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25 Pentecost Proper 28 November 15, 2015
1 Samuel 1:4-20
The Song of Hannah
Hebrews 10:11-14, (15-18) 19-25
Mark 13:1-8
The Rev. David R. Wilt
Being back in Key West last week with the High speed boat
races going on, and the excitement of the usual Key West
festivities on Duval Street, along with the never ending
excitement of the siocesan convention was a nostalgic reminder
of how wonderful it is to be in West Palm Beach. In reality
returning there and reflecting on Sandy’s and my time there, and
then thinking about this Gospel did resurrect some memories.
As many of you know, Sandy and I were in Key West for four
years. During the first two years of our time there we were
impacted by seven hurricanes: Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne,
Rita, Katrina and Wilma.
Of those seven, two stand out the most for us. Katrina was a
major rain event that resulted in water streaming down the inner
walls of the antebellum rectory we lived in. Wilma flooded 60%
of the island and caused the most extensive damage of any of the
storms.
All of storms, as I look back, had some interesting
similarities. They all involved a partial (meaning tourist)
evacuation and most involved for some period a mandatory
evacuation for all residents.
This would cause a second phenomenon to occur. The
tourists would leave. The weather channel would descend upon
the La Concha Hotel across the street from the rectory. And, the
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citizens of Key West for the most part would ignore everything
and settle in for the end of times.
As the rector of St. Paul’s on Duval Street, and feeling an
abiding responsibility to being identified with the community,
Sandy and I never left for any of the storms. We would sit out on
the porch and watch the wind. We might wander down the street
and order a pizza, which would only have on it what they had left.
After two or three days into an evacuation the topping could get
pretty mysterious. We would enjoy the calm times of which there
are surprisingly many during a hurricane.
I remember being out on the porch and it was dead calm. I
walked back into the house and the TV was on. Geraldo was
reporting from across the street, his hair blowing straight back as
he talked about the ominously deteriorating conditions. I walked
outside to see if I had missed something and concluded that
Geraldo must have been standing in front of a large fan.
The storms would pass, to be followed by the stench of
rotting seaweed along the beaches and a few swamped boats,
and a sort of shrug of “oh well” would shudder through the town
and life went on.
Today, if you sit upon the top of the Mount of Olives opposite
the temple you will not see anything that resembles what Jesus
and the disciples were seeing. The temple has indeed been
thrown down, not one stone is left upon another. There is the
Western Wall, the wailing wall, there is the Dome of the Rock
which is believed to be the Temple mount. But since 70 CE. about
30-35 years after Jesus’ death the temple has not existed in
recognizable form.
Some evangelists make a decent living predicting the end of
the world, at least until their predicted end doesn’t happen and a
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lot of followers are left stranded out in the desert or in some cave.
That sort of erodes their credibility.
But there will always be the next doomsayer to come along
with dire predictions, and indeed to some extent they may be
right. And this doesn’t just happen during presidential election
years. Rumors of war are always in the air. Wars are seemingly
always flaring up somewhere. Nations periodically rise up against
nations, kingdom against kingdom. Certainly there are
earthquakes and tsunamis and there are famines.
But, Jesus says these are only the beginning of the birth
pangs. And, we all know that the second coming just like the first
child will come, but only in its own time on its own terms. The
second coming will not be a scheduled Caesarian.
In the meantime, if you live on a little spit of land roughly 2
miles wide and 4 miles long, or if you live in West Palm, or
wherever, there is always the next storm. What does that mean
for us?
Jesus tells his disciples that when they see the desecrating
sacrilege head for the mountains protect themselves, preserve
themselves. That came with the pagan destruction of the temple
in 70 CE.
Um…We are still here.
We don’t know when the end will come.
What we do know is that we need to, in the interim, seek
understanding of one another so that we do not destroy each
other in vain.
What we do know is that we need to, in the interim, have a
keen awareness of the conditions of our fellow human beings and
when we are in a position to, help them. Love one another is
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what we are taught. Agape love, unconditional, is the example
we were given.
What we do know is that we need, in the interim, to preserve
this precious planet that was architected and constructed by the
hand of God. It has been placed in our stewardship to maintain
for future generations because we cannot assume that the next
storm will be the last.
After Wilma in 2005, ironically, because the power was
restored so quickly, even before the storm surge had a chance to
recede, the return of the power fried the appliances of a
significant portion of the populace.
I made two phone calls to two different churches, and one
phone call to a charity in Jacksonville that provides new clothing
to those in need. And, within days we received over $20,000 and
a tractor trailer loaded with pallets of new clothing, much of
which were Claiborne. Within weeks it was poured back into the
community.
One woman, whom Sandy had promised money to buya new
refrigerator, came by the office to say it wouldn’t be necessary,
her family’s home had been condemned as unlivable. Could we
just give him something for food.
As we handed out clothes one man asked me if it would be
ok to take two pair of jeans and that way he would have
something to wear so he could go back to work. All of his clothing
had been destroyed.
Storms, earthquakes are not something we can much predict
or avoid, but we can alieve the misery of the aftermath by
reaching out and caring for one another. Wars and famine, offer a
different opportunity, we can prevent those if we are committed
to do so, and prevent the misery of the aftermath before it begins.
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In the meanwhile do not be led astray we need to still be
here for one another today, tomorrow, and thereafter for we truly
know not when the end will come.