Pentecost 26, Year B: Creation and the End of Time
Rachel Field
Note that Wild Lectionary follows the Anglican Church of Canada’s adaptation of the Revised Common Lectionary which this week differ from the Revised Common Lectionary.
On this Sunday, we have an opportunity again to think about Christ’s power and role in the cosmos as it is in relationship with all of creation. The focus in the gospel from Mark is on the end of times, which is a challenging topic for ecological preachers, but one that needs to be embraced. The texts give us an opportunity to reflect on what it means to love deeply, those things that are fleeting, dying, changing, as well as to ground ourselves and creation in the work that Jesus is doing to redeem and uplift all beings.
Weighty theological themes run through all of the passages: sin, eschatology, Christ’s priesthood, redemption, atonement. This is an opportunity for ecological preachers to dig into creation theology as it relates to key pillars of Christianity. Perhaps most notable among these themes are the conversations about the relationship between humanity, creation, and Christ as it relates to the end of times. I would argue, by taking Christ seriously that creation has an end date, and that Christ’s death on the cross served as a singular event that changed the fabric of the universe, we as Christians have a solid foundation for belief that materiality is sacred, that God stands with the oppressed, and that truly, all shall be well.
Commentary
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In these opening verses of the story of Samuel Hannah offers prayers to God for a child, and is given what she asked for. The interactions between Hannah and Peninnah, and then between Hannah and Eli offer some rich material for preachers. In both cases, Hannah continues in prayer, weeping and fasting, even though she is presented with unkindness from two persons who should be supporters: a priest, and a fellow wife of Elkanah. She prays to God, even when her prayers are whispers, and even when her actions are seen by those around her as the result of drunkenness. For those of us in close relationship with creation, interceding to God on creation’s behalf, we can often be faced with the same response both from others engaged in ecological restoration work or from other christians. In Hannah, we receive a model for both feeling the loss, anger, and sadness, and for asking God for what it is we need, even when our voice is reduced to a whisper.
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Hannah’s song of praise picks up the themes of God’s power, but interestingly, God’s power as worked through the creation. Yes, the images Hannah uses heavily rely on militant strength, but they remain strength worked by God on behalf of the poor, the oppressed, and the needy. After a series of images contrasting different paradigms of power, Hannah reaches the pinnacle of the imagery in verse 9: “It is not by strength that one prevails.” Reading backward through her song of praise, it is clear that it is through surrender to the Lord that one prevails, and that the Lord is working for the downtrodden. Taken with reference to Laudato Si, we can include the marginalized and oppressed more-than-human creatures in this category of the poor, oppressed, and needy as well.
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The sections from Hebrews provide a commentary on the role of priests and the role of Christ. It will be important in this reading not to fall into antisemitic interpretations along the lines of “the old testament God is bad and the new testament God is good,” even as Paul is giving a substantial critique of the Levitical priesthood. Fortunately, the attention in this passage is not really on worldly priesthood but on Christ’s eternal and cosmic priesthood; he is the one sacrifice that renders all other sacrificial offerings obsolete or inconsequential. In Christ, we find the end of violence, the end of death, and both humanity and creation are lifted out of a cycle of ineffective death. The second portion of the lectionary for today addresses the potential for complacency given that it is Christ alone who redeems. Paul encourages those who follow Christ to therefore dig deeper, draw nearer to God, and encourage each other even more as a response to the work of Christ. This applies not just to humanity, but to all of Creation.
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This reading from Mark is the last public discourse of Jesus recorded in Mark’s gospel before the Last Supper and crucifixion, and it is stark. It is often referred to as the “little apocalypse” and can be divided into 5 sections with a word of warning and a word of hope present in each section.We only hear the opening warning in today's lectionary, but even within these 8 verses the implications for creation are made clear. Later in the discourse, Jesus offers more commentary on the darkening of the sun etc. Clearly, the end of times is a cosmic event that will impact all of creation. This does not mean, however, that we should ignore creation or that we can use it because it is “only passing away.” On the contrary, this passage can reinforce the spiritual connection between the redemption of humanity and the redemption of the cosmos, the end of humanity and the end of the cosmos. We are inseparable, and we will be redeemed together by God in Christ.
Teaching and Preaching Ideas
Temporality
How do we as Christians reconcile the deep presence of God in Creation and the indication from Jesus that the world does indeed have an end point? How do we preach good news, reconciliation, justice for the oppressed in a world that is passing away? This theme would require some interaction (at least in the US) with the strain of apocalyptic Christianity that insists that because the earth is passing away we humans can use it as a collection of resources and it should not be cherished. This view is antithetical to the texts today. God works with bodies (Hannah’s story), through the cosmos (Mark’s gospel), and Christ’s action on the cross is inseparably material and spiritual.
Jesus as Redeemer of All Creation
What is the relationship between Christ and all of Creation? What does it mean that Christ takes on the role that was reserved for non-human creatures when he becomes the sacrifice for sins? Can this relationship speak to a deep solidarity with the loss of species to climate change and habitat destruction? How does God’s work with Creation transcend God’s relationship with humanity?
God’s Solidarity with Suffering
Both Hannah’s story and Christ’s story reveal how God continually stands with the oppressed those who have their backs against the wall to echo James Cone’s phrasing. This does not apply only to human-human relationships, but God has a relationship with the suffering in creation as well. Preachers on this theme might reflect on the ways in which we see suffering and sacrifice present in all of creation (the image of the pelican comes to mind, creation playing out loss). From a non-anthropocentric perspective, the letter to the Hebrews also offers good news to those creatures who have been trapped in cycles of suffering, loss, and sacrifice. How is all of creation caught up in cycles of violence? Where do we see God in alignment with the poor, the least, and the oppressed?
Sources and Resources
Encyclical Letter: Laudato Si. Pope Francis. 24 May 2015. Accessed here: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html
The Interpreters Bible. George Arthur Buttrick, editor. 1955. Abingdon Press.
Primavesi, Anne. From Apocalypse to Genesis: Ecology, Feminism, and Christianity. 1991. Augsburg Fortress. Minneapolis MN.
Southgate, Christopher. The Groaning of Creation. 2008. Westminster John Knox Press. Louisville, Kentucky.
Contributor Bio
Rachel Field is an Episcopal priest living on a small regenerative farm and retreat center on unceded Abenaki land. She has contributed to Earth & Altar, The Creation Care Bible Challenge, and Crux magazine. She is also part of a clergy team at St Mary’s Parish in Northfield VT. When not writing or farming she is playing fetch with her beloved dogs Frodo and Willa.