In the 18th episode of the 10th season of ‘The Simpsons’, Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie fall asleep in the church listening to a particularly boring Easter sermon by Revd Lovejoy. They all see different Bible-inspired dreams and finally wake up to discover that they are alone in the church. They walk outside to witness the Apocalypse: everything is on fire and the Four Horsemen are seen in the sky. Ned Flanders and his family, the local Evangelicals, are praying nearby and are taken up to heaven in a ray of light. Witnessing all this, Lisa exclaims, ‘It’s the Rapture!’ before the ray of light shines onto her and she herself begins her ascent into heaven. This is quickly interrupted by Homer, who, after saying, ‘Where do you think you’re going?’, grabs her leg and pulls her down. A staircase into a fiery pit opens up in front of them and, enticed by the smell of barbeque, Homer confidently marches ahead leading the family down with him.
In their usual manner, ‘The Simpsons’ make light of what in fact is a serious belief for many Evangelical Christians: the event called the Rapture, which is linked to Christ’s return and the time of tribulations on Earth. In its course, the true believers will be taken up to heaven to be with Jesus and all others will be left behind to suffer and face the consequences of their sin, as Christ returns and this world comes to an end. While there are different interpretations of the exact order of these events, perhaps the most common idea is that the Rapture happens before the tribulations start and before the Second Coming of Christ, so just at some point as we go about our daily lives, with no warning. This belief is based on a number of Biblical passages, including the one we have heard today, Matthew 24. 40-41: ‘Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left’. This passage comes after almost a whole chapter describing the tribulations of the end times Jesus is telling his disciples about: destruction of the Temple, persecutions, famine, natural disasters and even the sun and moon going dark and all heavenly bodies being shaken. Another passage that is interpreted as supporting the idea of the Rapture is 1 Thessalonians 4.16-17: ‘The dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air’.
You may have heard that a lot of Christians around the world, especially in the United States, were expecting the Rapture to happen at the end of September, just two months ago. Joshua Mhlakela, a South African pastor, announced on his social media back in September that he’d had a dream, in which Jesus spoke to him about His coming to earth on 23rd-24th September. A lot of people were seriously preparing for the events similar to those described in Matthew 24. And this is not a new thing. On another recent occasion, the Rapture was predicted to take place on 21st May 2011.
While many Christians around the world believe in the Rapture, this is not mainstream theology. The theological concept of the Rapture is disputed by alternative interpretations of the Bible. For example, it has been argued that in verses 40-41 in Matthew 24, it is not clear on what grounds the judgement will be made to take one person and leave another. It is also possible that the ones taken are in fact taken for some sort of a judgement, while those who are left are safe, by analogy with the parable of the weeds in Matthew 13, where those who are gathered, the sinful ones, are thrown in the fire, while the wheat, representing the righteous, is left to grow. In addition, there is not enough evidence to say that ‘the Rapture’ is to be expected as a stand-alone event, whether it occurs before, after or during the tribulations. Instead, the Second Coming of Christ and the Judgement is more likely one dramatic occurrence.
To be completely honest with you, this is a very difficult subject, where the Bible is very unclear and most things we may or may not conclude are conjectural. But I think this is rather the point. Any attempts to predict the day of the end and its exact character are contradicted by the very passage we read earlier: the day and the time of Christ’s coming are not known. One thing Jesus clearly says is that whatever happens, it will be unexpected and we ought to be ready and wait. So, we wait. While we are of course invited to keep watching and waiting at all times, there is one season in the year that essentially has waiting as its main theme: it is Advent and it starts today.
In Advent, we count down the days before Christ’s birth – his First Coming. We know that it has happened (this is why we all are at church in the first place!) and we are waiting for this day with confidence, with at least a degree of understanding of what it is and what it means for us. At the same time, as today’s reading reminds us, we are waiting for his Second Coming, which is a complete unknown. I like to think it will be clear enough when it happens, but until then, it is by definition a secret as we are only seeing through the glass dimly. So, in the absence of answers, we wait.
But how can we wait well not knowing what we are waiting for? And should we really spend a lifetime just waiting? Whatever happens in the end, we have been given this life for a reason and we should be able to live it meaningfully. And if life consists of waiting, we need a good theology of waiting.
Waiting can be a proactive thing. Isaiah says, ‘Those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength, <…> they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint’. Psalm 27 urges us to wait for the Lord and to be strong and courageous. Waiting is not passive existence or wasted time, it is part of the fabric of life; it requires courage and energy.
At the same time, as Henri Nouwen said, it is ‘increasingly important to recognize that the largest part of our existence involves waiting in the sense of being acted upon’. So we should practice our openness to God’s will.
I think fruitful, godly, spiritually fulfilling waiting happens when these two things meet: energy and openness. We can be energised by using the time and space we have been given by the Lord but also humbled and open to receiving His will in His time. Nouwen further says, ‘Spirituality of waiting is not simply our waiting for God. It is also participating in God’s own waiting for us and in that way coming to share in the deepest love, which is God’s love’.
My charge for all of us this Advent is to be attentive to how we wait. If you find that you are running too fast, make some space, take some breaths, let God speak to you. If, on the other hand, you are feeling that time is being wasted, look for meaning, for substance, ask God for answers and for guidance. I think it is also possible to feel both at the same time: that you are desperately waiting for something in one area of your life while time is running away from you in all other aspects of it. Pray for balance and for wisdom, ask the Lord to meet you in the middle.
Ultimately, the art of waiting well is the art of being present, being exactly in the right place between slowly counting the minutes of unfilled time, being uninspired and unstimulated, and cramming too much in, worrying about having space and then lamenting the fact that time passes too quickly. Waiting is in fact where life happens, where fruitfulness, inspiration and spiritual fulfilment dwell and where God’s presence can be felt. Let us see if we can practise this art this Advent. Amen.