I Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37

August 27, 1883: the world seemed as if it was about to end. An island off of Java and near Sumatra exploded. Such a mighty volcanic explosion occurred that the island itself exploded apart so that nothing much of it remained. That explosion caused earth innards of dust and ash, and island pieces to plume into the atmosphere. The explosion was heard as far as India and Australia. The catastrophic eruption created eerie, most colorful sunsets and darkened the day skies worldwide. A mighty tsunami the likes of which has not been seen since, sent waves that were felt around the world - quite literally around the world to even British soil. The wave, greater than what we experienced in and around Sri Lanka a few years ago, killed more than 40,000 people. The devastating event I describe is Krakatoa: the volcano explosion of which Simon Winchester writes.

Surely people in 1883 round the world saw the signs described in Mark: 'but in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.' And they must have been waiting for the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory.

From Mark, we understand the End Time to be one of judgment. Mark spoke as if its unexpected coming is soon where the atmospheric signs announcing its arrival would be obvious. It's believed that Mark was written perhaps in and around the time of great Christian persecution by Nero around 60 CE. The clash of deep, strong Christian belief with human persecution meted out by the ruling party for demonstrating such belief added to the argument that the Son of Man would be returning to earth soon. Though the heavens may not have been giving critical signs of the End Time, what people were experiencing were certainly devastating. Times were not good. Even 150 years later, after Mark is written, Christian persecution persists. In North Africa, in Carthage, the athletic arenas filled with Roman citizens looking for justice and a semblance of restored order. Into those arenas streamed Christians who would not deny their Christianity and their allegiance to God and Jesus. Unaided other than with their unfailing faith, they would meet wild beasts of many kinds. These Christians threatened the very structure of Roman society with their professed love of God. These Christian witnesses met their deaths proudly, surely, and happily knowing that they would no longer be in a world gone amok but would meet the Son of Man at last. Surely these must have seemed like near End Times. Our class studying Women Speak of God learned of two such young women - 20 years old and younger, as unbelievable as we can imagine, Perpetua and Felicitas, met their deaths victoriously.

But alas! Though Mark, subsequent gospel writers, all the way up to present day readers of the future try to predict the nearness of the New Age - the End Time, we just do not know when that time will occur. So Mark's advice for us becomes: stand ready, alert, and watchful.

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Mark's words stand in stark contrast to the kind, thank-filled words we heard Paul writes to the people of Corinth. I imagine some of you were wondering as you heard these words read by Tom - what in the world does all this mean? Why are we hearing two such disparate pieces of scripture?

Paul writes to the Corinthians as a pastor. 'Grace to you and peace from God. I give thanks to my God always for you because the grace of God that has been given to you in Christ Jesus … you have been enriched in him in every way, in speech, in knowledge, in testimony.' Indeed he lifts up the people of Corinth as a people set apart: a people of Jesus Christ who would be known for their love as Jesus Christ showed His love.

And yet, if we think about these words set apart for us today and we know anything about the people of Corinth, we would wonder why Paul is so laudatory of them. He notes in positive ways the coming of the Lord. Any further reading and we know the people of Corinth are argumentative, and in great discord and unrest.

Nevertheless, even with great unsettledness among the Corinthians, Paul begins by lifting up the gifts given to this people of Corinth. He begins by reminding them of why they are a gathered folk; he begins by reminding them that all of what they have been given is a gift of God. The gift of God's grace comes in Jesus Christ. Grace is the empowering force of discipleship. That is what feeds the people of Corinth; that is what feeds us, the people of Delmar and beyond. Grace comes not just as forgiveness but it is a dynamic power/energy within us that bears fruit. Being in relationship with God in Jesus Christ enriches us, this community, allows us to dream beyond what we alone can do. Grace encompasses our entire community's life as a power toward faithful living.

In so many ways this faith community is blessed through the gifts of God. Like a child on Christmas Eve, I snuck over here last evening knowing that more than forty folks had been busy at work yesterday morning transforming this place through the hanging of greens. I am eager to see some of the decorations the children made, too. Last Sunday, was another series of events where you folks came together to celebrate the gift of this faith community through a faith inspiring, music filled worship, through more than 200 of you sitting down to dinner together, through more than twenty folks preparing and serving and cleaning up a dinner Jesus would approve of sharing, and through grace-filled pledging of financial gifts toward the ministries of Jesus Christ here at Delmar. That same day, I was amazed at the foods which were collected and the people who loaded vans and took the foods to the Albany Methodist Society (AUMS). Only gifts of grace would keep people moving so. My heart warmed to see folks gathered 'round the tree downstairs only an hour after hearing about it in order to reach out to folks who have HIV/AIDs. I know there is another tree collecting mittens right over there. I know that alternate giving this year will go toward the Heifer Project which allows more folks around the world to make a sustainable living. I know, too, that many of you were able to celebrate further last Sunday with the Ecumenical Service at St Thomas': Singing in the choir and coming to listen. Your hunger for spiritual nurture is evident. Your generous hearts and hands that have been opened through knowing Jesus Christ tickle me and make me smile. And I know, I am just mentioning the tip of a recent iceberg of what goes on because you are a faith community.

And yet, despite all of this wonder, underneath all of this goodwill and outreach, we as individuals ask, will/when/how will the economic situation hit us? Sometimes it sounds like the end times are coming. At home/at night, I can't help but think we sometimes feel the unrest when we are reminded nightly that hard times will come.

Something Bill Moyers, a presidential speech writer, Christian, Baptist minister, and journalist, said Friday night caught my attention. He was speaking of a recent trip he had made to Europe after the presidential election in order to get away from politics, elections, and the US for awhile. But he said he could not; folks throughout Europe would not let him. They kept coming to him: Spaniards, French folk, Scandinavians. Not only were people hope-filled of what is taking place because of the federal election, they also expressed a hope that the US would be of help to them in their economic downswings. Moyers could not bring himself to say the US has its own house to clean up. He, however, was hopeful saying folks, the country, have lived through both war and deep depression; we were able to get through both. He said, we are not facing anything more than our grand and great grandparents did. The future is not known; the future is not predetermined. BUT we have the tools; we are in the process of writing our future. I would say that we have the gift of grace to live into the future. We have the empowering grace of Jesus Christ that moves us as a community of faith and as individuals of faith.

Bread, sustenance, nourishment, the stewardship of bread , hunger, holy communion all intermingle and keep speaking to me this fall into winter season.

Kitt Jackson of the Capital Area of Council of Churches wrote a column for the Voices of Faith Saturday. In it, she reminds us of the power of hunger. Seeing a line of folks at a side door of a church reminded her of the hunger that exists in our neighborhoods. She wrote of how in many ways she does her part to help to fight hunger. Not only she does reach out giving to others but she also in order to sense what hunger feels like, participated in the Community Thanksgiving Fast. During her fasting, she took additional steps by writing to state politicians imploring them to remember the poor in the next state budget.

Kitt's testimony reminded me that even in all the good we do as a faith community; there are always additional steps that we can take. And perhaps those additional steps might even address our unsettledness, our unease, and help write the future.

Michael Pollan is a person whose life is now devoted to food and hunger and health. He has written many books on food; his latest is In Defense of Food. I won't go into all the details but share that he speaks of how important it is to buy locally: it is healthier for us as individuals and it is healthier for our planet since we are using less fossil fuels to produce it and market it. I can't help but be proud that Delmar UMC hosts a weekly farm market. I wonder how many of us actually support that or another local farm market. Michael Pollan goes further and suggests that perhaps something additional may be transformational for us during these times of economic unrest: plant a vegetable garden. He suggests that perhaps one of the greatest things Obama could do to set an example would be to have a chef at the White who buys locally, and where a garden might be planted somewhere on the 17 acres in which the White House sits. Eleanor Roosevelt did it and thousands of Victory Gardens grew fresh, healthy foods and they helped folks get through a depression.

I know you may be thinking: what is she talking about? Gardens? What does this have to do with Jesus, the gift of grace, End Times? Well, I believe grace flows rather freely here. I believe grace moves us into further ministries. What if we as a church dared to take seriously the care of our bodies so they are nourished with healthy locally produced foods? What if we as a church went one step further and dared to spend time and energy together as a family or several families together growing some of our foods to be healthier and to save money? And what if we as a church went just one more step further, and we created a surplus so that we could share with our neighbor who could not afford a meal, or who could not grow a garden?

I believe this might be something Jesus would do. Jesus offers us great hope and inspiration; he also was a person of action. I believe local foods might be one way to address directly some of the economic unrest we fear. I believe this would help our neighbor also. I have often almost in a bragging way said, I grow flowers not vegetables. But I am thinking now about those catalogues that come in winter. Maybe a small vegetable plot is the thing to start.

Paul offered: 'grace to you and the peace from God be with you. In every way you have been enriched in Jesus Christ. You are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.' May you keep on in the wonderful works in which you are involved. And may you also be moved to dig deeper into the well of learning, faith, and serving.