Strings Attached
There's a story making the rounds this week of a billionaire who's given a gift of $200 million to the University of California at Santa Barbara. It's a hefty gift, to be sure, and one that most schools, including UCSB, would jump to accept.
But there's a catch.
The $200 million is to be used towards a new dormitory building. Ok – so far, so good. Every article I've read on this donation says that the school is in need of more housing.
And – that the billionaire in question, Charles Munger, has already designed the building and it must be built to his exact specifications.
He's an investor. Not an architect. And the building, designed to house 4,500 students, has no windows.
A huge new dormitory, on a picturesque campus in a beautiful part of California overlooking the Pacific Ocean. And students won't be able to look outside.
It's supposed to have plenty of amenities – lots of common spaces, its own dining hall, a bakery, a gym, even a dedicated room for storing surfboards. And yet, most of the bedrooms will be on the interior of this massive block of a building. So, no windows.
It is said that one of the architects the college consulted before accepting this gift decided to quit rather than help build this building.
This is not Mr. Munger's first foray into designing student housing. A dorm at the University of Michigan also financed and built by him (with no windows) already exists. And students describe it as a depressing, prison-like place to live.
The backlash against the project, from students, architects, and psychologists, has been swift and brutal. Yet, so far, its not been enough to dissuade either the administration or the financier from moving forward with the project.
Some gifts come with strings attached. Some promises are conditional. Some things are given more for the benefit of the giver than the recipient. It's not always a bad thing, of course. We've all given gifts with strings attached. Money that's donated to the church deacon's fund, for example, is money that we give on the condition that it only be used to help people in need.
My wife, Nicole, works in a law office doing estate planning. People set up trust funds all the time with conditions attached. A recipient may have money released to them when they graduate college, get married, buy a house, reach a certain age – or make some other milestone – whatever the giver decides.
So it's certainly not always a bad thing that gifts are sometimes conditional. But all things being equal, if we're the receiver of gifts, we generally prefer the fewest conditions. We like to be free to use what is given to us.
In our scripture reading this morning, Jesus gives us a gift. Jesus gives us a prophecy.
Now some of God's gifts are unconditional. We are created. We are loved. We forgiven. And for the sake of the whole world we are saved. These are gifts God gives us, yes, for our benefit, but also because it does God's own heart good to do them.
Other gifts of God have strings attached. Or they come with expectations.
In our weekly Bible study we've been studying the story of Abraham. And part of that story is the rescue of Lot from the city of Sodom before it is destroyed. God sets conditions on Lot's escape – they are not to look back on the city, which Lot's wife does, and God turns her into a pillar of salt. God sets conditions on where Lot is to go – head towards this village, take refuge with these people – and Lot disobeys, charting his own course. And the polite version of Lot's end is that he loses his former riches and lives out a shameful life in a cave.
So what is this gift that Jesus gives us this morning? And what conditions are set with it?
Well, at first blush, this gift doesn't seem all that wonderful.
“Do you see these great buildings?” Jesus asks the disciples. “Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
“When you hear wars and rumors of wars, do not be afraid; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines. This is but the beginnings of the birthpangs.”
The rest of this chapter of Mark, which we didn't read, gives us more of the same. That there will be a time when brother betrays brother, father betrays son, children betray parents. And following that distress, “the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”
Jesus gives us a prophecy of destruction. Of war. Of disaster. And famine. And darkness.
Jesus gives us a gift in this prophecy that we may not particularly want.
And it's not just in Mark that the gift is conditional – Jesus isn't saying, do X, Y, and Z, and then all these terrible things will come to pass.
No – in this case, the prophecy is also the condition.
These terrible things must come to pass, they will happen. But God's gift to us is the knowledge that they will come to be, that they portend better things to come, and that we do not need to fear.
This is one of the most apocalyptic readings in the whole Bible. This is Jesus speaking of the end times. And it's a foretelling of things to happen – war, famine, earthquakes, betrayal, darkness, all that. And yet, tucked away in the middle of it all... four little words that are a gift within a gift to us.
Do not be afraid.
If this entire cataclysmic prediction that Jesus makes is given to us as one big condition to be fulfilled as a prelude to the Kingdom of God, then those four words are a reminder that some things are still unconditional.
God's faithfulness to us. If we are troubled – do not be afraid.
God's love for us. If we are hurtful and angry – do not be afraid.
God's embrace of us. If we are scared – do not be afraid.
God's purpose for us. If there is chaos around us – do not be afraid.
It's easy to read this chapter and focus on the scary stuff. The overwhelming stuff. The apocalyptic stuff. It's easy to read this and question, when? Or even, why?
It's easy to read this and gloss over those words, “do not be afraid.”
But those words are the crux of the Gospel.
That no matter what else is going on in our lives, that no matter how chaotic or dangerous the world, no matter how out of control everything else in our lives gets, that we are anchored in Jesus Christ, and we need not be afraid.
That is the promise of the Good News of the Gospel. That Christ's Kingdom is coming, but Christ's love is already here.
There are conditions to our faith. We know them, we know them well. We've all grown up with them. Love God, love our neighbor. The Ten Commandments. The Beatitudes. Everything Christ taught us about forgiveness, hospitality, reconciliation, generosity, kindness, and everything else... these are all the conditions of our faith.
What's not conditional is the love God has for us. That no matter how bad things get. Even in our times of turmoil. Even in times of death and darkness. That love never fades. That God is constantly at work in our world and in our lives to bring his kingdom and make us ready for it.
Because we're not ready.
We are still fearful.
We do still doubt.
We still have our hesitations.
And yet, through it all, through every darkness, through every distress, through every pit and valley, God tells us these same words. Over and over. Do not be afraid. And that comes with God's promise of love for us that has no conditions, no strings, and no complications. Amen.
Let us pray.
Holy Lord,
You promise us a great many things. Love. Life. Forgiveness. And compassion. Among many others. Yet you know that there are many trials in our lives. Times of turbulence, fear, and chaos. Lord, we thank you that your promises are kept. That your care for us is eternal. And that even in times of great distress, we need not be afraid. Grant us strength and courage in such times, and fortify us in your faith. We pray this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
There's a story making the rounds this week of a billionaire who's given a gift of $200 million to the University of California at Santa Barbara. It's a hefty gift, to be sure, and one that most schools, including UCSB, would jump to accept.
But there's a catch.
The $200 million is to be used towards a new dormitory building. Ok – so far, so good. Every article I've read on this donation says that the school is in need of more housing.
And – that the billionaire in question, Charles Munger, has already designed the building and it must be built to his exact specifications.
He's an investor. Not an architect. And the building, designed to house 4,500 students, has no windows.
A huge new dormitory, on a picturesque campus in a beautiful part of California overlooking the Pacific Ocean. And students won't be able to look outside.
It's supposed to have plenty of amenities – lots of common spaces, its own dining hall, a bakery, a gym, even a dedicated room for storing surfboards. And yet, most of the bedrooms will be on the interior of this massive block of a building. So, no windows.
It is said that one of the architects the college consulted before accepting this gift decided to quit rather than help build this building.
This is not Mr. Munger's first foray into designing student housing. A dorm at the University of Michigan also financed and built by him (with no windows) already exists. And students describe it as a depressing, prison-like place to live.
The backlash against the project, from students, architects, and psychologists, has been swift and brutal. Yet, so far, its not been enough to dissuade either the administration or the financier from moving forward with the project.
Some gifts come with strings attached. Some promises are conditional. Some things are given more for the benefit of the giver than the recipient. It's not always a bad thing, of course. We've all given gifts with strings attached. Money that's donated to the church deacon's fund, for example, is money that we give on the condition that it only be used to help people in need.
My wife, Nicole, works in a law office doing estate planning. People set up trust funds all the time with conditions attached. A recipient may have money released to them when they graduate college, get married, buy a house, reach a certain age – or make some other milestone – whatever the giver decides.
So it's certainly not always a bad thing that gifts are sometimes conditional. But all things being equal, if we're the receiver of gifts, we generally prefer the fewest conditions. We like to be free to use what is given to us.
In our scripture reading this morning, Jesus gives us a gift. Jesus gives us a prophecy.
Now some of God's gifts are unconditional. We are created. We are loved. We forgiven. And for the sake of the whole world we are saved. These are gifts God gives us, yes, for our benefit, but also because it does God's own heart good to do them.
Other gifts of God have strings attached. Or they come with expectations.
In our weekly Bible study we've been studying the story of Abraham. And part of that story is the rescue of Lot from the city of Sodom before it is destroyed. God sets conditions on Lot's escape – they are not to look back on the city, which Lot's wife does, and God turns her into a pillar of salt. God sets conditions on where Lot is to go – head towards this village, take refuge with these people – and Lot disobeys, charting his own course. And the polite version of Lot's end is that he loses his former riches and lives out a shameful life in a cave.
So what is this gift that Jesus gives us this morning? And what conditions are set with it?
Well, at first blush, this gift doesn't seem all that wonderful.
“Do you see these great buildings?” Jesus asks the disciples. “Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
“When you hear wars and rumors of wars, do not be afraid; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines. This is but the beginnings of the birthpangs.”
The rest of this chapter of Mark, which we didn't read, gives us more of the same. That there will be a time when brother betrays brother, father betrays son, children betray parents. And following that distress, “the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.”
Jesus gives us a prophecy of destruction. Of war. Of disaster. And famine. And darkness.
Jesus gives us a gift in this prophecy that we may not particularly want.
And it's not just in Mark that the gift is conditional – Jesus isn't saying, do X, Y, and Z, and then all these terrible things will come to pass.
No – in this case, the prophecy is also the condition.
These terrible things must come to pass, they will happen. But God's gift to us is the knowledge that they will come to be, that they portend better things to come, and that we do not need to fear.
This is one of the most apocalyptic readings in the whole Bible. This is Jesus speaking of the end times. And it's a foretelling of things to happen – war, famine, earthquakes, betrayal, darkness, all that. And yet, tucked away in the middle of it all... four little words that are a gift within a gift to us.
Do not be afraid.
If this entire cataclysmic prediction that Jesus makes is given to us as one big condition to be fulfilled as a prelude to the Kingdom of God, then those four words are a reminder that some things are still unconditional.
God's faithfulness to us. If we are troubled – do not be afraid.
God's love for us. If we are hurtful and angry – do not be afraid.
God's embrace of us. If we are scared – do not be afraid.
God's purpose for us. If there is chaos around us – do not be afraid.
It's easy to read this chapter and focus on the scary stuff. The overwhelming stuff. The apocalyptic stuff. It's easy to read this and question, when? Or even, why?
It's easy to read this and gloss over those words, “do not be afraid.”
But those words are the crux of the Gospel.
That no matter what else is going on in our lives, that no matter how chaotic or dangerous the world, no matter how out of control everything else in our lives gets, that we are anchored in Jesus Christ, and we need not be afraid.
That is the promise of the Good News of the Gospel. That Christ's Kingdom is coming, but Christ's love is already here.
There are conditions to our faith. We know them, we know them well. We've all grown up with them. Love God, love our neighbor. The Ten Commandments. The Beatitudes. Everything Christ taught us about forgiveness, hospitality, reconciliation, generosity, kindness, and everything else... these are all the conditions of our faith.
What's not conditional is the love God has for us. That no matter how bad things get. Even in our times of turmoil. Even in times of death and darkness. That love never fades. That God is constantly at work in our world and in our lives to bring his kingdom and make us ready for it.
Because we're not ready.
We are still fearful.
We do still doubt.
We still have our hesitations.
And yet, through it all, through every darkness, through every distress, through every pit and valley, God tells us these same words. Over and over. Do not be afraid. And that comes with God's promise of love for us that has no conditions, no strings, and no complications. Amen.
Let us pray.
Holy Lord,
You promise us a great many things. Love. Life. Forgiveness. And compassion. Among many others. Yet you know that there are many trials in our lives. Times of turbulence, fear, and chaos. Lord, we thank you that your promises are kept. That your care for us is eternal. And that even in times of great distress, we need not be afraid. Grant us strength and courage in such times, and fortify us in your faith. We pray this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.