by
Revd. Janice Scott
(Matt. 24:36-44)
Matthew 24:36-44
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. [37] As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. [38] For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; [39] and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. [40] Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. [41] Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. [42] "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. [43] But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. [44] So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
In this difficult passage from Matthew's gospel, Jesus speaks with great foreboding about the end of the world. His own world was indeed coming to an end, so perhaps this huge fear overshadowed his own perception of the universe.
Today's story is about Mole, whose own fears overshadowed his perceptions of the universe.
Mole was terrified. He thought the end of the world was coming. In fact, he thought the end of the entire universe was at hand. The diggers were out. Mole had heard their rumble and roar early that morning. He sat deep underground in his home and shivered.
Mole's cousin had been killed by the diggers, and many of his friends had died when the diggers had descended on his last home. Mole himself had escaped, but ever since then he had been frightened and unnerved up by any loud noises.
Now it was all happening again. Mole wondered what he could do. Perhaps he could warn all his friends, so that they could flee in time. Stopping only to pack a few things into a small bag, Mole scrambled to the surface keeping a wary eye open for the diggers, and set off to find his friends.
As he scurried across the field, Mole called out to all the many woodland creatures he spotted. There were small birds - wrens and chaffinches, sparrows and blue tits. They warbled a greeting to Mole, but when he cried out to them that the universe was coming to an end, they tittered and went on singing.
Mole shouted his warning to Fox and rabbit, but Fox hardly paused as he chased rabbit, and rabbit ran loppidity spit with his white tail bobbing in their air, and laughed as he passed Mole.
Nobody bothered to listen to Mole. Nobody seemed to care that the universe was coming to an end. Even the earth worms who would surely be crushed by the diggers, simply shrugged and went on tunnelling.
Mole ran and ran and ran as the huge diggers trundled over his field. He didn't stop running until he reached the woodland. Then he fell all in a heap under a pile of leaves.
"I say," came an indignant sleepy voice. "This is my home. What are you doing here?"
Mole sat up, as a sharp needle jabbed him in the back. "I'm sorry," he said to the bundled hedgehog, "but don't you know the universe is coming to an end?"
The Hedgehog stretched himself out and snorted and snuffled. " Your universe may be coming to an end, but mine is going on for a very long time. Now do you mind moving while I get back to sleep?"
Mole tiptoed out of the leaves and walked slowly through the wood. He thought he might call on his second cousin, Milly. But he didn't think he'd tell her that the universe was coming to an end, for here in the woodland everything was calm and peaceful.
Mole realised the hedgehog was right. Although it had felt like a huge disaster of earthquake proportions to Mole himself, few other creatures were affected by the diggers. Perhaps the universe wouldn't end immediately. As Mole knocked on his second cousin's door, he reflected that God was still in his heaven wherever that might be, and all was right with the world.