Oh, That God Would Come Down Now
Oh, That God Would Come Down Now by Rev. L. John Gable
November 29, 2020
In our Old Testament lesson this morning the prophet Isaiah issues a cry which may echo our own sentiments, even now. Writing in the 6th century BC the prophet is returning to Jerusalem with others of the exiled remnant of Israel only to find the nation in ruins, the city demolished and the Temple desecrated. In anger and anguish he cries out in lament, “Oh, that God would tear open the heavens and come down now, so that the mountains would quake at Your presence.” Isaiah, looking at the devastation around him, said, in effect, “Lord, if only You would come down now, like You have in days past, to straighten things up around here and show everybody who’s boss!” We understand those very feelings today, don’t we? As one has said, Scripture can be as fresh and new as the morning headlines!
We, too, have grown, at times, frustrated and weary and discouraged by the way things seem to be going in our nation, our world, perhaps even our own hearts and homes. “Oh, that God would come down now!”
We are now nine months in to a global pandemic and while there seem to be hopeful signs of relief through soon to be released vaccines and therapies, the end still appears to be nowhere in sight. “Oh that God would come down now!”
So many have suffered, and suffer still, through the economic impact of shut-downs and unemployment, wondering as to where next month’s rent is coming from and how to put food on the table, not to mention the stresses for parents and children alike of both working and schooling at home. “Oh, that God would come down now!”
Still others have felt overwhelmed by the anxiety of contested and contentious elections, and others the seemingly overwhelming issues of our day: social injustice and racism, global warming, the violence of peoples and nations, and the list goes on and on and on. “Oh, that God would come down now.”
I cite this litany of ills, not in any way to cast a pall over our time of worship, but to show how closely we can relate to the anguished cry of the prophet speaking on behalf of God to the people and on behalf of the people to God. We can’t help but to at times wonder, since it is the Judeo-Christian hope and expectation that one day God will draw all of human history to a close and usher in the Kingdom of Heaven, that from our perspective, right now is as good, or as bad, a time as any! Let’s be done with it! What are we waiting for? “Oh that God would come down now to rescue us from the mess we’ve gotten ourselves in to!”
But before we pray that particular prayer too earnestly we need first to make sure we know on whose side we stand in this contest. It is our human nature to assume that God is on our side in all of these matters, but that is not necessarily the case. The real question we must ask and answer is not whether God is on our side but are we on God’s side, and for that reason, Isaiah, rather than assuming that it is God who is slow or resistant to act, first calls the people to reflection and confession. This too is a timely message for us today.
This past Tuesday I shared with the staff President Lincoln’s proclamation declaring a day of prayer and fasting in 1863. Recall the nation at that point was two years in to the Civil War and almost the same before its conclusion. He writes,
“It is the duty of nations as well as of all people to owe their dependence upon the overruling power of God; to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope and genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord.
“…We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.
“But we have forgotten God; we have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all those blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtues of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel this necessity of reclaiming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.”
Even in the midst of our cries of lament, “Oh that God would come down now” we would do well to heed the prophet’s, and the President’s, good advice that we begin with humble confession and repentance, even as we pray for God’s deliverance.
Then in our Gospel lesson, lest we fall in to any false hope of a Messianic escapism, Jesus speaks a stern word of warning. Yes, it is the Judeo-Christian belief that God continues to be active and involved in the lives of peoples and nations, so we live with the full expectation that at some point God will draw all of history to a close. Central to the teaching of our faith is that human history will not simple fizzle out or, worse yet, self-destruct, but that one day Christ will return to bring all of human history to fulfillment and completion. So we need not despair, or simply look for an escape route from this present darkness; rather we are called to watch with expectation for the new thing God is going to do. It is this promise of faith about which Jesus is talking in our Gospel lesson from Mark 13.
Setting the stage for this teaching, Jesus is walking with His disciples through the Temple area in Jerusalem and His disciples are marveling at the massive size and beautiful architecture. Jesus comments that it won’t last, but that even this Temple would one day be destroyed. So they ask Him, “When will this be and how will we know?”(13:4) Jesus gives an extended answer to this rather critical question as He explains to them the circumstances surrounding the return of the Messiah and the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven.
In a portion of Mark 13 which we did not read this morning, Jesus warns His followers about all the deceptive signs which are to come: false teachers, wars, upheavals in nations, and false messiahs. Even today we can see evidence of these which have caused some to wonder, as the disciples did, “Is this the time?” to which Jesus cautions, “No, take heed; be alert; and don’t be led astray.” Admittedly, the more difficult things become here the more tempted we are to hope and pray, “Oh that God would come down now!”
Jesus goes on then to tell two brief parables which seem to hold in check all the opposing views of the end-times and the second coming of Christ. He speaks to those who expect too much too soon, as well as to those who expect too little too late, and even to those who have all but given up expecting anything at all.
He begins with a parable about a fig tree. “As soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also when you see these things taking place, know that the Lord is near.” Clearly the gist of this teaching is that there will be signs announcing/forewarning the coming of the Messiah, calling us to ready ourselves. This promise of God is sure, so we are to watch the signs of the times. We are to live with expectation and anticipation; but understand this, while the promise is assured, the timing is still unknown. Jesus Himself said, “About that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father.” As one has wisely said, “Never trust anyone who claims to know more about the end times than Jesus did Himself, and He said He didn’t know.” (I did happen to get an email several weeks ago announcing an exact date, sometime in 2022 I believe it said, when Jesus is predicted to return. As I recall I deleted that one.) Friends, Jesus’ teaching on this subject is clear and consistent and timely, “Beware, keep alert, for you do not know when the time will come”, but come it will, in God’s timing, not our own.
So, what then are we to do in the meantime? That is the subject of Jesus’ second parable about a man who goes on a journey leaving his servants in charge of his estate. If the first parable warns against an over-active messianic expectation, the second warns against passive indifference which lulls us in to thinking, “If He hasn’t come back by now, perhaps He never will, which means we are left to our own devises.” To counter this mindset look again at the instructions the master left with each of his servants. Jesus says, “He put his servants in charge, each with his work and told the gatekeeper to be on the watch.” In short, while I’m gone: keep busy and keep alert.
The story is told of the American tourist who happened upon an extravagant estate while traveling through the back country of Europe. He noticed a gentleman on his hands and knees working in one of the gardens, so he stopped to compliment him on how beautifully he kept his grounds. The man replied that he appreciated the compliment but that the estate was not his, that he was simply the caretaker and that he was preparing the gardens for the owner’s return.
“Has he been away long?” asked the traveler.
“Yes”, said the gardener, “many years.”
“Then he must be returning soon if you are doing all this work to get ready for him?”
“Of that I do not know” replied the groundskeeper, “but I shall have his gardens ready for him when he comes.”
Friends, the message of these twin parables is clear. Though the day of Jesus’ return is unknown, it is assured, so while we wait and watch for the coming Kingdom of God, we are also to work for it. Doing what? Perhaps we can begin by addressing the litany of concerns we spoke of at the start. While there is much we cannot do to change the way the world is, there is much Kingdom work we can and must do, starting in our own homes and hearts, in this neighborhood and community. By faith we believe that God is still active and involved in the lives of peoples and nations, and He uses us, His children, to be instruments of His peace and laborers for His Kingdom.
I’ll close with this story about an eclipse which took place in colonial New England. The state legislators were panicked by the meaning of the darkness of the skies and the movement of the heavens and moved that their session be adjourned. But one of them stood and said, “Mr. Speaker, if it is not the end of the world and we adjourn we shall appear to be as fools. If it is the end of the world, I should choose to be found doing my duty. I move you, sir, that candles be brought in and lit.” This, I believe, is the proper balance between our waiting and our working, between our spiritual expectation and our social responsibility.
In every age there have been signs and wonders that suggest that this would be a good time for the Lord’s return, but still He has not come. To those who carefully chart the movement of nations and events and excitedly announce, “This is it! Today’s the day!” our Lord says, “Take heed; not yet!”
To those who are swayed by the extravagant claims of would-be messiahs, He says, “Don’t you believe it!”
To who those who attempt to set the time and fix the date of the Lord’s return, He says, “Don’t bother.”
To those who say, “He hasn’t come yet and likely never will”, He says, “Keep alert!”
And to those who have grown weary of the struggle and cry out against this present darkness, “Oh that God would come down now!” He says, “Wait and watch! Light your candles and be about the work God has given you to do, and so be ready to greet Him at His coming!” Amen.