Rocks Cry Out!
by Charlie Wear
The whole world has caught the virus, and it is producing
the fever, "Millennial Fever." Not only is the Y2K bug and it’s potential
consequences producing great interest, but every prophet, soothsayer and astrologer has
something to say about the "end of the world." All of the attendant fuss
surrounds the potentially cataclysmic events that may occur at 12 midnight on January 1,
2000 is normal.
There was also interest in the end of the world before the
beginning of the present millennium. According to author Wayne Willey in his article Millennial Fever: "Those were also troubled
times, Europe was threatened by Vikings from the North, the Moslems from the south and the
Magyars from Hungary in the east. But there were also positive signs which some might
interpret as evidence that Christ was about to return and end the present world. The
previous century had been a time of great missionary work which resulted in the
"conversion" of the Bohemians, the Poles, the Hungarians and the Russians. All
Europe was now "Christian". Surely Christ would return!"
There were also expectations "in the air" when
Jesus lived and ministered at the beginning of the Christian era. These expectations grew
from the hunger of the Jewish people for a great savior, a Messiah, who would conquer
their conquerors and usher in a golden age for their people. It was into this sense of
anticipation, that Jesus entered.
Most Christians are familiar with the scene described in
Luke 19. As Jesus enters the final weeks of his life and ministry, he makes a triumphal
entry into Jerusalem. Picking up the story as told in Eugene Petersen’s Message
translation:
"...the people gave him a grand welcome, throwing
their coats on the street. Right at the crest, where the Mount Olives begins its descent,
the whole crowd of disciples burst into enthusiastic praise over all the mighty works they
had witnessed:
"Blessed he who comes,
the king in God’s name!
All’s well in heaven!
Glory in the high places!"
Some Pharisees from the crowed told him, "Teacher, get
your disciples under control!"
But he [Jesus] said, "If they kept quiet, the stones would do it for them,
shouting praise."
When the city came into view, he [Jesus] wept over it. "If you had only
recognized this day, and everything that was good for you! But now it’s too late...
Amidst the confusing and competing voices calling for Y2k
preparedness, or the lack of necessity for it, or predicting the end of the world or the
beginning of a new age, there is a message that is being heard time and time again. There
is a God. He is real. He is concerned about us. He loves us.
If the church has adopted the
"hunker-in-the-bunker" stance that Leonard Sweet so eloquently describes in his
book "Soul Tsunami", then how will God communicate his message to humanity. If a
Christian author such as Anthony Campolo feels the need to write a book entitled
"Following Jesus Without Embarrassing God", then God may need to choose methods
for communicating his message that are an embarrassment to him.
Here is my premise: The rocks are crying out! You can see
it in the emergence of television programs such as Touched by an Angel or Promised Land,
or for that matter "Ancient Mysteries." You can see it in motion picture
projects like "Prince of Egypt" that do not downplay the supernatural
intervention of divinity into human affairs.
 Popular
authors have taken to revealing their own religious beliefs through the exposition of
their fictional characters as evidenced by John Grisham’s latest bestseller,
The
Testament. In this book, Grisham’s protagonist, a drunken, burnt out attorney, has a
life-changing transformation as he encounters an Amazonian missionary.
About a year ago, as my normal church was breathing
it’s last gasps, I gave permission for some teenagers to form a musical group and to
choose the style of music they wanted to play. Much to my somewhat religious baby-boomer
chagrin, they chose punk music. And they began to write their own songs. Songs about God,
and Jesus and the bankruptcy of violence and suicide and drugs. As we embarked on a
"missionary" trip last summer to New Zealand, I wondered what kind of effect
this music would have on the audiences that would hear it. For myself, I could barely
understand the message, let alone appreciate the tonal qualities of the music.
An amazing thing happened. Young people made decisions to
follow Jesus. Church youth groups were inspired and are thriving. All stirred up by punk
music! And a simple message, God is real, God loves you, God cares about you, Heaven and
eternal life are good things to experience.
There were a few religious folks in the crowd, who were
disturbed by the volume of the music and who couldn’t hear the message, who
complained. I imagine that Jesus, with a huge smile on his face and laughter in his voice,
would have answered their complaints, "I told you, the rocks would cry out, this is
what they sound like."
 Charles
Wear is the publisher of Next-Wave. He works as a lawyer near Los
Angeles, and works with a team that ministers to skateboarders. He has
four children and 2 grandchildren.
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