Demons, the Antichrist, & Following Christ

 

 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 

You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from thistles?  In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus you will know them by their fruits.

Matthew 7:15-20 NRSVue

There are weeks where it is as though we hear a tsunami of crazy...stuff...from south of the border. So much so that it's just better to tune out. At the same time, I figure it is important to pay attention to what I feel is the faux Christian rhetoric that emanates from the mouths of those in political leadership. 

Vice-President JD Vance, a professed Roman Catholic, held forth on religious matters in an interview about his recent book Communion on Monday. Vance has expressed some weird views along the way about Christianity and I've wondered if he is playing to the base which could choose him as the next President (shudder here.)  For instance, does he really believe that if his Hindu wife Usha, mother of his children, doesn't accept Jesus as her Lord and Saviour she is going to hell? 

Forbes magazine offered some tidbits from the interview and they are unsettling:

In a discussion about “end times,” Vance said he would not be “shocked if the antichrist was walking among us” and said he tries to live like the “end times are coming . . . it’s just a question of whether they’re coming thousands of years down the road or a few months down the road.”

Vance revisited the topic of UFOs after he raised eyebrows in March when he told podcaster Benny Johnson, “I”m obsessed with this . . . I don’t think they’re aliens, I think they’re demons.” Vance touched on the topic in his interview with Crawford: “I don’t have the file that says ‘this wasn’t a UFO, it was actually a demon,’” adding, “my attitude is . . . isn’t it as likely that there are angels or demons if there are extraterrestrials? But like I don’t have like a top secret file that sort of proves that one way or the other.”

Talking about the supposed "end times" and the "antichrist" is catnip for a lot of conservative Christians and Christian nationalists. The Left Behind novel series sold millions of copies with their lurid and non-biblical description of the dark period leading to the return of Christ. Yes, there are references to an antichrist entity in Revelation but it was probably a code-like reference to the oppressive Roman Empire. 

The reason we should be concerned about rather than dismissive of these musings is because we already see the grim outcome of demonizing groups in the United States. And the rhetoric about the antichrist is ultimately violent and could encourage violence in God's name. 

There is an considerable irony here, isn't there?  I've suggested before that while Trump is not the antichrist, he is anti-Christ in almost every aspect of his being. He has successfully led America and millions of supposed Christ-followers toward suspicion and cruelty, hatred and violence. He has no love for anyone other than himself. Vance is his minion at the moment but he has the potential to be a "wolf in sheep's clothing" President before long, and walking amongst us even now. 

Living Water and Lake Ontario

                                                                              Ruth Mundy photo 

This calm, gorgeous, late summer morning we launched our kayaks onto the Bay of Quinte, a long arm of Lake ONTARIO. Yup, the one and only Lake Ontario foolishly claimed as Lake You-Know-What by the Buffoon-in-Chief of the United States. 

While we were still on the shore we watched an osprey harass two squawking blue herons. As we paddled we saw egrets, kingfishers, a common term, diving. There were lots of Monarch butterflies about to make the arduous journey across this inland sea. We made our way toward the Tyendinaga Reserve, Mohawk Territory, and the mouth of the Salmon River. Once again we were virtually alone and we thanked the Creator. 

While indignant Canadians are swearing (figuratively and literally) their fealty to this shared Great Lake the truth is that we have a long history of treating the waters and the First Peoples shabbily. About a quarter of Canadians live in relative proximity to Lake Ontario and over the centuries settlers have filled in its wetlands, industrialized its shoreline, and treated its tributaries as open sewers. 

Ontario is the most polluted of the five Great Lakes and as a consequence the only one without any appreciable commercial fishery, although our household does purchase pickerel from a commercial fisher family in Prince Edward County. People do play along its shores at Provincial Parks but few municipalities have public beaches, including Belleville, our home. 

                                 Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, centre, in brown

The name Ontario is Indigenous, likely meaning shining water or beautiful water, but Indigenous peoples along its shores on both sides of the border have been treated contemptuously over time. Treaties with them were made by colonial powers only to be broken. In our area fishing rights in the Trent and Moira and Salmon Rivers were established, only to be taken away. The Salmon River has no Atlantic salmon, a species driven to extinction in Lake Ontario 120 years ago. Today Tyendinaga is the only Indigenous reserve or reservation actually on the lake in either country

As we paddled in the beauty we could see increasing stands of phragmites and windrows of quagga mussels along open areas of shoreline. These are two of many invasive species. 

I'm glad that Ontarians and Canadians are declaring that this Great Lake will remain Ontario. It would be wonderful if this increases our awareness and desire to protect and restore its shining waters. I love that Prime Minister Carney used the term "hydronyms" to declare our commitment to the term Lake Ontario. I hope that a clever a printing company is making a bundle from its My Hydronyms are Lake and Ontario tee-shirts -- I can't get on to the website, let alone order one. 

During our paddle I pondered this year's Creation Time/Season of Creation/Creationtide theme which is Living Water. Indigenous peoples understood that there is a spiritual element, and hold reverence, for Lake Ontario. As Christians who can learn with humility from their example, let's care for our Living Waters. 

                                                                              Ruth Mundy photo 

The Peril of Pilgrimage in a Climate Crisis

 Have you ever been a pilgrim? As in, set out on a journey with an element of physical challenge and with a spiritual purpose? A pilgrimage is different in intent from tourism, although there has been a tendency to term tours of places such as Israel as pilgrimages. 

 Our son, Isaac, walked the 820 kilometre Camino de Santiago in Spain over the course of a month when he was nineteen and went on his own.  Of course, he met many other pilgrims along the way from a number of countries and of all ages.

Spiritual pilgrimages have been popular through the ages and different religions have encouraged them. Jesus and his family made their way to Jerusalem when he was a boy and he travelled to the city for Passover during what Christians now call Holy Week.  The Haj of Islam is one of the pillars of faith and a requirement for those physically able to fulfill it.

Pilgrimages were not quests as such, nor crusades (God forbid), but often demanding and even dangerous peregrinations (same root). There were elements of adventure and camaraderie (think Canterbury Tales) but in many situations there were bandits and even hostile locals. Procuring food and staying healthy were challenges. along with the uncertainty of weather in unfamiliar lands.

What about climate uncertainly as a threat, as distinct from weather? As the tragedy of cataclysmic flooding in Nepal and Tibet has unfolded we've been told that dozens, if not hundreds of those killed or missing were pilgrims from different religions. This region is considered auspicious  with mountains and rivers considered holy. According to the New York Times: 

The area is also sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs and those who follow the Bon tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Visiting Kailash is not about conquering the mountain. It is about surrender, a belief that the journey itself draws pilgrims closer to the divine. 

Hindus believe Mount Kailash is the home of Shiva, the god of destruction, transformation and meditation, and his wife, Parvati. The mountain is also an impressive topographical feature, a natural pyramid that slices 21,778 feet into blue Tibetan skies...A typical pilgrimage involves walking around the entirety of the mountain, about 33 miles, over several days...

Neelam and Ramesh Sharma, a couple from Queens, undertook the pilgrimage to Mount Kailash as part of their retirement. The pair, both in their 60s, have not been heard from since the flood.Credit...Ariadna Riley

I listened to an the head of an organization in the States that has put together these pilgrimages for more than 20 years and never lost anyone. It would seem that this entire group was swept away. All these deaths are terribly sad, but also ominous signs of the times. 

Observers in the country and around the world are saying that the collapse of a portion of a glacier which precipitated the flooding is a grim example of the climate calamity. Glaciers around the world are receding or becoming unstable. You might recall that a few years ago a funeral was held in Iceland for a glacier that is effectively gone in a land of glaciers. Glaciers in western Canada are facing a similar predicament, changing the seasonal flow of vital water.

Is it possible to step back from our foolish ways for the sake of the Earth and all living things? It will require a spiritual transformation along with the efforts of nations to do so. 

You are the Apple of My Eye...Really!

 

I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
    incline your ear to me; hear my words.

Wondrously show your steadfast love,
    O savior of those who seek refuge
    from their adversaries at your right hand. 

Guard me as the apple of the eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings,
 from the wicked who despoil me...

Psalm 17: 6-8 NRSVue 

I was reading the psalm for today, Psalm 17, and came upon a phrase that I realized was not uncommon in the days of my youth but seems to have disappeared from regular usage. It is "you are the apple of my eye" a curious term of affection.

It is found in at least five passages in the King James Version Hebrew scriptures but as I did some admittedly quick research I discovered that no one seems to know what it really means other that it refers to God's affection and care for us when we are beset by hostile humans. That is comforting news and Good News. 

 Somehow this phrase has weathered the passage of time and still appears in the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition, and  I like that. Shakespeare, a KJV contemporary, employed it as well. 

There are some examples of the phrase out there other than scripture even if we don't use it often anymore. Stevie Wonder included it in "You are the Sunshine of My Life" although that hit song is now more than half an century old!

You are the sunshine of my life
That's why I'll always be around
You are the apple of my eye
Forever you'll stay in my heart

And then there is a 2024 Korean romance film with this name. How did that happen?

Of course, dear readers, you are the apple of my eye for reading these musings, even if you roll your eyes as you do so. 

Today is the Feast of Creation in Christ

Our symbol for 2026 - Immersion in Living Water - is a symbol of  renewal and birth: water flowing from the Temple as a sign of God’s caring and healing for us. We are called to step into the water, until we are so deep that we must depend on God’s grace to sustain us. Those who receive this water are invited to become sources of life for others, allowing God’s love to flow through them into the world. And thus the water of God will become in us “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” , as Jesus promised (John 4:14).

The Symbol invites Christians to a spiritual immersion - praying together while contemplating water from rivers, sources, fountains, baptismal fonts, lakes and sea, inspired by the Spirit of God, working together for the renewal of Creation.

This Symbol also urges us to dive into the “tears” of creation (Romans 8:22-23), by allowing our hearts to be touched by the suffering of our brothers and sisters. Indeed, the Season of Creation is also an appropriate time for fraternal closeness and solidarity with the vulnerable and the poor, chiefly those who suffer from environmental degradation. We can learn from their stories, from their resilience, from their commitment, and together keep hope alive.

Not long ago I wrote in anticipation of this day as the Feast of Creation in Christ, marking the beginning of the Season of Creation concluding on October 4th, the Feast of St. Francis. The United Church has announced that it will join with other denominations around the world with the goal of celebrating today so I'm baffled that no liturgical resources are provided on our website to do so. 

The Anglicans in Canada have developed a really worthwhile Feast of the Creator resource, including scripture passages and eucharistic or communion prayers  https://www.anglican.ca/resources/feast-of-the-creator/

One of those prayers was written in British Columbia with specific references to that setting, including Indigenous peoples. There is an invitation to adapt the prayer for different regions across the country and since I was in outport Newfoundland when I read through the document I've taken a stab at doing so, even though I'm venturing into Anglican territory!

May God be with you 

And also with you 

Lift up your hearts 

We lift them up 

Let us give thanks to God our Creator 

It is right to give our thanks and praise 

It is right at all times and in all places to thank and praise you Creator of all. 

We praise you here in the land of the Beothuk of old, the land of the Micmac and Innu today, 

where harvests from forest and sea are alongside towns and outports and industry. 

We praise you at a time when the body of earth is broken again and again. 

We give thanks for our place in the story of salvation. Our ancestors journeyed with you in creation and migration. They depended on the land, were displaced from the land and displaced others from their lands. They knew you in tents and cities, on mountains and by wells, in families and in dreams, and through wilderness prophets who spoke of cedars and listened to ravens. 

Together with angels and ancestors, codfish and eagles, gannets and caribou, whales and resilient tuckamore, we join our voices with all creation in this ancient honour song:

Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might 

Heaven and earth are full of your glory. 

Hosanna in the highest. 

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.