The Powers of the Heavens Will be Shaken

 

                                                              Kentucky Tornado aftermath

25 "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. 26 People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken...

34-35  ..."Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.

36 Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

                                                 Luke 21 NRSV

When I presided at worship on the first Sunday of Advent this was the gospel passage, seemingly a strange choice for the Sunday of Hope. I used Eugene Peterson's The Message instead of the NRSV because of his gut-punch paraphrase:  “It will seem like all hell has broken loose—sun, moon, stars, earth, sea, in an uproar and everyone all over the world in a panic, the wind knocked out of them by the threat of doom, the powers-that-be quaking.

I thought of this passage when I listened to the news early this morning with the report of a chain of tornadoes across six states in the American South which had done tremendous damage and taken many lives -- 70 and counting. 

The governor of Kentucky said that this was an unprecedented weather event with one tornado on the ground for more than 300 kilometres. The ferocity of this twister and the death toll were record-breaking for the state. And tornado season in the US is usually from March to July. 

I'm often moved by the faith of those who survive such traumatic events and their determination to carry on. I'm also aware that in many conservative Christian faith communities of the South there is denial of climate change to a degree which is totally baffling. These are people who see the effects of extreme weather and what is likely the permanent alteration of climate. It is literally destroying the world around them yet there is a blind belief that Jesus will not allow environmental collapse to happen. 

In the passage from Luke Jesus tells his followers to be alert and to pray in the face of catastrophic events. I'm all for prayer if it is to be deeply aware of what is transpiring around us and to act. If we're bible-believing Christians shouldn't be paying attention to scripture? 

We are not immune to denial in Canada, and we see governments which are dabbling in change and even declaring climate emergencies yet doing little. I want to be hopeful but it can be a challenge. 

Creator God, be with the people who have lost so much in the wake of theses tornadoes. Allow us all to emerge from the whirlwind to do what is necessary for this generation and generations to come.