It's the end of the world as we know it

Lk 21:29-33, Lk 21:34-36, Mk 13:33-37

I’ve lost count now about how many ‘ends of the world’ I’ve lived through, but I can tell you I have never lost even a moment’s sleep thinking about any of them.  Since I came to faith in the Almighty at age 17 I can remember “learned” men telling me from the television that the end is nigh.  And so far our record for living through the end is 100%.  I just shake my head and pray, not only for them, but the people who follow them, who due to their errant doctrines, teachings, and words will lose faith.  I don’t think the people who preach/ teach this are bad people.  I think they have fallen prey to other misinformed teachers, all of which are trying hard and teaching passionately, but who also mistake their portion of truth for fullness.  Because of that, thousands upon thousands are being led astray.  Jesus himself prophesied that this would happen: Luke 17: 23, Matt 24:23, Mark 13: 21, Luke 17: 21, Luke 21: 8.  It has, and for 19.99 they will gladly sell you a book telling you the theories they pass for fact. 

For the price of free, let’s now explore what Jesus has to say about end times.

Luke 21: 29-33

Jesus told his disciples a parable.

"Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.

When their buds burst open,

you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near;

in the same way, when you see these things happening,

know that the Kingdom of God is near.

Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away

until all these things have taken place.

Heaven and earth will pass away,

but my words will not pass away."

In Friday’s reading we begin with the parable of the fig tree.  Luke 21 is chocked full of times to come prophecy.  In 25-28 He talks about the signs that make men weak fainting with fear which warms us up for 29-33, where He basically equates it with watching for it like we watch for the changing of the season on a tree.  He goes on in the next reading….

Luke 21: 34-36

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy

from carousing and drunkenness

and the anxieties of daily life,

and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.

For that day will assault everyone

who lives on the face of the earth.

Be vigilant at all times

and pray that you have the strength

to escape the tribulations that are imminent

and to stand before the Son of Man."

Here I believe He is speaking through time to us and all future generations.  It was and is important, no matter now imminent or not, His return is that we remain non-complacent with our walk with the Father.  In our modern time, as it always has been, it’s easy to become distracted from our walk by the stress, worry, busy, of our daily lives and allow our walks to take the back seat.  We get focused on how we are going to pay our utility bill this month for the massive amounts of Christmas lights we have going, on top of the ton of gifts we have to buy which pulls our budgets well out of the comfort zone.  We allow ourselves to become distracted by that to the point that we literally miss why we are doing any of it at all.  Jesus warns us about this kind of behavior, and I take it a little bit more personally here.  I may not live to see the actual end of the literal world, but one day my world will end as it will for everyone drawing breath right now.  Death comes as suddenly as the end times will eventually come.  Frankly, that’s the end time we need to be most focused on preparing for by not allowing ourselves to become numb by carousing, drunkenness (whether we are drunk by alcohol or some other “comforting” agent), and distracted by anxiety.  He asks us to be vigilant at all times, and pray we have the strength to make it through the worst of any time we as the world, or we personally face. 

Mark 13: 33-37

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Be watchful! Be alert!

You do not know when the time will come.

It is like a man traveling abroad.

He leaves home and places his servants in charge,

each with his own work,

and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.

Watch, therefore;

you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming,

whether in the evening, or at midnight,

or at cockcrow, or in the morning.

May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.

What I say to you, I say to all: 'Watch!'"

Mark 13, like our previous chapter in Luke speaks a lot of the end times as well.  Our reading from Mark, again, asks us to be mindful, pray, and watch because it could happen at any time and will be completely unexpected.  We are to watch without expectation of knowing.  As I said in the earlier paragraph, while this applies to the end of days, it most certainly applies to our personal end day too.  We all must watch and be ready, anytime, anywhere, to meet our Divine Maker. Whether it happens globally, or personally, the point of Jesus warning us is to keep us focused on the fact this is all temporary.  He said in the first reading this very thing.  Everything will pass away, but the Word of the Lord will be forever.  That should be our comfort, and a constant companion in our minds as we wait, not only for His return, but for our return to Him.  Both things promise one thing: It will be the end of the world as we know it, and if we have kept our focus where it needs to be: we will be fine.

Just some food for thought and prayer.

Heavenly Father, please grant me the grace not to be deceived by distracted. Grant me the strength and wisdom to keep my focus on the Eternal and real so that when the end comes I have walked the narrow path back to You.  In Jesus name, AMEN!

Here I am, Lord, send me!

lisa brandel

On what side do you stand?

Matthew 25: 31-46

If today’s gospel doesn’t sober you up, you aren’t paying attention.  It does many things, including putting a pin in the balloon of the grace alone path of salvation.  Yes, we are save by grace given to us through Jesus, but He Himself tells us in this passage that we must cooperate with that by being servants to one another.  All too often we get caught up in the free gifts idea of what it means to be a Christian: Grant me grace, salvation, forgiveness, gifts of the spirit, understanding, and so on and so forth.  Yet, with privileges like that, there comes great responsibility.  A “ME” centric Christianity just doesn’t work.  We had two readings earlier in the week about the master giving his servants talents and how when returned he rewarded those servants who used the money to multiply his kingdom.  The one who hid what he was given was cast away.  We culminate those readings in today’s reading.  Let’s explore this together.

Mt: 25: 31

Jesus said to his disciples:"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him,

he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him.

And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left”.

This isn’t the first time this kind of divine shuffling is mentioned.  Matthew 3:12, Matthew 13: 30, Luke 3:17, John 15:2, all of these places in scripture just off the top of my head give us the same allusion.  The divine separating.  In this verse I practice my Ignation meditation skills by closing my eyes and attempting to place myself in this throng of people.  All nations through out all time standing before the majestic throne.  My limited human mind, I am sure, can’t conceive of such a splendorous thing, but even what I can come up with overwhelms me.  If you haven’t tried this kind of scriptural meditation before I suggest this beginning verse as it definitely leaves an impression on just how powerful and motivating it really is.  Then we go on to the next verses.

Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.'

This is yet again another sobering verse and when you read this and think on your life I want you to realize something very special and important.  All the people around you that are hurting, lonely, in need, or ill….they are the face of the Almighty himself.  Your friends, enemies, family, and strangers, everyone who has need…they are the Jesus himself.  Obviously, not literally, but in the same breath literally.   I am me, but if you have helped me in my time of need you literally have helped Jesus.  If your mind isn’t blown by that you aren’t paying attention.  I would dare to say that if we could embrace that, really truly embrace and understand that, how we treated EVERYONE would so drastically change the world would transform into something so beautiful and kind that joy would be found everywhere.  I would wager money that the anti-depressant industry would fold overnight, along with half the prisons, illicit drug use, and all the other slave to sin industries that thrive because we constantly hurt and ignore each other.  Jesus is telling us that not only is how we treat each other powerful here on earth it holds ETERNAL power as well.  He is saying that how we treat others is how we have treated HIM.  Let that soak in for a moment before you move to the next verse that makes me ill to dwell in it too long. 

Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.' Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

This verse tells me that a Me-centric Christianity doesn’t work.  We are called to be about each other.  We are called to be His hands in the world, and care for one another as we would care for Him.  In our minds, and actions, we often try to separate the wheat from the chaff by deciding who is worthy of help and who is not, but that isn’t our job.  Our job is to care for those around us without trying to decide if they are worthy of the care, because what we are doing is ultimately for God himself.  Life-style and nominal Christianity doesn’t exist, we are either living this truth, or we are goats.  By our own merit and works we are not saved, only grace does that, but faith without works is dead.  (James 2: 14-26)

Just some food for thought and prayer…

Heavenly Father, allow me to see Jesus and You in those people in need so I may be moved to action by love to serve them as I desire to serve You.  Let my work be about the importance of this, and not about my reward.  In Jesus name, AMEN!

Here I am, Lord, send me!

Lisa Brandel

What we do versus who we are

Matthew 23: 1-12

I know this is a gospel reading from ten days ago, but through all the readings this is the one that was on my heart to write about today.  When I was brought into the church I nearly wore a mantilla at my confirmation, but then didn’t, because of this scripture.  I had to examine my heart, pray, and humble myself before I began wearing the head covering to church due to this scripture.  I had to make sure that I was doing the right thing, for the right reasons.  In this instance, for me, I was. I wanted to show humility before the Lord, it was scriptural to do, and it wasn’t to show anyone else that “Me-so-holy.”  That was important.

The human ego hasn’t changed much since the time of Jesus, believe it or not, and the behavior of the Pharisees can be found in the church today.  Let’s explore what Jesus said, what it might mean for us, and how we can mindfully apply it to our walk.  It also may help us reveal who our true teachers are, which is also important. 

Matthew 23: 1-4

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,

"The scribes and the Pharisees

have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.

Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,

but do not follow their example.

For they preach but they do not practice.

They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry

and lay them on people's shoulders,

but they will not lift a finger to move them.

This, of course, is the essence of hypocrisy that Jesus is describing.  The people he is describing seek titles for power over other people.  They seek control for the sake of control, and do not aid those people they seek to control.  It’s here we get the old saying, “Practice what you preach.”  It’s important that we consider this scripture mindfully for a couple reasons.  If we are in a position of power, in the church or even in the world, it is important that we consider a few things.  The first being, are we in this position because this is God’s will, and what he truly called us to, or alternatively-is this the title we chased for our own glory.  That understanding is the foundation of the rest.  If we can answer that question honestly then we know how the rest is going to pan out for us.  If we sought the title for ourselves then I can almost promise you the rest of our behaviors are going to fall in line with what Jesus describes the Pharisees with, because we aren’t serving the Almighty, we are serving our own ego.  That is not a promise God wants from us.  If we place ourselves high when it’s not truly our place to be then we feel the need/desire to prove we belong there and that is how we become Pharisaical in nature.  Other people won’t notice we are frauds, if we assert our might on them keeping them in bondage to impossible standards.  If we are truly leaders, then we are as Jesus was, servant leaders helping reveal truth and also helping people live the truth.  We can, with examination, discern for ourselves and to a degree those who would teach and lead us, with this scripture what the is truth.  Beware, it is paradigm shifting.  It may mean we have to back away from things or people.  It may mean we have to step down and humble ourselves to release the human glory to obtain true obedience.

Matthew 23: 5-12

All their works are performed to be seen.

They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.

They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,

greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'

As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.'

You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.

Call no one on earth your father;

you have but one Father in heaven.

Do not be called 'Master';

you have but one master, the Christ.

The greatest among you must be your servant.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;

but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Before I go on about this, I want to clarify what a phylactery is and why widening it or lengthening tassels is an important picture to understand.  A phylactery (called a tefillin which is still in use in the Jewish religion) is a small leather container worn on the forehead connected to a leather strap which is wrapped around the arm.  It contains a bit of scripture.  It’s worn in morning prayer through the week day and was created as a sign that the Almighty brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt.  ( Exodus 13: 16 and 19, and Deut 6:9 Deut 11:18) The prayer tassels He is referring to are called Tzitzit (Numbers 15:38 and Deut 22:12) They are specially knotted fringes on a prayer shawl.  Each knot is symbolic of something important, and so an extra-long tassel might be to show just how much more observant the wearer happens to be.  If you want to translate this understanding into Catholic, Gentile/Goy, terms you might imagine someone carrying a massive rosary around to show how very prayerful they are.  You may also consider a priest who wears a bit extra for the glamor.  Even as I described in the beginning, a woman who wears head covering for the reason of showing off the humility. 

Jesus puts it plainly.  What they do is not done for the humble reason of obedience to the Lord, but for people to look at them in awe for how ‘holy’ they appear to be.  It’s not just what they/we do it’s why we do it that matters. 

If we want to be a priest, nun, brother, some kind of minister, for the title and honor we think it bestows on us, then we are calling ourselves to temporary glory.  The Lord does not honor that as Jesus explains in this passage.  Whatever we do, we should do it humbly as servants, for nothing other than the peace obedience brings. 

Just some food for thought and prayer.

Heavenly Father, show me where I work for my own glory so I may rectify my actions and make of myself an obedient servant that pleases you.  In Jesus name, AMEN!

Here I am, Lord, send me,

Lisa Brandel

Turning down a free banquet

Luke 14:15-24 and Rom 12:5-16ab

I have to admit I got a little chuckle out of today’s Gospel reading because I applied it to the modern mindset. 

Jesus is using something very primal to describe the invitation to Him, the Father, and Heaven.  It’s not something we even have to put into historical context, we can wrap our minds around it in completely modern understanding.  A rich man throws a feast and then invites everyone to come for free food.  Let’s pause for a moment.  Free. Food.  Literally a banquet.  Food all prepped up, probably some entertainment, wine…an absolutely free party.  All you have to do is come.  So, what happens….

Well, we see as the gospel unfolds, that the people invited give a list of excuses.  They purchased property, they got oxen, they got married.  All of which, if the person who had been invited had been truly committed and dedicated to going to the party, could have gone and tended to the other things later.  The newly married man could have brought his new wife to meet the host and dine with them.  The other two excuses, well, the property and oxen would still be there after the banquet had they truly wanted to come.  The rich man knows this and that is what/why enrages him.  He sees that these friends disregard the sacrifice and effort he put into the gift of his hospitality and he sees that none of that matters to the people he has invited.  It’s insult and injury, they wounded the master’s heart.

What happens next is allegory for how the goy (gentiles) were invited to share in the Kingdom.  The master calls for the lame, poor, sick, feeble, and stranger so that his house may be filled.  While this is/can be a picture of the evangelization of the pagan nations, we can also apply this to our own personal holiness and walk with the Almighty Father.  We are all called to his Kingdom, because it’s an individual invitation, not a corporate movement. When we do feel that call to follow and obey- how many of us have used some of those very lame justifications to excuse ourselves from going?  Too busy to pray? Too busy for church? Too busy to help your neighbor? Too busy, toobusy,tobizzy,cantdietoobusy.  So, we end up doing our will, and what we think can’t wait, and we miss out on the blessing of the free banquet.  That takes many forms too, not just the eternal.  How many blessings have we missed here on this earth because we were too busy to be obedient?   That’s why it made me chuckle.  We’ll break our necks to get to the breakroom for some store-bought cupcakes, but when the Maker of all things calls us to the eternal banquet suddenly we have to get our “to do list” done right this second.  As a people, we have not changed from that time to this. 

Now, what happens and how should we be if we do accept the Master’s invitation? Glad you asked, because our reading today in Romans helps us with that. 

We accept the invitation to the party and we get the image that there is one party and many partiers.  The party is the body of Christ, the Church, and within the church there are many parts.  (Hint, we are those parts.)  Each part, for coming to the party, has been given gifts by grace. Here is the catch, yes there is a catch, we are supposed to actually use these gifts at the party to make the party better. 

Romans talks about the Church body and gives us, once again, the charge to love and take care of each other, not by our own power, but using the gifts of the Almighty. 

Romans 12: 5-16

Brothers and sisters:

We, though many, are one Body in Christ

and individually parts of one another.

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us,

let us exercise them:

if prophecy, in proportion to the faith;

if ministry, in ministering;

if one is a teacher, in teaching;

if one exhorts, in exhortation;

if one contributes, in generosity;

if one is over others, with diligence;

if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Let love be sincere;

hate what is evil,

hold on to what is good;

love one another with mutual affection;

anticipate one another in showing honor.

Do not grow slack in zeal,

be fervent in spirit,

serve the Lord.

Rejoice in hope,

endure in affliction,

persevere in prayer.

Contribute to the needs of the holy ones,

exercise hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you,

bless and do not curse them.

Rejoice with those who rejoice,

weep with those who weep.

Have the same regard for one another;

do not be haughty but associate with the lowly.

Boiling that down to the most basic understanding here is what we are to do and be:  Obedience, love, blessings, serving, equality.  If your gift is to teach, then teach, and don’t see yourself as superior or more important than those whose gifts are different.  Instead, find a way to teach them so they can learn to use their gift more effectively.  Be who you are, who God made you to be, in his Kingdom and that edifies those who need to be who they are as well and trust that their gifts and service will lift you up too. 

We are one.  Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.  This is the party we are called to attend and the favor we are given. 

Just some food for thought and prayer…

Heavenly Father, I have heard the invitation of your call and I am coming to you!  Show me who I am in the body of your Church and guide me to use these gifts to glorify You and edify your people. Let me not be haughty, but always humbly obedient to your will.  In Jesus name, AMEN!

Here I am, Lord, send me!

Lisa Brandel

Forsaken, unharmed, sacrificed- What a difference a word makes.

I was reading the Psalms the other day and came upon Psalm 22 when I had an “AH-HA” moment.  For years, I’ve contemplated the meaning of what the Messiahs words on the cross were, including “Eli Eli lama sabachthani.”  When I was a protestant, it was explained to me that in that moment, with that cry, that the Almighty had turned his back on Jesus so He would never have to turn His back on us.  As poetic and profound as that sounds my mental reply was, “Meh, mebbe.”  It wasn’t satisfying to me at all, since, to me, it implies disunity in the trinity.  Something just didn’t jive.  When I read Psalm 22, I thought I had finally figured it out: Jesus was praying the Psalm of David.  The opening line of Psalm 22 is “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me.”  It’s the same, right?  No, no, it isn’t.  The Hebrew here is: Eli Eli lama azavthani. 

The suffix of both words are thani, which means “To do this to me”.  Azavthani literally means forsaken me, while sabachthani means sacrificed me.  So, why did we end up saying “Forsaken”.  Get ready for this: Luther changed it for azavthani or interchangeably shebakthani (Shebak appears several times in scripture Ezra 6:7 and in Daniel, and means to leave unharmed and is also a Chaldean word.) While Zabach or Sabach is well known in Hebrew scripture as sacrifice. 

None of those words are interchangeable.  We literally have: forsaken me, leave me unharmed, and sacrificed me.   We also can’t pick, choose, and change what Jesus said.  Putting words into His mouth to fit our belief makes our belief based in a lie.  The funny thing is, Luther changed it and then tried to explain the cognitive and spiritual dissonance the change caused.  So did Calvin.  The truth is that none of the prophecies point to the Messiah being forsaken by God.  They do point to His being sacrificed.  All of the animal sacrifices made in atonement throughout the temple age pointed to the act of the Messiah for ultimate atonement.  Nothing about the prophecies of the Old Testament (Tanach) indicate that the Messiah would be abandoned.  In fact, St. Paul in our scripture points out in Acts 2: 31 that he was not abandoned in death. 

Matthew 27:26 About three in the afternoon ( the 9^th hour) Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?"  Understanding that at the 9^th hour the second Tamid lamb was sacrificed, this is also called the hour of confession, and connecting that with Jesus’s cry makes a lot more spiritual sense than saying forsaken.  As far as why he cried out that particular thing, well, it only took me 20 or so years to really begin to understand what it said.  I don’t know if I have twenty more to understand the complexity of what he was actually crying out, but I know the answer I will give to his cry.  “So all who are lost may be reconciled, washed, made clean, and adopted into the Kingdom, which will have no end.” 

Just some food for thought and prayer.

Here I am, Lord, send me!

Lisa Brandel