Stand Up and Raise Your Heads

Jesus said, "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:25-28)

As the days continue to get darker in the northern hemisphere, toward the shortest day of the year, the Advent Season puts before Christians who use the lectionary readings like the one above, from Luke's Gospel. This year those readings are heard in the context of the end of the Mayan calendar and therefore, some think, the end of the world. Even NASA has put up some FAQs on their website to address these concerns, including these two: 

Q: What is the origin of the prediction that the world will end in 2012?

A: The story started with claims that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is headed toward Earth. This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened the doomsday date was moved forward to December 2012 and linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012 - hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012.

Q: Does the Mayan calendar end in December 2012? 

A: Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012. This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period but then - just as your calendar begins again on January 1 - another long-count period begins for the Mayan calendar.

Now I don't know too many people who are preparing for the world to come to an end on December 21. At least one company that helps people plan for retirement has capitalized on this by saying if the world doesn't end on 12/21/12 then they are there to help people plan for their retirements.  Clever. And while this is in no way an endorsement of their product (I cannot even remember which company it is!), I concur with their advice.

For Christians, it is helpful to be reminded about what Apocalyptic Literature is and is not. It is not a code to be broken, nor is ita Christian version of the Mayan calendar. Rather, it is an "unveiling" of truths that take us to the heart of the Christian faith: out of endings come new beginnings. After Good Friday, there is Easter morning. I blogged about this last month in a post entitled "Birth Pangs," which was focused on a text from Mark's "little apocalypse." At the time, I wrote these words: 

In the face of anxiety people crave easy answers. In the face of anxiety, people are led astray because everyone wants to speak in the name of Christ: “I am he.”  There will always those who peddle false religion by tapping into that anxiety. So do not believe those who offer easy answers about what God is up to in the midst of signs of endings. Rather, stand tall and keep alert and be strong.That is the consistent advice Jesus gives; not to try to "crack some code" and find a date...but to be faithful in the midst of adversity. Even when it feels like the world is coming unglued! Such moments are the beginning of the birth pangs.

As far as I can tell, whenever the New Testament literature turns to reflecting about endings, it offers this same, consistent message in the name of Jesus. So, too, in Luke 21: "stand up and raise your heads." Jesus next words are about considering the fig tree, and how the leaves it puts forth in springtime tell us that summer is coming.

On December 21, this much is certain: we'll experience the shortest day of the year. And then on December 22 we'll have a couple of minutes more sunlight. December 23 will give us even more. Before you know it, it will be March 21 and then it'll be June.

Sleepers awake! Stand up and raise your heads, so that together we might do the work God has given us to do.