November 14,2010

Luke 21:5-19

Jesus and his followers are walking by the Temple in Jerusalem... a very impressive building indeed... even by today's standards... built from stones as large as 37-1/2 feet long by 12 feet high by 18 feet wide. His disciples are amazed by this architectural wonder made of countless stones placed precisely one upon the other. This is where God's lives... this man-made mountain of pure white stone… glistening in the sun. It is easy to think that this Temple, a symbol of God’s Presence among the Chosen, will last forever. Jesus’ disciples talk about how beautiful it all is... this monument to God. We can imagine their "Ooohs!" and "Aaahs!" as they walk along side its massive walls... bumping into one another and stumbling over their own feet... with eyes uplifted and fixed on this symbol of permanence. It was a good time for a lesson.

Jesus says: "Remember well what you see today... for it will not last." This is the first lesson... OUR MONUMENTS - the things which mean so much to us... around which we center our lives- will not last forever. For they, too, will come tumbling down. The things important to us today... which seem so permanent – family and friends, jobs, homes, even church buildings - are not! Situations change. The things our life are focused on now, both the good and the bad – the monuments we have constructed - no matter how well, do not last forever.
Lesson #1 is: Something better is coming. What you see today will someday be no more.

Of course this led to Jesus’ followers asking, “When?” and “How will we know?” Thus, an opportunity for a second lesson: We will not know… no one will know… when and how it will happen. People will always claim they know... but they don't. Terrible things will happen in the world as they always have. Those who follow Jesus will always to be at risk. And life, as we know it, will change.

Whether we are Jesus' disciples or the church of today, we want to know what’s around the corner. We want resolution. We want a simple answer. So, sometimes we embrace those who seem to know. But Jesus says, "Don't be fooled. None of them know." English poet and author, Rudyard Kipling once wrote, "…keep your head while all around you are losing theirs." We are encouraged not to ‘lose our head’ during the chaos of changing times. We would like there to be peace in the world... and everyone to get along with one another... and bad things not to happen to good people... but that's not the world we live in. Bad things are going to happen.
Lesson #2 is: Something better is coming, even in the midst of the bad things in this world.

This leads to the third and most important lesson... "Not a hair of your head will perish." By standing firm you will gain life. Knowing how things turned out, we could ask, "What do these words really mean?" - Jesus is crucified. Paul is beheaded. Peter is crucified upside down. Stephen is stoned. James is pierced. They all stood firm... and they all died. There must be a difference between "dying" and "perishing?" Does one perish by "playing it safe?" Are we saved by risking to stand firm? 'Not a hair of your head will perish' evidently refers to something beyond physical death. It speaks of an eternal relationship with the one God who "knows every hair of our head" and as such, includes us in God's building the new heaven and new earth. God's caring for us. . . God's love for us... God's desire to include us... will never perish.
Lesson #3 is: Something better is coming, and you will be part of it.

"Not a hair of your head will perish" is a clear statement of hope... everything we experience is temporary... only for awhile... and yet, all that we are is forever safe in God's hands. Don't worry. Bad things will happen to good people. And you are good people. But, don't be afraid. No matter what happens in our life... we are God's own, God is for us, and God is with us. God's caring for us... God's love for us... God's desire to include us... will never perish.

Our good news today is although the things of this world will parish, those of God will not.