PRAYING AND PAYING ATTENTION

Matthew 26:47 - While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people.

So much happening all at once! We’ve had enough peace and quiet that Jesus was able to pray and the disciples were able to sleep. Now, we have a large crowd, armed!, and terror. That’s how fast life can change for all of us. One minute, everything seems peaceful, and we think we have everything under control. The next minute, all hell breaks loose. It certainly felt like that during the previous presidency.

I wonder what the disciples were thinking at this moment? Jesus has been telling them to pray because of this very thing and now it’s here and they are woefully unprepared. This is a good example of the need to be politically aware. It’s possible that Jesus knew what was going on because he’s divine, but that explanation isn’t necessary. What the Jewish authorities did here is and was standard procedure for those who would stir up trouble. Get rid of them. They’ve been trying to trap him for his entire ministry. Of course, they’re going to resort to false charges.

The thing is, Jesus was praying and paying attention. Sure, he was praying that it not come to this (like any of us would!). But he had also put himself entirely into God’s will – Thy will be done. As such, he was prepared for this moment and those that will follow. He knows God is with him and will not leave him. He knows where all this will end because he has been reading the signs of the times.

In the same way, many of us can see exactly where the false charges of election fraud are going. It will instill doubt in those who are not paying attention, then it will be easier to either steal the next election or outright take over. That is where all this is headed. The Republicans have no policy positions, so their only option for winning voters is to cheat. If that doesn’t work, they will keep trying to take it. They are doing it now. Look how many of them cannot call what happened on January 6 ‘insurrection.’

Are we prepared to be as equally wise as Jesus? Are we prepared to face what will happen in the coming months? Or will we stay in denial until, like the disciples, we no longer have time to prepare?

In my mind, Love challenges us in this present moment to do whatever we are capable of to stop the spread of lies and to work to protect our democracy from being taken over by delusional idiots. If not for ourselves, then for those who are already suffering because of these lies and egregious actions. It’s not too late, but time is running out. For us, for the earth.

Let’s not wait to follow Love’s guidance, wherever she leads us.

B

DISORIENTATION

Matthew 26:44-45 - So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.”

The other day, I was listening to a sermon by the Rev William Barber. He discussed Walter Brueggemann’s idea of disorientation. Brueggemann is an Old Testament scholar who came up with the theory of Orientation, Disorientation, and Reorientation as a way to read the psalms. Well, some of them. Briefly, Orientation is when everything is going great, Disorientation is when things are confusing and we’re not sure what’s coming next, and Reorientation is when we come out of Disorientation with a new understanding of ourselves and of God. Barber clarified that we are in a period of Disorientation.

Do you feel it? Do you feel the confusion and uncertainty? How are you coping? Have you been weepy like me the past few days or have you been stoic about the chaos going on around us? what about your connections to God and others. Is it difficult to maintain them? Are you feeling like everything is a chore? Even things that should be fun?

Well, you’re not alone. I have been going through periods during the last five years of such disorientation and confusion. Many others have too. This is especially true for those of us who live in “red” states and where COVID is making a comeback due to the inaction of our elected officials. It is maddening and sad, scary and terrorizing. If you feel this way, please believe there is nothing wrong with you. The pandemic, the ongoing insurrection, the civil war between Republican governors and Biden, the extreme laws being passed by Republicans, and Republican ignoring of the climate change threat each by themselves are enough to challenge our peace and certainty. That they are all happening at once and one party is creating them multiplies the uncertainty, fear, and sadness.

You may be wondering how disorientation ties in to the text. I think the disciples are also experiencing disorientation, but they are in denial. They have not yet allowed themselves to feel in their bodies what Jesus has been trying to tell them. They are stuck on their own ideas of what the Messiah would be and act like, they cannot see the Messiah in front of them. They will shortly have to face their disorientation.

That’s good, because really, the only way out is through; through the feelings, through the protesting, through the survival mode, through the muck and the grime. One day at a time. The good news is God is here with us.

I’m going to hang on to that thought. I hope you will too.

B