The prophet Daniel records a vision he had in our reading today. It is a terrifying and awesome vision at once — it is revealing. Apocalyptic. And it is reassuring that chaos and death are not the final answer. Daniel 7:1-3, 15-18
Jesus’ sermon on the mount contained the beatitudes for his disciples. “Woe” is not a curse here, but a phrase like “yikes!” A warning phrase, not cursing. Yikes! Take care! You are full now, but will be hungry later. Beware!
The same with “blessed.” It isn’t that Jesus is saying poverty is a blessing and something good to wish on people, but rather, he is saying “Don’t worry.” Don’t worry you are hungry now, you will be fed later. Peace. Take heart. Luke 6:20-31
Exiled in a foreign land – a captive – Daniel has a vision in a dream. In his dream the winds stir up the great sea. The great sea is an old symbol of chaos, disorder, wild and dangerous. Out of this chaos rises four great beasts – each different from one another. From their descriptions, cut out of today’s reading, we can identify them as the Babylonians, the Medes, the Persians, and the Greeks. These were the great warring nations around Daniel and they lived in the chaos that weak, tempest tossed, exiled Daniel feels.
As Daniel watches, the evil chaotic beasts trample the world. Everything is crushed. Lives ended. It is chaotic and evil and death reigns.
But then the Ancient of Days arrives and sits court. This Ancient One starts a new reign, and appoints a new ruler who is human but brought to him. The Ancient of Days kills the worst of the Beasts and weakens the others – setting a limit to their ability to cause evil.
And then in the end… only the kingdom the Ancient One has set up remains eternally.
In the dream, Daniel asks for an explanation of the terrifying beasts and the wars. He is told, “These four beasts are the four kings of the earth. The four kingdoms. But don’t fear them. The holy ones of the Most High shall receive the true kingdom and live in it forever and ever.”
Much as God brought out of chaotic waters the world in the beginning… Daniel sees God bring forth holiness out of chaos now, and is told that in the end, out of chaos, God will still set order and reign.
In the meaninglessness, in the chaos, in the awful unknowns and random violence life throws at us… God will and shall bring forth holiness. God will set order to the chaos. God will set meaning to the senseless. God will still the storm that threatens to capsize our boat.
On the mount, Jesus looks at his disciples and acknowledges the chaos they, and we, live in. We are poor. We are hungry. We are weeping. We are hated, we are excluded, we are reviled, we are defamed for what we believe. We are in chaos.
But we have a place in heaven. We will be filled. We will laugh. We will rejoice.
And Jesus acknowledges we are also the beasts who thrive in the chaos. We are rich. We are full. We are laughing. We are spoken well of. When the chaos of the world ends, and that which we thrive on is now gone, we will have nothing. We will be hungry. We will mourn and weep.
Therefore, to all, Jesus says, to the rich and poor, to the hungry and full, to the laughing and weeping – to all who will listen… enter the kingdom now. Do this by loving your enemies. Do this by generously giving to all — the deserving and not deserving. Do this by doing to others as you would have them do to you.
From the chaos of life — the chaos of poverty or affluence — the chaos of joys and good times and sorrowful, dark times. The chaos of warring countries and cultures that trample the world. The chaos of death itself… From all this chaos… God invites us into holiness.
Come into this holiness. Trust the one who calms the sea.
Amen.
Pastor Whitney Bruno Sermons 