Christ the King-Epiphany, Wilbraham

The Rev. Martha S. Sipe

November 17, 2024 / 26th Sunday after Pentecost / Lectionary 33B

Mark 13:1-8

I saw a terrific movie this week:  Conclave.  It’s a fictional story about the election of a new pope and all the behind-the-scenes political machinations that go on in the College of Cardinals.  The cast was tremendous – how can you go wrong with Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow?  The cinematography was wonderful in matters large and small – large, like the sweeping views of the Vatican and all the pomp and circumstance of a conclave; and small, like the way you could hear the breathing of Ralph Fiennes’ character, which really ratcheted up the intensity.  And the plot twist at the end?  Let me just say this:  Don’t read any articles or reviews with spoilers.  I had heard there was a surprise ending – and I was trying to figure it out while I was watching – but still, I never saw it coming.  I really enjoyed the movie.  But what was most memorable for me were two lines of dialogue – both of which have surprising relevance to our gospel text from Mark chapter 13.

The first quote from the movie was in the sermon given by the dean of the College of Cardinals at the beginning of the conclave.  Cardinal Lawrence preaches this:  “Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt.  If there was only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery and therefore no need for faith.”  Let me repeat that second sentence:  If there was only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery and therefore no need for faith.  The dean was trying to help his brother cardinals to recognize that their doubt about whether or not they were suitable candidates for the pontificate should not disqualify them and neither should their certainty that they were the best candidates make them shoe-ins.  Faith is not certainty; faith is believing and trusting in God in spite of what we do not know and cannot understand.

This reminds me of the disciples’ quest for certainty in Mark chapter 13.  Jesus warned them that the Temple, which they were admiring for its size and sturdiness and general impressiveness – not to mention that it was the symbol of the very heart of their faith – Jesus warned them that the Temple would be destroyed.  And the disciples wanted to know “how?”   And “when?”  And “What will be the warning signs?”  Note that Jesus did not answer their questions.  Instead he cautioned them not to be led astray by those who claim to know with certainty about such things, and instead to lean into their trust that God is bringing about new life.  That’s what “birth pangs” are, after all:  labor pains are, as their name implies, painful and scary and anxiety-producing – but they are the way that new life comes.  Faith is believing and trusting in God in spite of what we do not know and cannot understand.

This is a good message for us in these times, and frankly, in all the times of our lives.  We do not have a crystal ball.  As much as we may yearn to see what lies ahead, as much as we might love to be able to predict what will come in the future, we cannot – not on the world stage and not even in the context of our own lives.  The future is, in fact, a mystery to us.  And yet we know that even if painful experiences lie ahead, God can and will bring about new life through those birth pangs.  Even when we reach the end of our years of earthly existence, even then, God will bring us to new life – eternal life.  We believe and trust in spite of what we do not know and cannot understand.

The other fabulous quote from the movie, Conclave, came near the end.  There was a clear struggle within the college of cardinals between those who wanted to re-establish the traditional teachings of the church and those who were more progressive in their thinking.  One of the papal candidates, in addressing his brother cardinals, said, “The church is not the past.  It is what we do next.”  The church, that living and breathing creation of the Holy Spirit, is not about what it has been.  “The church is what we do next.”

This, too, seems to be what Jesus was trying to say to his disciples:  that though God was active in the structures and traditions and practices of the past (that is, in the Temple), they were about to enter a new age.  Now, in Jesus, God is no longer confined to the buildings and structures of the past.  In fact, the church is defined by – and will be judged by – the way we respond to the issues and concerns of this age.  “The church is what we do next.”

What will we, the church in this time and in this little corner of God’s kingdom, do next?  That’s a tricky question, right?  Because I’ve already acknowledged that we don’t know and can’t predict the future – in our lives, in the life of our parish, in our country, or in the world.  So let me rephrase the question, “What will we do next?” using the theme of our fall stewardship campaign.  How will we continue to walk in love – and how will we walk longer and further in love – with those who are most vulnerable in our midst?  We are limited in our walk in love by only two factors:  the movement of the Holy Spirit in this place, and – forgive me for my directness – by your responsiveness in giving your time and your offerings.  But it’s your offerings that I’d like to address directly.  It’s easy to think of a pledge campaign as the way the church seeks to cover its bills.  And it is that.  But it’s so much more than that.  The money we give does allow us to keep the lights on and maintain our building and grounds and compensate our staff.  But it also allows us to walk in love with those who need support in their walk of faith . . . and that’s all of us.  Our offerings allow us to walk in love with the vulnerable in our community through our outreach ministries.  Our pledge of financial support allows us to walk in love with others much farther afield – through our diocese and synod, through the ELCA and The Episcopal Church, and even more widely, through Episcopal and Lutheran organizations throughout the world.  The church is what we do next.  And what we do next is determined, in part, by you.  So when you receive your pledge card in the mail this week, please prayerfully discern how you will respond, and then bring your cards in next week, as we offer to God our intentions to walk in love.

We don’t know what the future holds.  But we know who holds us, and who walks with us into that future.  We don’t know where the Spirit will lead us next.  But we know that the power of the Holy Spirit is in this place.  “Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.  Amen.”  (Ephesians 3:20-21)