The Rapture "Is" Coming

The spire of a Turkish Mosque

In my study at the Church there is a thick file.  It is entitled: "Second Coming Nonsense" and the labels have fallen off several times over the years because the glue on the backing finally disintegrates; I began the file nearly 25 years ago.  Early in my ministry I began to counsel with people who were concerned about reports of "The Rapture" coming soon.  Over the years, with each occurrence of someone "predicting" that the second coming of Jesus was imminent, I have clipped and filed the articles about these self-appointed "seers" and their divinations.

As of now the score is: “fortune-tellers” …zero – “no rapture theologians” …well, a lot!  The notion of the “rapture” as an idea in fundamentalist theology comes from – as with so much bad theology in the world today – some misunderstood passages of scripture read by people who call themselves “biblical literalists.”  Many of us in the Christian faith do not think this way, nor do we claim to be “literalists” when it comes to interpreting sacred texts of Jewish and Christian scripture.  A sharply marked difference in theological understanding, and the life of faith comes from these two diametrically opposed ways of treating the Bible; we might say that those of us who work from the “historical-critical” method of biblical interpretation take the Bible “seriously” not “literally.”

Many of us would argue, based on good biblical scholarship, sound human reason, and a simple adherence to basic scientific principles that there will NEVER be a rapture; at least not in any sense that the literalist crew has proposed.  While you’re getting out your dictionary to look up the word “heretic” let me suggest another way to think about this idea known as “rapture.”

Ancient Obelisk in Istanbul

The term means, “taken up.”  When fundamentalist literalist folk use it they mean that the “true Christians” (perhaps they are kin to “real Americans”) will be gathered up to Jesus, who comes in the clouds (scripture language) to take the believers ‘out of the world’ before the great tribulation begins – and, just to confuse the matter there are vast varieties of scenarios which include pre-trib, post-trib, mid-trib, etc. – there are so many things wrong with all of this it is hard to know where to begin.  So, I will simply say, from the perspective of many of us these ideas are fraught with terrible theology – that is to say, we simply don’t believe a loving God, more to the point a God who “Is Love” operates this way... ever... period.  So, if this isn’t the way to think about this notion of rapture, how might we consider this non-biblical term created out of bad theology.  Can we redeem it?  Perhaps… try this out…

"Rapture" is - from a certain perspective - coming to every living creature in this sense: eventually we will be – if not “taken up” – taken away from this plain of existence.  To every living creature there is, as the old Wisdom writer in Ecclesiastes suggests, “a time to be born, and a time to die.”  In between those two poles of existence we have this wonderful, God-given opportunity to live!  In that sense, we will all be “raptured” (die) one of these days.  With such awareness can come two possible responses: we could become fearful and move into attitudes and places within our own soul that do not bring forth or nurture life; or, we can become tuned in to the gift of life we have, each and every day, and use it to bring the love of God to the world around us.

A man in prayer at the Ulu Cami Mosque
Bursa, Turkey

The former leads to a sad and broken existence, the latter leads to a life filled with the possibility of hope and joy and most importantly, love.  My hope and prayer is that each of us might allow this notion of “rapture” (our eventual transition to whatever is next, beyond this current realm of our existence) to become the context for seizing all of the wonder, joy, grace, mystery, and majesty that is “life.”  So yes, for each one of us, in our individual lives, there is a rapture coming: so the question is, what will we do until then?  I pray you find peace and joy in your journey, and may your own rapture be far in the distant future.

(The pictures in today's post are from the artful photographic eye of Dave Krepcho, one of my fellow travelers on the recent trip to Turkey, with many thanks for his gift, and his willingness to share)

Spiritual Gifts

Women Praying at the Tomb of Ozman Gazi in Bursa, Turkey
Founder of the Ottoman Empire

Upon my return from Turkey, late Sunday evening, I began the process of unpacking.  I had brought a few small gifts for loved ones, and Mickey and my Dad were close at hand so that I could give them what I had brought for them.  I am a poor shopper; shopping is not one of my gifts.  I do enjoy having gifts to give to others - and I try to consider what they might like or enjoy - in my limited abilities, I simply do the best that I can.  We had taken gifts to Turkey to give to the families, they were from the Church - hand knitted "Prayer Shawls" from our Monday night Prayer Shawl ministry group - in a small gift giving ceremony with each family I read the poem that is affixed to each shawl, it speaks of wrapping the recipients in love and care.  These gifts were received with such joy and appreciation.

But here is a tradition that I did not expect: When you come to someone's home in Turkey, they give you a gift!  Imagine our surprise – we who had been so generously hosted – when, as we prepared to leave each home, gifts were given to us by our host families.  Already they had opened their homes, fed us like Sultans, treated us with love and kindness, these were gifts aplenty.  But then to also give us something to take with us... such kindness!  The idea of gift giving is an ancient - and I would suggest "a spiritual" - concept.  It comes from a prayerful (read spiritual) heart.

On the left the European Continent, on the Right the Asian Continent
The suspension bridge unites two continents

Last night I had the privilege of meeting with our Vacation Bible School teachers.  Each year they allow me to share a few thoughts along with the Reverend Talia Raymond and the Reverend Karen Duncan regarding the scriptures to be used to frame the theme of each day of VBS.  The daily themes this year are “Body, Mind, Spirit, Gifts, and Journey.”  Each is considered in the context of what it means to share in covenant community.  This is our highest calling, to see the world as our covenant community as we stretch our lives out from our smaller covenant communities whether they be family, faith community, or close friends to this small blue-green sphere we call our home.  We each have gifts to bring to the great enterprise of building a worldwide covenant community.  It is a spiritual work, and requires the discipline of love, even in the face of spirits of destruction and hate.  The Rabbi whom I try to follow teaches: “love your enemy, do good to those who persecute you.”  It is this spiritual discipline and gift that, like the bridges over the Bosphorus which unite two continents, can unite the human community in a covenant of love and compassion.  People who attempt to live life from a spiritual center are called to a different way of living in the world.  This Rabbi I mentioned also said, "The meek shall inherit the earth."

Entrance into the Dolmabahçe Palace - Istanbul, Turkey

This pathway, bringing our gifts of love and compassion to the world, is the only way that we help to create a world "fit to live in."  It is the pathway of life, the intention of God for all of creation.  We cannot control what the other will do, or how they will behave, we are called to live our lives - and our lives only - for the good of the other.  May each of us find the pathway into the palace of life; it is a palace not made with hands, but possessing gifts of eternal value: faith, hope, and love.  May God who IS LOVE, guide you on your journey.

YouTube Videos from Turkey are linked below:

Obelisk at Hippodrome, Istanbul

Sufi Dance - Worship, Bursa

Master Potter, near Sulcuk

Beyond All Expectations

Dave, Chuck, Bob, and Piotr (Peter in other references)
at our last dinner in Istanbul

As the group gathered tonight for our final dinner, there was a clear understanding by each of us that by coming on this Nile Foundation hosted "Dialogue Trip" we had just experienced something extraordinary. This marked our ninth dinner together since first we met at the hotel on that first Friday night of this adventure in Turkey. We have spent eight full days in the hands of the extraordinary Mahmut and Saliha, the husband and wife team who have been our guides, shepherds, and friends for this amazing journey. They have led us with grace and patience and always with a spirit of love and care, and this has been no easy task, to be sure, and yet, they’ve made it look very easy by their great competence and abilities. So first to them, I say tesekkur ederim (thank you)!

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

As we boarded the bus this morning for our final day in Istanbul there was, I think, a set of mixed emotions, excitement in what we would see today, and a bit of sadness that this is our final day of this extraordinary experience. We would start the day at “Miniaturk” which is a large outdoor park filled with models of significant sites in Turkey from every period, location, and empire of this ancient land. We observed many of these sites firsthand, here replicated in miniature models of intricate and beautiful detail. It is a reminder of the magnificent architecture, art, and devotion which is part of the fabric of Turkish life and culture. Also, there was a museum with a special tribute to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the father of the modern democratic Turkey established in 1923 after the War for Turkish Independence. Sounding much like our own Thomas Jefferson, Ataturk once said, “We must absolutely be successful at education. This is the only way to salvation of a nation.” He also said, "The new Turkish society won't be a nation of warriors.The new Turkish society will be a nation of new economic activities." This visionary leader set the stage for the modern economic and cultural development of Turkey over the past century, and is beloved in the memory of his people.

Dome Frescoe at Chora Church

Next we made our way to the Edirnekapı neighborhood in the western part of the municipality of Fatih to the Church of Holy Savior in Chora considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of a Byzantine church in Istanbul. In the 16th century, the church was converted into a mosque by the Ottoman rulers, and then became a museum in 1948. The interior of the building is covered with magnificent mosaics and frescoes. The original church was built in the early 5th century and stood outside the walls of Constantinople (the name Chora means “in the country” i.e., outside of the city walls). The intricacy and details of the beautiful artwork in the Church is a tribute to a lost age. After leaving the Chora Museum we made our way past the magnificent entry gates of Istanbul University, Turkey’s oldest institution of higher education, then making our way past the main entrance to the Grand Bazaar we walked the several blocks to our lunch stop.

Interior at Chora Church

Mosaic of Jesus and Mary at Chora Church

The main entry gates of Istanbul University

A street in the Grand Bazaar

On the way to the Spice Market

After lunch we wended our way through the throngs of people to and through the Grand Baaar and the Spice Market. It is impossible to describe the experience of these places, except to say that it felt as though one was stepping into a world in an alternate universe; thick crowds pressed through mazes of narrow, covered streets lined with goods and wares of every conceivable kind. Shop keepers vied for the attention of any customer who might respond, hoping no doubt that he (and in rare case she) - meaning the shop keeper - would find that customer who might make the day’s labor worth it all. For those of you who know how I feel about shopping, I will tell you that I did not run screaming out to find the first tea shop available.  Also, I made a new friend today, a shopkeeper named Murtaza, we had a nice conversation, and may I someday be as proficient with the Turkish language as he is with English.  While I am still not a convert to the shopping experience, I did find the afternoon in these settings fascinating, if mostly on a sociological level (oh, of course don’t misunderstand me, I did try my hand at "bargaining" and found a few good items too!)

Murtaza Avci
Shopkeeper at the Spice Market

Eight full days, and nine glorious evenings later, here are some of the things I know: Turkish people are beautiful, kind, and generous (oh, I’m sure they have their ‘rascals’ like all of us, but I did not see them anywhere).  Turkey is a wondrous country rich in culture and heritage with a proud history; and it is certainly  making its way to a new greatness through its strong democracy, progressive economic work, openness to all people, and positive values to build community, family, and world relationships in life giving ways.  Turkey holds the keys of tremendous promise to helping diverse peoples of the world find common ground by being a voice of friendship and reason to its neighbors east and west. I believe Turkey will continue play a key and ever more important role in helping to set a table for diverse world leaders to gather around and begin to forge new relationships of trust and future development for the good of humankind – it’s a staggering proposal, but I believe that Turkey is up to it! I hope and pray that the wonderful path which Turkey has forged will continue with renewed strength each day. My advice: come to Turkey, and see for yourself what a wonderful people and place this is – Lutfen (Please).  Wherever your journey may take you, may the love and grace of God go with you, always.  Islam (Peace)

A Cotton Castle and Waters of Life

The White Hill of Pamukkale

There were no roosters of Denizli crowing this morning to wake us, but the sounds of a busy city began to break the night silence fairly early.  Today offered a fascinating variety of experiences, from the Travertine mountain at Pamukkale, to lunch at a small restaurant adjacent the University of Denizli, to the quaint shops of every breed and stripe in the downtown area of the bustling city, to a picnic dinner in the bus on the way to the airport, followed by a quick flight on Turkish Airlines back to Istanbul, and a very nice birthday cake with the group this evening, it has been a very full and wonderful day.

Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a magnificent site to behold. The ancient Greco-Roman and Byzantine city of Hierapolis was built on top of the white "castle." Hierapolis was founded as a thermal spa early in the 2nd century BCE and was used by various empires until the late 14th century CE. It includes a large coliseum, a very large necropolis (cemetery), and a number of other ruins. The hot springs which were turned into baths in the ancient world were a particular draw to the city. Today the ruins provide a fascinating view of an ancient city, and the travertine hills are a place of leisure and play for modern folks (our guide said, “Welcome to ‘Wet and Wild’ Turkey,” when we arrived).

Dave, Chuck, Peter, Gee, Bob, Beth, Mahmut, Saliha, Bryan
At the top of the Coliseum in Hierapolis

As I walked the ancient ruins, especially the coliseum and the very large area committed to the necropolis, I considered how hard life must have been in ancient times.  The dramatic sloping hills of this community would have no doubt provided significant hardship for the slaves who built this large city on their backs and by the sweat of their brow.  What is left, as with all ancient and now defunct cities, is in part a tribute to the unbelievably difficult lives of the common laborers of the day.  It makes me a bit more mindful and appreciative of those who do the hard, dirty, and unpopular work in our societies, and generally do so with a positive and kind spirit.

Entrance to the Necropolis in Hierapolis

The Necropolis is a reminder to all of us of the brevity of life... we are all called to make the most of the days we have.  This is not a morbid thought, nor should we perish such reflections from our minds.  It’s actually healthy, even necessary, to be in touch with the limits of our lives.  By this means we learn to focus, prioritize, and choose wisely what we will do for the good of others with whatever time we are gifted with.

Pamukkale

But the best gift of the day (I’ll see it as a special birthday gift today) was the encounter with the Travertine Springs of Pamukkale.  The vision as one walks along the snow-white stone is surreal, the light blue sparkling pools of spring water absolutely magnificent, and the feel of that 98 degree water as it runs over one’s bare feet was delightful.  We walked the entire length of Pamukkale down the gentle slope of the hill, perhaps a mile or so.  The stone was a porous and non-skid surface under the feet, so there was no sense that one would slip, and the spring water, rich in healing minerals, flow constantly over ones feet while walking.  There were plenty of people around, but with no one paying any attention to me I began to softly sing, to myself, “There Is a Balm in Gilead.”  My slow walk - you couldn’t go too fast - was about an hour; it became a precious time for me of reflection and healing for the soul, in part that’s what this whole trip has been for me: a time to reflect on, think about, and “tune-in” to the Spirit of God in my life.  We all need such times and places in our lives from time to time.

The crystal blue pools of Pamukkale

I am grateful to the Church for supporting my participation in this experience, and the Nile Foundation for their generous and gracious hosting of this trip.  I will have much more to share when I return home.  For now, this will be the final blog entry.  Tomorrow we will see a few more sites, and spend a bit of time at the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market.  We will share a final dinner with one another as a group.  My eight travel companions have each been magnificent friends, each in her or his own way, on this adventure.  Not a cross word was spoken, or an ill feeling had, what a great group of friends.  I will treasure this experience, and no doubt it will continue to inform, inspire, and guide in many important ways in the years ahead.  I am grateful to all of you who have shared this journey with me through your interest in and reading of this blog.  Our flight returns late on Sunday evening, Monday will be a day of rest and recovery.  Then, forward in faith.  My prayer for each of you is to find peace, and to share that peace with each person you meet on this journey of spirit called life.  -- Masha'Allah (an Arabic phrase that expresses appreciation, joy, praise or thankfulness for an event or person that was just mentioned)

The Poppy Grows Everywhere in Turkey - Beautiful!