Yearning Toward God

Psalm 122 (NRSV): I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord!" Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem--built as a city that is bound firmly together. To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers." For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, "Peace be within you." For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.

Isaiah 2:1-5 (NRSV): The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!

Matthew 24:37-44 (NRSV): For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

In Advent we look forward not only to the coming of the baby Jesus, but also to the Second Coming of Christ on the Day of Judgment. A sweet and heartwarming image and a sobering, even heart-stopping image -- like a negative twice exposed. I want us to consider the second image.

Jesus said in the gospel, "As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." Then he described the people of Noah's time going about their daily business, all unsuspecting, until -- one day -- all except the Noah Family were swept away and drowned.

A parallel in our own times is easy to imagine, only this time the wipeout might be due to environmental causes. For instance, a chilling article from a few years ago, which described the death "death of a pond," might be emblematic of parts of the earth. This pond was a lovely clear, sparkling body of water, home to fish, ducks, songbirds, insects, frogs, and one or two lilies -- a special kind of lily, able to reproduce itself almost overnight. As the surrounding area was developed, phosphates entered the water. Phosphates, as you know, provide extra nutrients. The lilies began to multiply. Some people noticed and worried aloud, but most people pooh-poohed their concerns. "Look at that pond," they exclaimed, "so beautiful! Listen to the birds, the frogs, the insects. Look at all the lovely flowers. You're being ridiculous!" A few days later all was gone -- except the lilies. They choked the pond from bank to bank, and even they were starting to stink.

You cannot help but also notice in the biblical account of Noah's ark, the emphasis put on God's concern for the animals. God made sure that every species was saved; not only the snazzy peacocks, but also the humble worms; not only the useful cattle, but the troublesome snakes -- everything that walked, crawled, or flew. Four times the account mentions the animals in detail.

Do you suppose God is looking ahead a generation or two from now and seeing a planet so developed that it is almost bereft of animal life? Maybe just humans, their pets, and the ineradicable cockroach? Think of the rate at which habitat is being destroyed and species condemned to extinction! Any student of natural history knows how nature loves variety in its life forms. Perhaps the Second Wipeout is racing toward us even as I speak.

Can there be any doubt that we have sinned environmentally? Is there any place on the planet where pure air is breathed? Where unpolluted water occurs naturally? Where soil has not been degraded? Where the delicate, interlocking systems of life have not been torn or shredded? It is only a question of degree. How much degradation will we tolerate? If the former Communist countries are any indication, we will put up with almost any amount. Whole villages in the Czech Republic send their children, who suffer from chronic lung problems, to "fresh air" schools up in the mountains. The hope is that this month of respite will keep them from having to be hospitalized.

Thinking of the Second Coming in terms of the environment makes the Day of Judgment seem more real and more immanent. So the question we must ask ourselves is, what is this Day of Judgment? Must we fear it?

The New Testament word for "judgment" comes from a Greek word meaning "to distinguish" -- to separate one thing out from its surroundings. Picture an oil spill and a person in the gathering dusk, slogging along through oil-soaked sedges and reeds at the edge of a bay, eyes peeled to spot the greasy, black form of a bird amid a greasy, black background. I see the Day of Judgment as the day God squints hard into the muck, distinguishes our bedraggled form, lifts us tenderly to her bosom, carries us to the cleaning station, and gently begins the painstaking work of removing the deadly grease from our feathers. Is that a day to fear? Far otherwise. God never acts, except to save us.

How then do we read, "Two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left"? Will God only be able to distinguish some of the birds? Are we in danger of being left? Overlooked?

Jesus goes on to say, "Watch, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming." And again, "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." These sayings make clear that we also have a part to play; ours is not to be a passive role in the work of salvation. But notice that Jesus does not tell us to do something; he urges us to be smething: alert, ready, on the lookout.

Can Jesus have meant this? Let me ask you, have you ever played Slap Jack? I'll just remind you of the rules. You sit across from your opponent with a deck of cards divided between you. You hold one hand up, and with the other hand you turn over the cards, one at a time. As soon as you see a jack you slap it, and if you slap it first you get the jack and the pile of cards underneath. The one who captures the most cards wins, but the game usually ends before that. Why? Because to stay that alert is exhausting. We can only do it for limited periods of time.

So Jesus must have been speaking metaphorically. What could he have meant, then, when he urged us to watch, to be ready? He is pointing us toward a way of being, a constant attitude. He means we must always be yearning God-ward. As leaves yearn light-ward, our whole being -- body, mind, and soul -- must yearn toward God.

In all seriousness, piety is not the answer, but prayer is. I am speaking of one particular prayer, the prayer of self-commitment to God. You'd be surprised at how many people are sitting in churches across the land today, who have never taken themselves in hand and offered their entire selves and their whole lives into God's hands. But don't be surprised. It is an awesome offering, and it takes real courage.

The prayer can be simple, such as this one from Carlo Coretto: "Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will; whatever you may do I thank you; I am ready for all, I accept all; let only your will be done in me and in all your creatures. I ask no more than this." If we cannot bring ourselves to utter that prayer, then we need to pray the prayer of willingness: "Dear God, in all honesty I do not want to give my entire life into your hands, my whole self; but I do want to want to. Please help me."

It is not a matter of saying the prayer once, the way you might if you were asking someone to marry you. It is a prayer to repeat daily, morning and evening, and as often as possible in between. It is the prayer from which all other prayers flow -- prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of praise, prayers of confession, prayers of intercession, prayers of petition. It is the prayer from which vision and energy come to us -- the vision and energy to bring healing to the ills of society and the environment. It is the prayer that promotes peace among peoples, that sounds the authentic call for justice. Above all, it is the prayer that gradually, effortlessly orients us God-ward.

And the more we are oriented God-ward, the more our faces will shine. Remember in the book of Exodus how Moses went up on the mountain to pray? When he came down we are told "Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone, because he had been talking with God." Jesus said, "I am the light of the world; the one who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

The Rev. Esther Hargis
November 29, 1998

© 1998, Esther Hargis

Back to Top