Trouble Coming

Then and now, our minds are focused on religion and politics. Then, it was the Roman Empire that ruled the world, now it is the American Empire, with the world’s dominant language, currency, economy, and military. Then it was the Jewish religion centered in the imposing temple in Jerusalem. “Look, Jesus, what a splendid building this is. Just look at these stones.” Now, it is our Christian religion, dominant in Africa, Europe, South America, and still in North America. “These stones, this building,” Jesus said. They will all be thrown down, not a single one will be left upon another.” That was quite the prediction.  The largest of those stones to be uncovered by excavators measures 44 feet long, 11 feet high, and 8 feet thick. What does it weight? As much as 300 tons. Other large stones still sport the curved back, indicating that it has been rolled from the quarry to the wall and then cut to size and finished. Not one stone upon another, Jesus predicted, standing there looking at that stone. Later, they sat down on the Mount of Olives, Jesus and his followers. From the Mount of Olives, they could look across the Kidron Valley to Mount Zion. They could see the city of Jerusalem, including Temple Mount. They remembered the comments of Jesus. They started asking questions, the same questions we ask about our times. When will these things happen? How will we know when they will happen. Give us a clue, Jesus, to what you are saying. Jesus responded with a brief description of three things: these days, those days, and that day. He warned his peeps about the trouble coming. I am inspired by these words of Jesus. I want to warn us of the trouble coming. I want to prepare us for the trouble coming.  I see and hear in the words of Jesus some words that we need to hear and heed. Pray for me as I speak for all of us, to all of us. Trouble Coming. I. What kind of trouble are you in today? Financial trouble. Friend trouble. Work Trouble. Health trouble. Legal trouble. There are scores of ways to get into trouble and stay in trouble. It is part of life. I got into trouble with my boss once.  At the college. He asked me to write, and I did, for regional newspapers, my Meetinghouse column. I wrote a column back in 2002 or thereabouts.  “Will this marriage last?” The marriage between the Republican Party and the Evangelical Christians. It stirred up a hornets’ next…among the trustees of the college.  The president forwarded to me an email from a wealthy donor. “Our family will not give another dollar as long as Moody is on the payroll.” It is easy to get into trouble these days. It is hard to avoid trouble. Everybody you meet is having some kind of trouble. We could have a testimonial meeting some Sunday and ask each other, what trouble are you dealing with? The purpose of church is to help us deal with the troubles of life. We come to pray for strength. We come to sing for joy and to lift our spirits. We come to read the promises of God. We come to be encouraged. Isn’t that why you come today? To be helped and to help somebody else? But in this instance, record by three of the four gospel writers, Jesus was talking about a specific kind of trouble.  Not the normal trouble of life: divorce and death, bankruptcy and homelessness, illness and operations, and such.  No. Jesus was warning his people about a specific threat, a particular event, a once in a century catastrophe. The Day is coming, he said. I intend to preach about that event, the destruction of Jerusalem, in a couple of weeks. But today, I want to take up the mood and manner of Jesus and say, trouble is coming. Trouble is coming. We must be ready for trouble. II. I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet. That is a quote from the great Hebrew prophet Amos.  But I foresee hard times ahead for us gathered here today. The socio-political landscape is suffering one national disaster after another. Let me tell you what I mean. Throughout my lifetime, authorities in our country—judges and presidents and governors—have moved to help the marginalized and poor. Segregation was banned. Women were empowered. Emigrants were welcomed. Marriage was opened for everyone. Our church, our small but powerful church, is a testament to the transformation in our country. We are led by women; we welcome gays; we are black and white and every shade of brown; we serve the needs of the homeless. These things did not exist when I was a teenager. The Supreme Court championed the marginalized, the disenfranchised, the poor, those struggling to achieve and contribute. The Court opened the door for many. But these things, these changes, these freedoms, these opportunities, set in motion a reaction. It started with a bang. Remember the Moral Majority? That we knew. What we did not know was the Federalist Society. It launched in 1982 with the mission to roll back these advances, to turn back this wide-open door of opportunity, to shut down this attention to those on the margins. These twin movements, one religious and the other legal, launched a powerful force in these United States. They wanted to take charge of the Supreme Court, the White House, Congress, and the state legislatures. They wanted to put a stop to these advances in freedom and opportunity. They launched a movement. The conservative movement. A right-wing movement to roll back the victories we have won. In the last decade, seized control of religious denominations, then political parties. they have elected their man as President; they have taken control of the Supreme Court; they have seized control of state after state. They have re-written laws. They have overturned rules. They are reversed long standing precedent. I am here to tell you: it is not over. We have not yet reached the high water mark of this conservative movement. We all remember the Contract with America. We all remember the Tea Party. We all know MAGA America. These are all just expressions of this mighty pushback force in our country. In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 for gay marriage. Chief Justice Roberts was in the minority. Three of these justices who voted for gay marriage are gone: Kennedy, Ginsburg and Breyer.  They are replaced by Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett. They are waiting for the right case to overturn Obergefell. I am warning you today of trouble coming. Think of the recent court session. Think of these two decisions. Homeless people in Oregon protested a law that made it a crime to sleep in a public place even when there is no other place. Once upon a time, the Court was the friend of the poor and the weak; not now. They ruled against the homeless people and for the powerful people. They gave cities and states the power to criminalize homelessness. In the second decision, the President was on the docket. Can the President of the United States, the single most powerful person in the world, be libel for crimes committed while in office? We thought that had been settled for 250 years. We pushed Nixon out of office because he broke law. But now, this Court decided in favor of the rich and powerful and against the people. This will do down as one of the worst decisions in American history, like the Dred Scott Decisions. Trouble is coming. III. Some of you will say today, keep politics out of the pulpit.  But my response is too fold. First, I look at my congregation. These decisions and trends will impact us, you, this congregation. It is going to be trouble for you and for me, for us, for this church and our ministry, and our calling as Christians. Things are going to get worse for the homeless and worse for the LGBTQ community, and worse for women, and worse for Christians in the biblical and progressive tradition. Second, I read the Bible. Here, in today’s text, I see and hear Jesus predicting a national catastrophe. The movement of his day toward Jewish Nationalism would end in disaster for the nation, Jesus predicted.  The Roman army will come, camp round this city, and stomp out all resistance, Jesus said, “You think all you zealots, all you sword carrying militia units will rise up to defeat the Romans. It is not going to happen. The Romans will win. They will destroy this city. Your political and military fervor will come to naught. Be forewarned.” Jesus warned his people. Many are warning us.  I am warning you. Over the next five weeks, from this pulpit, I will read these texts, interpret these texts, and apply these words of Jesus to our situation in the United States and in Providence Church. Trouble is coming. It does not matter who wins the election this fall. This conservative movement is still gaining stream. It is a tsunami and when it washes ashore, it will sweep away many things. Here the words of Jesus: Watch, all the time. Pray, without ceasing. Flee, to save your life. Those that endure to the end with joy and hope will be saved. These are the commands for all times of stress and danger. These are the words for us today and tomorrow and for the years ahead. For those who tend to the homeless, it is going to get more difficult. For those in same sex marriages, hard times are coming. For those who live and worship across color lines, the future will not be easy. For those who separate the church and the state, get ready for trouble. For those in churches like Providence: watch out. Some will fall away. Some will run away. Some will quietly step away. But for us: do not grow weary in well doing; do not neglect gathering together in worship and prayer; do not turn your back on Jesus. Follow me, Jesus said. And we say with one voice: we will trust God; we will follow Jesus; we will be filled with the holy spirit; we will sing for joy and live in hope.