Luke 21: 18-19
But whatever happens, not a single hair of your heads will be harmed.
By enduring all of these things, you will find not loss but gain – not death but authentic life.
I have always been a fan of Sir Kenneth Branagh the Northern Irish actor and filmmaker. I’ll never forget being introduced to his work in William Shakespeare’s Henry V.
His rendition of the famous St. Crispin Day Speech where we were introduced to those now famous words “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers” had me riveted, hanging on every word and almost wanting to go into battle for England.
Obviously, that was much before I was a Quaker.
And who could forget Branagh as Professor Gilderoy Lockhart in the Harry Potter series. Making the character absolutely come off the pages and onto the screen.
Branagh is such a versatile and skilled actor.
Yet, it was part of a TV Mini-series where Branagh played the legendary explorer Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton that I want to focus our attention this morning.
Branagh was almost born to play this role - as Shackleton was also of Irish decent and had very similar physical features to Branagh.
Through this series, Branagh’s acting brought history alive – and an incredible story that is hard to forget. If you are not familiar with this historic adventure, let me give you a bit of background.
After concluding a race to the South Pole in December 1911, the adventurous Shackleton turned his attention to the crossing of Antarctica from sea to sea, via the pole.
To this end, he made preparations for what became the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition from 1914–1917.
Sadly though, disaster struck this expedition when its ship, the Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and was slowly crushed before the shore parties could be landed.
The crew escaped by literally camping on the sea ice until the ship completely disintegrated. When the ice began to thaw enough for travel in the spring, they launched the saved lifeboats to reach Elephant Island and ultimately South Georgia Island, a stormy ocean voyage of 720 nautical miles (830 miles by car). This would become Shackleton's most famous adventure.
Now, there is an entire sermon series that could be crafted on Shackleton’s adventure alone, but Branagh and many others who have told this story have found the idea of endurance more than the name of the boat.
Interesting enough, this week as I was listening to the news, I overheard a conversation about whether Americans have the endurance to make it through the pandemic.
Sometimes, like Shackleton and his crew, our “endurance” seems to be trapped in pack ice and being crushed. Whether it is another stay-at-home order, waiting on a vaccine, or making it through another Zoom meeting – our endurance is waning – being crushed. We just want to get in our life boats and sail to safety where we can be with people again.
I find the most ironic part of this story is that they named the boat “Endurance” – only to be taught the lesson-of-all-lessons about endurance.
Which reminds me the song “Ironic” - Alanis Morissette’s song which actually released on my birthday in 1996.
An old man turned 98,
He won the lottery and died the next day.
It’s a black fly in your Chardonnay
It’s a death row pardon two minutes too late.
It’s like rain on your wedding day
It’s a free ride when you’ve already paid.
It’s good advice that you just didn’t take…
And it’s like being stranded on pack ice in the ocean with a ship named Endurance.
Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think? Ha.
As I have been pondering endurance this week, I have found many of us trying to articulate and understand what all it entails. I too have wondered if I have the endurance to make it through this pandemic and its constant evolving.
Like many of you, when I am internally wrestling, I seek help – often from writers and authors I consider mentors. One that I go to often is Richard Rohr.
Richard Rohr has another way of looking at endurance and for him it has to do with Light and Darkness. Endurance to Rohr is about holding the darkness of our lives.
As Quakers we talk about the Light a great deal, but we don’t dwell long in the darkness. Actually, in our western perspectives, darkness is almost always considered bad and we are to fear it – definitely not taught to hold the darkness.
I personally believe this is one of the understandings Christianity has failed to teach correctly in our culture.
We do not know how to truly endure – to suffer (something painful or difficult) in a patient manner - standing strong so that we will last and continue to exist.
Instead, we have been taught to escape, flee, even ignore the darkness and what it can teach us. Just maybe this is why the pandemic has been so important for our lives – it is a darkness that we cannot control and must patiently endure.
Richard Rohr says,
“Darkness is always present alongside the light. Pure light blinds; shadows are required for our seeing. We know the light most fully in contrast with its opposite—the dark. There is something that can only be known by going through ‘the night sea journey’ into the belly of the whale, from which we are spit up on an utterly new shore.”
Even though we are encouraged to seek the Light, embrace the Light, even surrender to the Light, we also must not ignore the darkness as a teacher. Just maybe, Simon and Garfunkel were on to something singing, “Hello Darkness, my old friend.”
When we only want to focus on the Light or where the Divine dwells, we miss the opportunities presented to us by the shadows of our human reality. Rohr says this is the struggle with being whole.
Currently, many people are being drawn in by the darkness around them. They are fighting it. They have become impatient, resentful, even judgmental.
In our scripture that Beth read today, it says,
By enduring all of these things, you will find not loss but gain – not death but authentic life.
I did not have Beth read what came before that last verse to make my point here. Here is what it says just before the encouragement to endure.
10 Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me.
For several months now, people have been trying hard to give testimony to the Gospel – the good news.
· Whether it was as simple as wearing a mask – for your own safety and the safety of those around you.
· Speaking up for our Black, Indigenous, people of color and LGBTQ neighbors who have been made less than.
· Refusing to argue or lie to be seen as better or correct.
· And I could go on…
Sadly, the rest of that scripture rings true. In the last several months, families have split over politics or party lines. Friends have been lost over not wearing masks or following the scientists recommendations. Long standing church goers have given up on church and even God because of the melding of power and politics within the church. People have been thrown in jail, persecuted, beaten in the streets, and even killed for standing up for the rights of those less fortunate…
I guess you could say we have been in a darkness for quite some time – but are we enduring?
When we embrace the struggles and difficulties, when we do not allow darkness to be a surprise but rather our partner in life it actually can become an opportunity.
The darkness helps build patience and insight.
The darkness helps teach new perspectives and helps us seek new opportunities.
The darkness can actually lead us to the Light because in the darkness the Light can be seen more clearly.
I believe folks, that this is our time to testify to the possibilities, embrace the hope of reconciliation, and by enduring all of these things, the scriptures says we will find not loss but gain – not death but authentic life.
I believe we still have a lot to do, to work on, to endure…but there is hope that as we come through, we will be a better and more hopeful, a people who are living more authentic lives – or as the scripture said last week – living life that is TRULY LIFE.
Now, as we enter a time of waiting worship, please take a moment to consider the following queries:
1. How has the darkness of this time affected me and my relationships?
2. Where am I struggling to allow the darkness to teach me?
3. This week, how might I begin to turn my darkness into opportunities?