The Gospel for SATURDAY, June 18, 2005 (Bernard Mizeki)
Luke 21:20-28
‘When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you must realise that it will soon be laid desolate. Then those in Judaea must escape to the mountains, those inside the city must leave it, and those in country districts must not take refuge in it. For this is the time of retribution when all that scripture says must be fulfilled. Alas for those with child, or with babies at the breast, when those days come! ‘For great misery will descend on the land and retribution on this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive to every gentile country; and Jerusalem will be trampled down by the gentiles until their time is complete. ‘There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars; on earth nations in agony, bewildered by the turmoil of the ocean and its waves; men fainting away with terror and fear at what menaces the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.’ -- The New Jerusalem Bible. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1995, c1985
Alas
The Romans ended their oppression of Jerusalem by destroying the Temple and most of the surrounding city, slaughtering the people as they went. In a sense, they had finally subdued Jerusalem. Pax Romana.
A Reflection
From time to time, especially on coming upon texts like this, I force myself to remember that Luke's writers were writing an "orderly account" for "Theophilus," perhaps a real person, perhaps only a symbol for Greek Christians. And in those times and in the style of that day, "prophecies" that had been fulfilled by events were very good things to recommend an author's work. I wonder if an author could keep credibility today if he dared to use such a device.
But evangelism -- surely what these writers were about -- has never been an easy task. And if we suppose that in the last years of the first century, if was a very dangerous undertaking, "not easy" would hardly have been the words to trip off the lips of those involved then.
So the lure of a unique, powerful, and restorative apocalypse must have been an overwhelming image for the hearer to hear, and especially, for the writer, to write.
When we offer Jesus up to the unchurched, are we like the evangelists of the first century? Do we overstate our claims, inflate our sales pitch, promise more than Jesus intended? Or scare them into "being good"?
Are we attracting them to Jesus, or scaring them into compliance with some 12th century (BC) purity code to avoid the "stern father" who can send them to hell?
I think it has to be about the God who cares for His beloved children -- and Jesus -- and not about me, using the statistics to build myself up. Gordon Atkinson, the Real Live Preacher, tells a great story about this. I highly recommend it, if you haven't already seen it.
Always, we must recall that we are instructed "... to walk humbly with thy God."
The Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, who kindled the flame of your love in the heart of your holy martyr Bernard Mizeki: Grant to us, your humble servants, a like faith and power of love, that we who rejoice in his triumph may profit by his example; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
4:02:10 PM 
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