Kendall Smith, No-Div
Kendall is an elementary science teacher and an avid lover of books, nature, and long walks. She is easily distracted by thunderstorms and loves a good conversation over coffee.
If you were one of the many who celebrated New Year’s Eve and said “BE GONE!” to 2020, hoping for a fresh start and a year not marked by disease, chaos and conflict, then you may have been dismayed to find out that this first week of January has not lived up to your great expectations. In fact, things have gone downhill in a hurry. COVID cases continue to rise, political tensions reached a breaking point with the storming of the Capitol, and most of us are left wondering, “What on earth is going on?”
I heard a lot of murmurings in the first few months of the pandemic--people convinced that we were living in the End Times. The Apocalypse, as they called it. Others claimed that the book of Revelation was playing out word-for-word as we watched the news and tried to process the chaos that was taking place worldwide, as well as in our own neighborhoods and cities. Conspiracy theories abound as we begin to wonder “who are the bad guys?” which only creates more distrust and anger. If you’ve read the book of Revelation, or even heard parts of it, then you probably know that it is filled with bizarre stories and imagery that are hard to know what to do with. Maybe it’s pointing to this time in history? Maybe the end of the world is near?
If I had to take a guess, I would say that no, these aren’t the end times. And no, Revelation didn’t predict the COVID-19 virus. But an apocalypse? Well, that’s a different story. (Don’t run to your bunker quite yet…) The word apocalypse has been confused a bit over time. Most of us believe it means “End Times”. Hollywood has had a heyday creating movies that detail the Apocalypse...and most of them involve zombies, asteroids, and nuclear bombs. (Full disclosure...I’ve never actually watched one of these movies...but based on the covers, that’s my best guess.) Sensation sells!
But the word “apocalypse” actually doesn’t mean what we think it means. It’s an “unveiling” or “revealing”. When John writes his letter to the churches, it’s called Revelation because it reveals something to the listeners. And its imagery and visions were meant to encourage the churches--by giving them a glimpse of what might be happening in the cosmic realm, which they couldn’t see or understand. It was meant to encourage them in their suffering, to embolden them to stand firm in their faith, and to bring them into the worship of the God who, despite the chaos around them, was reigning victorious just beyond their line of sight.
The turmoil that has entered our comfortable lives this past year has been, in every sense of the word, an apocalypse as well. It has unveiled some deep realities that we'd rather not see -- our fragility and idolization of comfort and control, our systems which serve the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor, the needy, the hurting and the minority. The storming of the Capitol this week was a heinous act--but also the natural result of an empire which built its strength on the idol worship of power, money and manipulation. What did we expect would happen?
If you are brave enough to read through Revelation, you’ll find a little paragraph--just a few sentences--tucked in among round after round of plagues and judgment. It simply states that the men and women left on earth “didn’t quit centering their lives around lumps of gold and silver and brass, hunks of stone and wood...there wasn’t a sign of a change of heart.” (9:20-21 MSG) Perhaps, for those of us still standing, this apocalypse could act as a call to a change of heart. I know if I’m honest, what has been revealed in my heart throughout the last 10 months has not always been pretty. Some ugly stuff has been laid bare. As a country, there is no doubt that evil and hate have been exposed this year. But it’s been there for a long time!
What if the Church turned and repented of its participation in this evil? What if, instead of following those leaders who boastfully promise us comfort and success, money and power (in Jesus’s name) at the expense of other humans, we turned our attention to The Actual Jesus, who humbly and gladly laid down his life for others, even his enemies? What if, as individuals, we were courageous enough to allow The Spirit to enter the deepest, darkest places in our hearts and bring healing? What if we committed this year to repentance and forgiveness, even of our enemies? This takes a change of perspective, doesn’t it? Bruxy Cavey, in his book, “The End of Religion” observed that “Few things take more courage and humility than to question one’s worldview.” Let’s allow this apocalypse to do the work of unveiling and humbling us this year. Rather than stockpiling water bottles and cans of Chef Boyardee, let’s let go of some of the destructive ideologies we’ve clung to. As the Spirit leads, let us boldly follow. Hint: Doing so should look an awful lot like grace, mercy and sacrificial love.