A Bit of an Apocalypse

The Rev. Brad Sullivan
Lord of the Streets, Houston
November 30, 2025
1 Advent, A
Isaiah 2:1-5
Psalm 122
Matthew 24:36-44

“In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it.” (Isaiah 2:2) Isaiah spoke those words of apocalypse to the people of Israel over 700 years before Jesus was born. These are words of apocalypse because they are words of revelation, of revealing. That’s what apocalypse or apocalyptic actually means, revealing. Isaiah was revealing something to the people of Israel, something which couldn’t be seen, couldn’t be known, and was nonetheless true. 

Eventually, someday, at some point in the future history of the world, “God shall judge between the nations, and [the people] shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

This apocalyptic literature, this revealing tells us that eventually, all of our fighting on earth will end. God will bring about this end, and this end of all wars and fighting on earth will also be a new beginning, an age of peace, a time when all people will join together as one, living the lives of love which God created us to live. 

https://www.pexels.com/photo/red-and-orange-solar-flare-73873/

There are many apocalyptic visions like this throughout scripture, and many of them describe cosmic, enormously destructive events. Earthquakes, wars, fires from heaven, dragons coming out of the sea. All of this destruction comes before the age of peace. There is a most definite ending before the new beginning. So, because of these cataclysmic, destructive scenes in apocalyptic literature, apocalypse has come to mean “end of the world,” but apocalypse actually means “a revealing.” 

Apocalyptic visions show us things that cannot be seen, and they are often written in coded language, using wild images of beasts and monsters to talk about spiritual warfare and using wild images of beasts and monsters to talk about real world enemies. The great whore of Babylon in Revelation, for example, was probably talking about Rome.

So, images describing spiritual warfare which cannot be seen with our eyes. We get these fantastical images to describe it. The ultimate revealing of apocalyptic texts is, God wins. The forces of evil and darkness do not triumph over the light and love of God. 

Apocalyptic stories are meant to give us comfort in times of suffering. The evils of wicked people may harm us right now, but God’s goodness will prevail. The wicked will be punished for their injustice and selfish cruelty, and the victims of the wicked will be comforted and healed. So do not despair too much over the evils of wicked men, and do not be overcome by their darkness. Continue doing the next right thing. Continue following in God’s ways. Continue following in the way of love and service, in the way of repentance and forgiveness. Eventually, all will be made right.

In all of the apocalyptic stories I have heard and read, that is the message I get. Despite whatever problems you face, despite the tyranny of evil men, continue following in the way of love and serving, repentance and forgiveness. Eventually, all will be right. That’s a rather beautiful and hopeful message and one that I am glad God has given us.

Beyond that basic message, I don’t have a lot of time for the apocalyptic stories of scripture. They’re really cool, don’t get me wrong: dragons, war, pestilence, the wicked cast down, the lowly raised up, angels at war, swords, fighting. It’s great stuff. My problem with the apocalypses in scripture is when people start trying too hard to figure them out. 

What do all the details mean? What does this particular image represent? Has this already happened? Is it still gonna happen? Earthquakes! Volcanoes! Fighting among the nations! Oh my gosh, we have all of those things happening right now! Run for your lives; it’s the end! 

As I’ve said before, people in every generation since Jesus’ resurrection have believed that the apocalypses of scripture have been about them and their time, and so far, every one of them has been wrong. The world keeps spinning. The sun keeps rising.

When we read apocalyptic texts in scripture and we become fearful of the end, then we’ve missed the point. Remember, Apocalypse means “a revealing.” These stories show us something of God’s ultimate victory over evil and darkness, a victory of love and light.

As Jesus talked about apocalyptic imagery, he talked about the coming of the Son of Man, and he said it would come suddenly and unexpectedly. “Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.” He was telling us all to be ready for the coming of Jesus, and he made an analogy to a thief breaking into a house. If you knew when the thief was coming, you’d be up and ready to stop him. 

Ok, first thing, no, Jesus is not like a thief. Jesus didn’t use this image to make us afraid of Jesus coming like some horror movie villain with knives for fingers or a weird murderous doll. Jesus just meant that he would come at an unexpected time and so we should always be ready for God among us. 

Always be ready. In other words, quit trying to figure out when it will be. Jesus said he didn’t even know, and if you’re trying to figure out when Jesus will come, you’re missing the point. It’s like cramming for an exam the night before, hoping to pass the test and learning absolutely nothing at all. The point of the class was not to cram for the test. The point of the class was to maybe learn something kinda cool.

We don’t try to figure out when Jesus will come so we can be really, really good for a few weeks or months ahead of time. That’s what we do as kids for Santa Claus. 

“Have you been a good boy this year?” People would ask. 

Uh, crap. Kinda, but it’s December tomorrow. I’ve got 24 days to be extra good to make up for the rest of the year. 

Yeah, Jesus isn’t Santa Claus, and we don’t prepare for Jesus’ coming the way we prepare for Santa or cram for exams. See, in Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus told about the judgment of the nations, at the end of time, and Jesus said people were judged by how they treated Jesus when he came among them.

“Dude, you never came back,” the people all said. “We never saw you.” Jesus replied that actually, they had seen him, whenever they saw anyone in need. “Whatever you did to the least of the people among you, you did to me,” Jesus told them. “Whenever you ignored someone in need among you, you ignored me. Whenever you cared for someone in need among you, you took care of me.”

The lesson I take is this: if we’re waiting for Jesus to come back with clouds, and angels, and a big to do so that we can praise him and have a big Jesus rock star party with him, we’re missing the point. If we’re a little more afraid of Jesus coming back, and we’re trying to figure out exactly when it’ll be so we can spend a few weeks or months trying to get in his good graces, we’re missing the point.

“The Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour” because Jesus is already here among us, all the time. You want to know when Jesus is coming? The next time you have an opportunity to be kind to someone, that’s when Jesus is coming. We don’t always do this very well. 

Yesterday, when I was in a hurry while driving, I hurried around a guy, and he had to wait for me to change lanes. As it turns out, he seems to have been having a terrible day already, because he was pissed. I mean driving up in front of me, breaking, swerving, and pulling up beside me at the light to cuss me out pissed. I didn’t cause all that, but I added to the darkness in his life that burst the dam of all that anger. I wasn’t expecting Jesus in the car next to me, it was just some driver I didn’t give a crud about. Turns out, it was Jesus, deeply in need of any kind gesture, and I ignored him, whipping around him in traffic instead. 

So, as I said weeks ago, don’t prepare for Jesus’ coming by preparing for the end of the world. Prepare for Jesus’ coming by assuming the world is going to go on spinning and the sun is going to rise tomorrow. Be prepared for living. When’ll Jesus come back?  Whenever you see someone in need.

As for all of those generations of people who all thought Jesus was coming again in their lifetimes, in their generations, I said they were wrong in assuming the end was coming, but they were also right. Jesus was coming in their lifetimes and in their generations. The great apocalypse, the great revealing, is that Jesus comes back among us all the time, in every human being you’ve ever seen. 

The great revealing for how we are to prepare for Jesus, for how we are to prepare for the end, the great revealing is there’s always an ending and a new beginning. Sure, there will be an ultimate, final end and new beginning, and that is meant as encouragement for us, believing that evil and darkness will be destroyed by God’s love and light. That is a lovely revealing, but the great revealing is that we get to be the ending of darkness and the beginning of light in each other’s lives all the time. Every time Jesus is present among us, meaning anytime we see any other human, we get to bring them light and love to cast out the darkness and evil.

The Way of Cain: When We’re not Ready, and the Thief Takes Joy, Love, Peace, and Security

The Rev. Brad Sullivan
Lord of the Streets, Houston
August 10, 2025
Proper 14, C
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Psalm 33:12-22
Luke 12:32-40

So, this is like the third or fourth week in a row where Jesus talked about the kingdom of God not being about being rich; the kingdom of God not about having lots of stuff; and the kingdom of God not about being against those we think are wrong, but rather being for other people. Once again, this morning we heard Jesus teach about giving to others, loving others, and finding the kingdom of God in that love of other people. Once again, we heard Jesus teaching that the peace and security for which we are longing comes not through our own power and position over others. We heard Jesus teaching that the peace and security for which we are longing comes from the love and support we give one another, asking the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, to come among us all day, every day and lead us into that love. 

With Jesus continuing these teachings over and over, some might get tired of hearing (or preaching) the same thing over and over. Then again, as often as we hear Jesus’ teaching to love others, not worry so much, and stop making our lives about getting stuff and power, as much as we hear that teaching, we still tend to forget it. So maybe it’s good that we’re hearing this for the third or fourth week in a row. It kinda seems like Jesus really wanted us to take this teaching to heart and to live his words. 

“Do not be afraid,” Jesus said, because God wants to give us the kingdom. God’s desire for us is to live the kingdom, and unlike all the kingdoms and nations on earth, God’s kingdom is not about having power over others, ruling over others, wealth, might, or anything like that. God’s kingdom is what things are like when we care for one another, seek justice, and live in love.

So, “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said, because God’s desire for us is to give us that kingdom of caring, justice, and love.

“Be dressed for action,” Jesus said, and “have your lamps lit.” Be ready to live the kingdom of God at all times, and things are gonna be so great when we do. It’ll be like the master of the house coming home and finding us all serving one another and saying, “Come on, let’s have a party together.” Good times, good news, God wants us to have and live the kingdom of love.

Then Jesus said this kinda fearful bit about being ready and knowing when a thief is about to come, because “the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” That kinda makes it sound like Jesus is the thief we have to be ready for, so be afraid because Jesus is gonna come.

That just doesn’t make sense, and it’s not what the text said. Jesus started this whole teaching by telling us not to be afraid. Then he told us that God is not a thief but the one who wants to give us the kingdom. So, be alert and be ready to receive the kingdom, anytime and anywhere God gives it to you. Be ready always to live God’s kingdom of love.

Well, the thief wants to take the kingdom of God from us so that we can’t live it, and the thief can be lots of things. Sometimes being so tired and so stressed that you just don’t have time for anyone’s BS, even if they don’t really have any BS, that can be the thief. Sometimes the worries of life destroy any hope or joy we have in the present moment, and that can be the thief. 

So, Jesus teaches of a strong need to remain alert and ready to live the kingdom of God. Being ready means prayer. Being ready means seeking and calling on the Holy Spirit. Being ready means giving our hurts and our faults over to God and asking God to give back only that which we need.

What happens, then, when we’re not staying alert and ready? What happens when we stop turning all that we are over to God, when we stop inviting the Holy Spirit, when we stop counting on God and instead take control and rely only on ourselves? The thief comes. When we’re not alert and ready, the thief comes and takes joy, happiness, love, peace, security. 

When we aren’t staying alert and ready, the thief takes the kingdom of God for which we are longing. The thief takes the kingdom of God which we have been living. 

Sin is ever present, lurking just outside, we’re told in Genesis 4. When we are living in love and charity with others, seeking the guidance and support of the Holy Spirit, living in the kingdom, even sin is still “waiting at the door ready to strike! It will entice you,” we’re told, “but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7)

In Genesis 4:7 God was talking to Cain who was very angry that God had not accepted his offering of grains. Y’all remember Cain, one of Adam and Eve’s first two sons, Cain and Abel, and y’all remember that Cain killed Abel because God accepted Abel’s offering, the very best of his flock, and God didn’t accept Cain’s offering, the leftover crap grain that he had lying around. Cain got angry and jealous enough to kill his brother, all because God did not accept his offering of leftover crappy grains. 

It seems like Cain was living the kingdom of God until the thief came, and Cain wasn’t ready. Now, the thief didn’t come when Cain killed Abel. The thief had already been there. The thief came when Cain decided what offering to give to God.

Cain wanted the best for himself and gave whatever crap was leftover to God. That was where the thief took the kingdom from Cain. 

When people keep more than they need for many lifetimes and give some small percentage to charities, they are following the way of Cain. 

Andrew Carnegie - Steel Tycoon

“I have way more than enough for myself, way more than I need. Oh, others are suffering. Here they can have this leftover stuff that I don’t need. Here, they can have this piddling amount that I’ll never miss.” That’s the way of Cain, when we’re not ready and alert, and the thief comes telling us we’ll never be ok without more than we need and we need to keep the very best for ourselves and give whatever’s leftover to others.

I realized as I was writing this, that a lot of charitable giving is given in this very well-intentioned way. I’m not saying this to dig down on anybody. A lot of charity is given with a heart that truly cares for others, and yet so often we’re still following something of the way of Cain. Keeping far more than is needed. Giving largely what won’t be missed.

This is not because of evil hearts full of hatred and contempt. The reason we often give is because we care deeply about others. The reason we often give only what won’t be missed is that we still tend to place our security in our stuff and in our own power, and when we do, sin, in the form of fear, is waiting at the door, ready to steal the Kingdom of God away from us. By having us hold on to more than we need, trusting in ourselves and in our stuff, sin has us follow the way of Cain, taking from us the love, joy, and peace of kingdom of God.

 

So, Jesus teaches, “Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven.” Do not be afraid, for it is God’s desire to give you the kingdom. So, be ready, stay alert. Realize that sin is always at the door, ready to steal the kingdom away from you. Sin is always at the door, telling you to trust in yourself, and in your stuff, and in your own power. Sin is always ready to snatch love, and joy, and peace away from you. 

So, when we give to others, we don’t give only what we’ll never miss. We live lives of love and prayer, constantly seeking the help of the Holy Spirit that we may truly live for one another, giving the best of ourselves to one another, and receiving God’s kingdom as we do.

Is It Living, or Just Existence?

The Rev. Brad Sullivan
Lord of the Streets Episcopal Church
April 30, 2023
4 Easter, Year A
Acts 2:42-47
John 10:1-10
 

Is it living, or just existence?

Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” The thieves Jesus was talking about were all kinds of folks who would rule over others, promising all sorts of goodies, maybe easy street, maybe victory over enemies, maybe power, or maybe just solace and a temporary reprieve from having to feel the difficulties of life. A lot of those things sound pretty good. Not feeling the difficulties of life for a while, victory over enemies, easy street, power…those all sound pretty good, and yet Jesus said the folks peddling those things are thieves coming steal, kill, and destroy. 

Power for one tends to mean domination over for another. Easy street for one tends to mean subjugation and oppression for another. Victory for one tends to mean death, defeat, and despair for another. Not feeling the difficulties of life tends to mean not dealing with the difficulties of life and sinking deeper and deeper into a pit of resentment, desperation, and fear.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

Following in those ways, then, leaves us in a life of fear, doesn’t it? Desire for easy street, victory, and power: fearful that we won’t get it and someone else will. Desire not to feel, fear of life and actually having to face life. Following in those ways of the thief, we end up not truly living, but just existing. We want what we don’t have or can’t have. We’re afraid of losing what we do have. We numb so as not to have to experience life as it is. The ways of the thief leave us just existing.

In the midst of our fear and our sometimes just existing rather than truly living, Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

In the earliest church, which we hear about in Acts 2, we’re told that “those who had been baptized devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” We’re further told that they spent time together, shared meals together, had glad and generous hearts, praised God, and had the goodwill of all the people. That sounds like the total opposite of fearfully existing. Spending time together, sharing meals with glad and generous hearts, praising God, and having the goodwill of all the people sounds like truly living, like the abundant life Jesus came to give.

So, how do we live this abundant life? I could simply say, “just trust in Jesus,” but we know from scripture and from our lives that faith without action doesn’t do a whole lot. In the book of James, such faith without action is even called “dead.”

So, what action makes our faith alive such that we have the abundant life Jesus came to give. Well, again in Acts 2, we’re told, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

That sounds pretty good. Being together with others, learning about and following the ways of Jesus, sharing meals and praying together. That sounds like continually turning our hearts toward God and one another. That sounds like building a community of trust and love.

There was a man who did just that in a story Jesus told. He was a powerful man, living on easy street, managing a rich man’s money, but he was dishonest, and maybe was taking some on the side. When he was found out and was about to be fired, he went to everyone who owed the rich man money and reduced the size of their bills. The point of the story was that when this man lost his power and easy street life, he learned to rely on the people around him, and they knew they could rely on him as well. With money and power gone, he quickly built up a community around him, because that community of people, living in trust and love with one another is the abundant life Jesus came to give.

Like the man in the story Jesus told, the people in the early church, were a community that relied on each other. They lived in abundant life, not on easy street, not with power, victory, or numbing. They lived an abundant life in community with one another.

That community, that abundant life takes trust. Abundant life takes letting people in. Abundant life takes looking out for and depending on one another. The abundant life Jesus described takes faith and prayer together with those on whom we depend. The abundant life Jesus describes takes learning and living Jesus’ was.

 

One of those ways of Jesus is to cease fighting. We cease fighting, and rather than living against others, we live for others. In Jesus’ abundant life, we’re not just going it alone from one thing to the next, but we’re taking action together. We’re not just reacting to one another, but we’re reaching out in support and love.

In Jesus’ abundant life, we’re seeking a revolution, not with power and victory over and against others, but a revolution of life lived together, for one another. A life where we have ceased fighting and spend our time instead in prayer and fellowship, sharing meals together, learning and following the ways of Jesus, learning to love and trust one another.

That’s abundant life. The power and victory over others, easy street and numbing our pain, that’s not abundant life. That’s the fearful solitary life of the thief who came only to steal and kill and destroy. The abundant life of Jesus is love, trust, community, prayer, fellowship, learning and following the ways of Jesus. The abundant life of Jesus is a revolution, living for one another, taking action together, reaching out in support and love, not just existing, but truly living.