(Sam)Wise Listening
Luke 21:25-36
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Being a spiritual companion means I listen to others. And by listening to them without judgment I seek to create a relational space where emotional and spiritual healing can be addressed. I am convinced that listening to God, listening to others, and listening to ones’ true self are three of the best prescriptions for what ails our world today.
Physicians who fail to listen to their patients cannot hope to heal them; just as patients who fail to listen to their physicians will also miss out on the healing available to them.
You wouldn’t go to a mechanic, restaurant, hairstylist, or essentially any other business that proved incapable of listening to you.
And people will only go to you with their vulnerabilities, hopes, and dreams if they know that you will listen to them.
Listening is a vitally important cog in any functional social, economic, political, religious, educational, or family system. Despite its importance, listening is rarely taught and practiced. This could be because of two primary factors: 1) listening can be painful, and 2) listening opens us up to the possibility of change (and many of us would rather remain in an unhealthy system than experience change).
In addition to being a Sunday to celebrate healing, today is also the first Sunday in Advent. Advent is commonly known as the liturgical season of anticipation and preparation. I say it’s the liturgical season of listening. Which means it is the liturgical season of pain and change.
In today’s gospel we hear an apocalyptic vision from the lips of a resurrected Christ. It is a vision of confusion, distress, fear, and foreboding. “The powers of the heavens will be shaken.” This vision is hard to hear. But notice what Christ calls us to do in such times of confusion, distress, fear, and foreboding. Christ calls us to stand up and raise our heads. Christ calls us to pay attention, to be on guard, and to pray. Christ calls us to listen.
This apocalyptic vision is not a prediction of the future, but instead, it is a recognition of the world as it currently is. The world in which we live is one of confusion, distress, fear, and foreboding. This means that our call as disciples of Christ is to stand up and raise our heads. Our call is to pay attention, to be on guard, to pray…to listen. In the midst of the pain, the possibility of change emerges for those who are listening.
It is only with eyes wide open to the brokenness of it all that we can authentically arrive at a place of hope and trust that through it all, God is at work creating the kingdom of heaven here on earth.
This reminds me of the great line from Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (the movie) in which two of the protagonists, two hobbits names Frodo and Samwise, are nearing the completion of their impossible task.
FRODO: I can’t do this, Sam.
SAMWISE: I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened.
But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something.
FRODO: What are we holding on to, Sam?
SAMWISE: That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.
A Christ-follower walks in the footsteps of Jesus with eyes wide open and ears attuned to the nature of reality, holding onto the promise that there is good in this world – good that can only be glimpsed by those who are alert and listening to God, to others, and to their true selves.
If you find yourself unable to discern the good in the world that’s worth fighting for, then take stock of what voices you are paying attention to. Chances are that those voices are not God-oriented. The more you truly listen to God, to others, and to yourself, the more you will be changed and formed into Christ-likeness.
Be gentle with yourself as you do the work of figuring out what voices you are listening to as well as what voices you would be better suited to listen to. And find someone who will listen to you as you do this hard holy work. For we walk together, heads held high, expecting hope, grace, and love to fill the world.
