Dec. 1, 2020
Beloved in Christ:
Greetings in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
One of the pressing questions people have been asking me since the beginning of this COVID-19 pandemic is if I think we are in the end times. Of course, this is not the first time I have heard this; people have been asking this question for centuries. I remember a day during my elementary school years in India when students heard people saying that none of us would be in school the next day because the end of the world was occurring that night. Though we all hunkered down in our houses, nothing happened that night, and we were all back in school the next day.
In Sunday’s lectionary gospel passage, Mark 13: 24-37, we hear Jesus talking about the revelation of the end times. Describing those days and signs to come, Jesus says that no one, not even he, knows when that will occur. Only God knows such things.
During St. Paul's ministry, when some Thessalonians believed they should quit their jobs and remain idle in anticipation of Christ's coming, Paul answered their concerns saying, "For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work." (II Thessalonians 3:10-11).
Throughout history, questions related to end times have been asked of reformer Martin Luther, Bible translator John Wycliffe, founder of Methodism John Wesley, and others. To put it simply, the second coming of Jesus will be a Kairos moment (meaning God's time), not a Chronos moment (according to a human timetable).
Does this mean that, as Christians, we should not worry? As Jesus explained, we must take it seriously and as Eugene Peterson paraphrased the words of Jesus, "Stay at your post. Keep watch!" (Mark 13:37).
“Stay at your post. Keep watch!" What do these sentences mean to us? Though this question can be looked at from different angles, it reminds me of the words of famous theologian Karl Barth, who said, "Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible."
As Christians, it is our bounden duty to make sure we are deeply grounded in Scripture. We are called to engage our Bibles with deep serious theological and contextual study.
Doing so gives us the solid foundation needed to interpret and reinterpret what we read in the newspapers, Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere. As United Methodists, we need to consider to examine all information and topics, by using the Wesleyan Quadrilateral* of Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience.
During my final year at United Theological College, Bangalore, in southern India, a bright and gifted student died of hydrophobia. Since he was from the northeastern part of India, he did not have relatives in the area, so another student and I were by his bedside when he died.
I had to share the news of his death with our principal, Rev. Dr. J. R. Chandran. A few days later, I confided with Dr. Chandran, that I did not understand why God would take the life of such a bright young person. I will never forget the words Dr. Chandran said, "Sudarshan, do not blame God. God had no part in it.”
He went on to say, “The person knew he had to take proper treatment and get a rabies shot when a dog licked his open wound. As a result of his irresponsibility, he died." These words really opened my eyes and made me confess how literally I was interpreting Scripture.
So, friends, what does it mean to us as Christians when we hear, "Stay at your post. Keep watch!" in the midst of challenges such as COVID-19? What does it mean when we hear of happenings in society such as, but not limited to, racism, selfishness, hatred, neglect of the poor, victimization, and marginalization?
My answer would be that the actual moment of Christ's second coming does not matter. What does matter is if we are reading the signs of the times and interpreting them with our own biases and self-interpretation of the Scriptures without serious Biblical study and theological depth. Are we aware of what Methodists mean when we talk about our doctrinal and theological understandings?
During a church conference at the beginning of my ministry, my district superintendent asked the Church school superintendent why they were using a particular brand of educational materials that did not reflect Wesleyan theology. The superintendent replied that it was easy to follow.
The district superintendent explained that as United Methodists, we have a understanding of theology and need to teach our children what we stand for as United Methodists. I was very appreciative of his ability to use that situation as a teaching moment, so we are faithful in interpreting to others what we stand for as United Methodists.
As I write this letter, I hear all kinds of advertising of Christmas sales. We are encouraged to pay attention and stay tuned for upcoming bargains. As Christians, we are challenged to stay at our post and to keep watch for something different: the children in our neighborhoods who are hungry, parents who are struggling to help their children with online education, and those worry whether they will have a place to stay tonight.
If COVID-19 continues to spread, we may be looking at continuing to wear masks, to maintain physical distance, to take hygienic precautions, and even to decide not to worship as a community for the sake of protecting the vulnerable among us for quite some time to come. It is important we do these things not as a political statement, but as loving, responsible, and discerning Christians, who examine ourselves prayerfully and scripturally.
Those who among us who are financially able and with all the facilities of life, need to look at our own resources and ask what it means to “Stay at your post. Keep watch!" We should discern how we can help those in our churches, communities, nation, and world who are in need.
As we stay at our post and keep watch and as we light the candles of Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace, may we pray, sing, and exhibit these words from a Taizé song through our actions:
"Wait for the Lord, whose day is near.
Wait for the Lord: keep watch, take heart!"**
As I am finishing this letter, the Nov. 29 Daily Prayer during this COVID-19 crisis appeared on my computer screen. Rev. Lynn Mentzer composed it for us so beautifully. May we use this prayer regularly during this Advent season.
Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed and prayerful Advent season.
In Christ's love,
Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar
*For a more detailed discussion of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral click here
**Words by Jacques Berthier
