coming? And when it comes, how will we know?”

Jesus answered with what feels like the darkest speech of his career:

Jesus continues like this for the full chapter, describing torture, assasinations, foreign invasion,

propaganda, economic instability, ecological disaster…

And yet, Jesus says, “this is not the end. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.”

On the worst day the disciples had yet faced, Jesus describes for them the darkest timeline of

potential outcomes. And in the middle of that, he challenges them to pay attention, for something

new is being born. New life is rising.

When you least expect it, that’s when God will show up.

And so, given all of that context, Jesus asks what it means to be faithful and wise when it feels like

the world is ending.

And to answer his own question, Jesus tells four stories. One of which is directly about wisdom:

The Parable of the Bridesmaids.

Ten maidens go out to escort the groom to the wedding

feast, but the groom is delayed until late in the evening. As

they wait, they all fall asleep. When the groom arrives it’s

nearly midnight and all of their lamps have burned out. Five

of them have brought extra lamp oil, but they refuse to

share it with the others whose oil has run out.

So the five who have lit their lamps and go into the

house for the wedding, while those who have not are

left to scrounge around at midnight to come up with

extra oil on their own. When they finally arrive at the

party, the door is closed and the gatekeeper denies

them entry: “don’t fall asleep, because who knows

when the time will come?”

Now, I know a lot of us learned that this is a story about “being ready when he comes.” I learned

that it was about purity, that I had to be on constant guard so that I would be found worthy when

Jesus comes back. That meant constantly trying to keep my hands clean by doing the right thing,

obeying God’s Law. And trying to keep my heart clean by asking for grace and forgiveness,

constantly. Because only the holy can enter God’s presence, and I did not want to be left behind!

Now, that was an effective deterrent against “sinful” behaviour in my younger days… There are

some things you definitely do not want to be caught doing when the rapture comes!

But this is not a story about purity. Think about it: the ten maidens in the story are described as

virgins. We usually read this in English as bridesmaids or wedding attendants, but the Greek word

is virgin. The same word used to describe the Virgin Mary in the Christmas story. These young

women are chaste, righteous, pure--all of them. It was not a lack of purity that divided them and

kept some of them away from the feast.

The distinction is wisdom.

And, as tends to happen with Jesus, the definition of wisdom gets flipped on its head.

Here again, the surface answer seems obvious: wisdom is preparation. The foolish maidens don’t

bring enough oil for their lamps, so they get left out. That sounds like good, old fashioned

Saskatchewan common sense, eh? If you fail to prepare, well, you deserve what you get.

But there’s a twist. As I hoped at least some of you picked up on earlier, this wedding story echoes

the Palm Sunday experience of Jesus and his followers the day before. Group of people waiting for

their promised one, their betrothed. When he finally shows up, they go with him to party central,

the house of God.

But instead of one big party, there is

division. Some people on the inside

and others on the outside.

Jesus’ followers thought they were

going in, to the wedding feast in the

Temple, but instead they found

themselves on the outside, again.

How did that happen?

That’s the question Jesus is answering here.

Again, what divided them was not purity and righteousness, and neither was it preparation or

attention. I know the moral at the end of the story says “Stay awake, for you don’t know the day

or the hour.” But in the story, all of the maidens fell asleep. They were all virgins, and they all fell

asleep.

The distinction between insiders and outsiders was not purity, and it was not attention.

The disciples were good Jews--they kept the law, they followed the traditions and rituals. They

weren’t priests, but they did their part. They brought what oil they had to the party.

They didn’t bring extra flasks of oil, because they didn’t have extra flasks of oil!

Rich folks like me might miss that point, because we’ve never had to go without oil. But oil was a

commodity back then, as it is now, and this is a story about economics.

This is a story about the haves and the have-nots. And from the perspective of the haves, well, the

lack of oil is the have-nots’ fault and their problem to solve. Get your own oil, irresponsible

people! We can’t be expected to share what we have--if we share with you, we might run out

ourselves! There is not enough here for everyone, so you need to go away.

Why did the disciples find themselves on the outside of the Temple? Because the insiders were

protecting their resources, refusing to share. They treated the grace of the Temple, the presence

of God, as a commodity to be protected, because there might not be enough to go around. That

selfishness and anxiety-driven hoarding had been around for a while, but here it was revealed in

the light of the Apocalypse.

What, then, is wisdom? Is it wisdom to stockpile and guard your treasures, physical and spiritual?

Is it wisdom to tell the have-nots to go fend for themselves? Is that what it means to “be ready

when he comes”?

I think you know what Jesus would say to that.

In the parable, the five “wise” maidens go in with the groom to the wedding feast, and you can

imagine the smug, self-satisfaction at the sight of the empty seats, like Cinderella’s step-sisters.

“Oh, I suppose Cinderella didn’t have anything to wear to the ball after all…”

But where is Jesus, on the inside or the outside?

The day before, on Palm Sunday, he tried to go into the Temple for the wedding feast. But when

he rejected the exploitation of the Temple leaders, when he stood up for the have-nots and took

his place with them, he was kicked out.

And so the promised one left the feast. The groom left the wedding party. The representative of

God left the Temple. The Presence of God was no longer in the House.

True wisdom, then, is recognizing that God is not in the

Temple

To the disciples in their Apocalypse, despairing at being

left on the outside, Jesus is reassuring them that they had

not missed it. The wedding party was not cancelled, it had

merely changed venues. The Reign of God was being

inaugurated in a new realm, being born in a whole new

way.

So then, you ask, if God is not in the Temple, then where? Where do we find God in the

Apocalypse?

In the interest of time, I have to skip over the Parable of the Talents, another fantastically

upside-down story, to get to Jesus’ closing argument.

At the ultimate Apocalypse, Jesus says, people will be divided into two groups: the wise and the

foolish, the faithful and the unfaithful, the sheep and the goats. Those who have found God and

those who have missed it.

Those who found God? They are surprised, because they didn’t spend their time at the Temple

and they didn’t hoard their oil.

They shared their food with the hungry.

They shared their water with the thirsty.

They welcomed the foreigners.

They put their clothes on other people’s backs.

They took care of those who were sick.

They stood with those who were oppressed.

And in caring for others, they met God.

That’s what it is to be an essential worker in the apocalypse!

What is wisdom when the world is running

short on supplies? Self-preservation? Or doing

what we can to look out for the good of those

who have less than we do?

Wisdom is generosity, hospitality, and

compassion. Even in the Apocalypse.

Because in sharing and caring, we meet God.

This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is not a secondary matter. It’s not an add-on in the salvation package. It’s not something we

work our way up to after we get our house in order. It’s not a spiritual discipline, it’s not a special

calling for saints and heroes.

This is the Way! This is the path to God.

Even in the Apocalypse. When you feel like you’ve lost it all, the way to find God is in rejecting the

model of scarcity economics, in refusing to exploit others, in sharing your oil with whoever finds

their lamp going out.

Not so that we can be good enough to get into the realm of God. But because this is where God

lives.

Compassionate, unselfish love is the House of God. That is the revelation of the Apocalypse.

May God grant us the wisdom to see the way and the faithfulness to carry it through. Amen.

Song of Response // God Will Make A Way // Don Moen

Sharing Time // "Hey Wildwood..." online sharing

Not hearing from one another in person through the Sharing Time is a significant loss for many

of us. It’s not the same, but one way to express your grief, anxiety, prayer requests and

gratitude is through the “Hey Wildwood” link above. If you’re able, join us for our Sunday

Morning Zoom gatherings, or check your email for the sharing items from last Sunday. Or

maybe now would be a good time to pause your reading to call someone from church or

elsewhere that you haven’t heard from this week.

Congregational Prayer

Dear Lord, We gather together here as a part of your family, spread out over many miles but

yet still as one family. We bring to you our joys, our concerns and our lives to you. May you

continue to show your presence in our lives. And be the strength for those who need it and the

force we need to keep moving forward as we let our lives be an example to those around us.

In Jesus name we pray Amen.

Song // Lord, You Have Come to the Seashore // Hymnal Worship Book #229

Benediction

May we go forth from this time of worship with a renewed sense of purpose and care for the

world around us. May the coming week be a blessing for us and the people whose lives we

touch each day.