Missing the Missing

 

Art Work: Boy Dominguez

1st Sunday of Advent

27 November 2016

 

 

 

 

Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4a, 4b-5, 6-7, 8-9

Isaiah 2:1-5

Romans 13:11-14

Matthew 24:37-44

Missing the Missing

“Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”[i]

Matthew 24:42

As the new liturgical year commences, the birth of a new hope begins. Advent season sets the mood for the most festive celebration in the Christian world – the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into our lives as a people. It is the foretaste of God’s promise of salvation by giving the assurance of life that brings light to the people in this darkened world.

Missing the Point

Our recorded history has evidenced that the much-long-awaited Messiah has already come to us. More than two millennia had passed when a little child was born and grew in Nazareth, a town of Galilee. Jesus has definitely inspired  countless souls  as he  proclaimed the message of truth based on love and compassion  with special bias for  the poor and marginalized. Being empowered by the Holy Spirit, he was with the people until his horrendous death on the cross. Holding on to his promise of his coming again, his followers have waited for his return. This assurance remains as a powerful motivation for Christians from the early church up to the present.

But what does it mean to look forward to Jesus Christ’  coming again? The passage that we have read in the Gospel according to Matthew reminds us that we cannot definitely tell when that time would come. Many have attempted to calculate the exact date of this pre-conceived notion of “The End of the World,” yet all of them failed. Nevertheless, this propaganda made many of such “religious leaders” richer because of the funds they have been getting from investing on the fear and gullibility of their followers.

Being part of the apocalyptic writing, the Christian community has been misled by the misinterpretation of the “end times,” but many of our faithful theologians and biblical scholars have debunked such fallacy. Dr. Barbara Rossing, a Lutheran pastor and a New Testament scholar warns us of the potential dangers of dwelling in that belief of rapture and tribulation, which makes people afraid that anytime they would be “left behind.” Specializing on the Book of Revelation, she argues that the “world” that has come to an end is not the kosmos or the “physical created world” or the gē “earth”, but the “imperial world” or the oikomene, which also means the “inhabited world” during the Roman rule[ii] This vicious and cruel world that worships power and glory based on violent political system must come to an end. Therefore, in Christ’ “ Second coming”  and the judging of the living and the dead, must be read  as   that the “destruction” that the Bible refers to  is  the system of domination and corruption, which causes suffering and loss of lives of many people in the world back then and today. In our understanding today, the term oikomene has been changed into the coming together of various Christians and various faith communities in the establishment of God’s reign on earth – something that the National Council of Churches in the Philippines upholds as we celebrate our 53 years of ecumenical faith, witness and service.

Missing in Action

There have been many teachings in our church today that seem to be “biblical,” but actually not. One of those is the concept invented by the English preacher John Nelson Darby during the 19^th century as many  Christians would understand as the “rapture.” Like what literalists would do, Darby developed the idea by taking the accounts of the Revelation by picking some of the verses in other books of the Bible to fabricate the whole story. Sadly, many of the Christians are led  to believe that they would be “taken up” as Christ comes and the “unbelievers” will be “left behind.” In fact, the meaning could have been the other way around. John Staples used a different interpretation such as one will be “seized” and the other one “released.”[iii] But no matter how people understand it, one thing is true – NOT all people will be on the same side during the much-awaited Parousia.

The Matthean account of the coming of the Son of Man DOES NOT describe a vivid depiction of the details of events that must happen, but rather this reminds the early Christian communities to be vigilant in the face of persecution and they must act in accordance to the will of God. This must also be the attitude of Christians towards the apocalyptic narratives: that they are “words of warning.” Meaning, these events may happen if we do not do anything about it. This should not be taken as a prediction, but a prophecy. By adhering to its problematic interpretation, people may be swayed that the whole ecological system is bound for destruction so they no longer care for the environment. Or, they may tolerate wars against nations and by believing that if these happen, “Christ will surely come.” As true Christians, we must take our prophetic step to effect change in the society we are in. By “unveiling” the truth about the true meaning of “Christ’s coming”, we are giving people the sense of commitment to promote justice by pledging allegiance only to the divine authority of Christ in our lives and by being steadfast in our mission to bring the message of salvation to this world no matter what the cost.

Missing Link

Just recently, I had the opportunity to talk to a mother who was “left behind” by her beloved daughter . I was at a wake when somebody introduced me to Aling Linda. I did not recognize her at first, but when some of her friendly neighbors mentioned that she has been “sikat” (well-known), I was very surprised. It somehow brought the tragic story back to my memory. It has been more than 10 years when the student activist Sherlyn Cadapan, along with another UP student Karen Empeño and a farmer, was abducted by elements of the armed forces in Bulacan. Justice has not been served even until today despite the arrest of General Jovito Palparan, who was then the commander of the unit directly involved in forced disappearance of the two young women, and a farmer. As I talked to the teary eyed mother, she is still in pain for the loss of her cherished daughter, but this has made her understand the present realities of our time. There are people who work and struggle with the other people for peace and justice, but the system of greed and dominance has been seizing them and destroying them. She realized that there are people who opted  to be in  the mission of exposing    the injustices and abuse that have been happening around us. When I asked her if she is still hoping to see her missing daughter again, she replied, her reply was, “  I am not giving up my hope. Someday I would see  the coming back of my daughter .”

With a slight pat on her shoulder I assured her, that while she is  waiting for daughter’s  return , we as a church will be here with her  and will  continue to support her your quest until we achieve real justice and lasting peace.

To the only God who comes to us and dwells with us now and forever.

Amen.

 

Jeffrey J. Rivera

Associate Pastor for

Youth and Student Ministry of

Church Among the Palms

United Church of Christ in the Philippines

 

[i] New Revised Standard Version

[ii] Barbara R. Rossing, “Apocalypse Now: Revelation So No One Is Left Behind,” a lecture delivered at Elmhurst College, Youtube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V4lkH6TsR4

[iii] Jason Staples, “Two Will Be Taken, One Will Be Left: Misinterpreted Bible Passages #8,” http://www.jasonstaples.com/bible/two-will-be-taken-one-will-be-left-misinterpreted-bible-passages-8/

 

TEMPLE

November 13, 2016
33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, 27th Sunday after Pentecost

Psalm 98:5-9
Malachi 3:19-20
2Thessalonians 3:7-12
Luke 21:5-19

A temple (from the Latin word templum) is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities like prayers, sacrifices and other similar rites. A ‘’templum’’ constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest.

In Haggai 2:5, there is a reminder that historically, they have been away from the land which they can call their own , where they can freely worship God in whatever means and ways God is to their lives as he promised when he brought them out of Egypt. It is understandable that prophet Haggai is challenging the people to build a temple, because at that time, they need a place to come together as a community to worship God and fellowship with one another. Yes, a physical base to come together as a community is very important much more so for a people who have been exiled for many years.
God has given us the gift of memory so we can always remember significant events in our lives. Those meaningful events become the sacred memories for those who remember. The temple is about remembering. It is a place where we remember God, the way God has liberated his people out of slavery, oppression, exploitation and Diaspora.

The temple which people build must be in remembrance of God’s faithfulness and act of redemption. It is a sacred place where the collective stories, poetries, music, cries, laughter, hopes and prophesies of the people are weaved together turning the gathering into a holy and collective communion.

The physical temple becomes the rallying point of the collective life of the believers. It is sacred only because we honor our stories, our lives, our past, our present and our future. However, we must bear in mind that the physical temple is not an end but an instrument where we can share and celebrate our being as a community.

It is most often said that the sacredness of a temple is not measured by its grandiose, majestic or extravagant structure or edifice.

I remember our history as Filipinos like any other nations, people who remember that once their ancestors believe that the whole universe, the land, the sea and the air are sacred. God who is invoked in various names is present everywhere. So land is sacred even to those who are buried and now form part of the earth. The sacredness of the land must be protected at all costs. Our ancestors worshipped in the mountains, in the fields, along the seashores and in the forests. God’s temple was not limited within a particular edifice or structure. Wherever people gather on occasions of birth, baptism, wedding, wake, burial, or meetings, there was the “temple”.

When the colonizers came, they thought that we were pagans and godless and evil because we have no edifices or buildings to worship the God they had imposed on us. They burned and destroyed the worship symbols our native priests and priestesses. They instituted forced labor to build up cathedrals. They were forced to do it without pay and those who fail to work during the day would be punished. It is so hard to worship God in a place where you would be reminded not of God’s faithfulness but a memory of colonialism, invasion and violence.

While we believe that a temple must be built, let it be built according to Haggai’s challenge or we would miss the wisdom of what a temple is. Let the temple be a source of joyful remembrance. We can only do so if we are faithful to the intentions of the prophets who challenged us to build the physical temple.

Beyond the Physical Temple

While it is true that we need a physical center for our worships and gatherings. It is hard to imagine that we can just have our gathering in an open square. We can nourish our being a community when we share faith, hope and love. The temple will always house the community, but it is the community that would determine how long, how deep or how empowering the life of the community must be. For what is a temple if there is no community who would share the love and liberating act of God?

Then we must strive for the timeless value of a temple. The temple that is within and among us. The temple we can build as human family and community until we behold the promise of abundant life.

• The temple where human community and family would feel the pain with those who defend life and dignity are persecuted and killed. The temple where questions are raised when exploitation and oppression abounds and denounces injustices without compromises.
• The temple where human community and family celebrate victory of God’s people whenever the truth is uncovered. The temple that remains faithful to the teachings of justice and peace amidst adversities.
• The temple that would shelter the tears of the people as they mourn the death of loved ones, because they opted to serve the poor but were falsely accused as terrorists. The temple that would journey with the people no matter how difficult the road leads into. The temple that would humbly participate in the communion of hope and struggle of the people

Persecution and tribulations, harassments and violations will be used by the empire and the power and principalities to downgrade and silence those who build the temple of God and people, but the same temple that would bring hope . The temple that would do justice, love mercy and humbly walk in the sight of God. A temple that cannot be destroyed by fire or war, by sword or arms but would always rise above storms. A temple that is collectively grounded on people’s experience and nurtured by Life’s grace, and the liberating and loving acts of God.
NORMA P. DOLLAGA, Deaconess, United Methodist Church
KAPATIRANG SIMBAHAN PARA SABAYAN
(KASIMBAYAN)