Time after Pentecost, Lectionary 33
Malachi 4:1-2a
Psalm 98
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Luke 21:5-19
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
I am always amazed at the hard work and resources that go into the making of a cake. If you watch any the cake competitions on the food networks, you'll see the artists put in hours and hours of work to create just one cake. On "Challenge" the contestants are usually given eight hours to create their masterpiece, but the reality is they've already put in many hours before hand. They have to bake the cakes, prepare the icing, and gather together enough fondant and other materials. In some case, they've premade some decorations or molds. On another show, a cake artist said that the flowers on a magnificent wedding cake equaled a thousand man hours of work!
All this work is put into the making of a masterpiece that won't last more than a few days. A cake is made to be eaten. The recipients of those cakes often say, "It is too beautiful to be eaten" but that doesn't stop them from cutting into the tiers. The artists know that their work will last only in a memory and a picture. They know that what they are making will be destroyed quickly.
A developer approaches his work from a completely different perspective. Someone building a building wants it to last for a very long time. They design the building and choose materials to hold up against the probable conditions. Wood shingles are not used in a forest that might burn. Flat top roofs are not used on mountain tops. Basements are not built in buildings that are at low altitudes or near water. Certain specifications are used to make a building strong in an earthquake zone. Others are used where hurricanes threaten. Stilts are used to raise a building above possible flood waters and windows are carefully placed so that they will not be broken by damaging winds. An architect and the builder work together to plan carefully so that the building will last a very long time.
We spent four years living in England, and I was often amazed at the architecture. We visited one building, a simple one room chapel, which was built in 300 A.D. The building was only about 15' by 20' and had no roof or door. But the walls still stood and benches were still strong enough to hold visitors. The building was probably not used for a thousand years, but somehow the ivy covered walls were still there. Despite the longevity of this particular building, the reality is that it will not last forever. One day those stones will fall, or will be pushed down.
I visited another place, an old abbey. A few walls still stood, but most of the abbey was gone. The visitor can still see where the walls belonged, as the foundations are still visible in the lawn. The stones from the walls were often stolen by the townspeople. Look at other buildings or the walls that divide properties in the town, and it is likely that you'll find stone from the abbey. The materials used for the abbey were much better than anything the townspeople could afford, so when the building began to turn into ruins, they helped themselves to the stone. That's why there is so little left of many of the ruins in England-not because the buildings weren't built to last, but because someone destroyed it.
Cakes get eaten and buildings fall down, that is the reality. But, we still hope. We see buildings like that little chapel in England and think that our walls can certainly last for a long time. What were they feeling in Jerusalem, in the shadow of the Temple? I can only imagine what the Temple during Jesus’ day must have looked like to the people living in Jerusalem and to all the pilgrims who went there to worship. I have never visited the site, but I have heard that they have a scaled model of the Temple to visit while you are in Jerusalem. There are also virtual tours available on the Internet. If we look at pictures of people praying at the Wailing Wall, we can see how massive the entire structure must have been.
Though these pictures and re-creations give us an idea of its beauty and size, they can’t even come close to the reality of what it would have been like. You just can't really understand the reality unless you've experienced it yourself, like the giant redwood trees in the Northwest. You can see a million pictures of them, but you can’t really understand how big and beautiful they are unless you stand at the foot of one.
So, the disciples are wandering around the Temple, commenting on its size and beauty, like any visitor might. They were amazed at the gifts dedicated to God by the faithful pilgrims that came to make their offerings. We do the same thing when we tour Westminster Abbey in London or Notre Dame in Paris. We even do so in our own churches, marveling over the latest gift given to glorify God in memory of a loved one. When looking at the Temple from this point of view, it is easy to imagine that it will never fall. After all, it belongs to God! Would God allow His house to fall?
It must have been shocking, then, to hear Jesus say, "As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in which there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." They have certainly come to believe what Jesus has to say, because they didn't reject the idea. They didn't even ask why? They respond with another question, "When?" Did they want to know so they could try to stop the destruction? Did they want to avoid the danger?
Jesus didn't answer the question, but instead gave them a warning, "Do not be fooled." The scriptures for today are not pleasant. Malachi talks about the day of the Lord, when the arrogant and evildoers will be burned. Paul warns those who are idly waiting for Christ's return, because they will starve. Jesus talks about the destruction of the Temple and the danger to the believers. Even the psalmist talks about vindication and judgment. When the world around us is confused and without hope, it is easy to be fooled. We listen to every voice that speaks the good words and ignore the words that can make us afraid. Jesus knew that there would be those who would claim to be from God, offering promises they could not ensure. He warned them not to believe every charismatic speaker who promised prosperity and wealth. Since they would use the natural occurrences in the world to prove their own power, it would be easy to fall for their lies.
Then He told them what life would really be like for those who follow Him. It isn't a life we would pursue. He spoke of war, natural disasters, and unnatural signs in nature. The disciples would face judges and prisons and violence for speaking the name of Jesus. Jesus says, "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake." We don't want to be hated. We want what we create to stand. We want the world to be a garden full of roses. And while we will be blessed by our faith in Christ, it won't be a garden of roses.
But, Jesus promises the disciples that despite this hatred, no a hair on their head will perish. This is where the text becomes very difficult for us, because we know that many Christians have been killed over the Gospel. Of the Twelve, only one died of old age. The lives of the Saints are filled with stories of beheadings, burnings and other violence. In some places, cutting the hair is an insult. Our hair falls out due to the natural process of health and aging. What about the cancer patient that loses their hair? Is he or she any less faithful because their hair has perished?
Again, though we want our bodies to last as long as the things we build, our flesh is perishable. The promise is not for eternal flesh but for the endurance of our souls. When we understand that God doesn't promise us a rose garden on earth, but an eternity with Him, then we'll realize that the fears of catastrophe are nothing about which we should worry.
God builds a different kind of Temple. He builds a different kind of body. That Temple, that body, is made up of souls rather than bricks. The building might fall, but the body of Christ will last forever.
The lessons speak about the end of the age, and we might focus on that aspect particularly since we are living in a time when it seems like everything is really happening. There are false prophets touting their goods in the public squares these days. There are reasons why we might be afraid. This warning seems to be meant for us in this time and place. Will our walls come tumbling down?
But there is grace in this message. And hope. Jesus reminds us that we have a purpose in this life, and worrying about the end times will not make anything happen and it will not make anything better. Our purpose is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to be His witnesses in this world, no matter what the world thinks about us. Whether or not our hair perishes does not matter, because the reality of God's promises is true even when the reality of the world seems to say something else. As we endure through the trials of life, we'll experience the reality of God's kingdom on earth. We might not survive in flesh, but we'll spend eternity receiving the fulfillment of God's promises. As Malachi says, "But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings."
God is faithful, and because He is faithful, we have all we need to live and work in His promises. The psalmist calls us to make a joyful noise and sing praises to God. Paul encourages us to be active, working to make our own living in this day so that we'll have enough for ourselves and for those who can not provide for themselves. Though it seems like the world is about to end, we should not be idle. Each member of the community should do their part. The fellowship of believers is like a family, brothers and sisters in Christ. When everyone does their part, everything works well. Paul’s instruction goes beyond the work of the church. He encourages all Christians to be active participants in the world around them, working to provide for their own needs and for the needs of the community. He encourages the able bodied to do their share so that the resources can be available for those who are truly in need.
I drew the short straw this week and I have to give the children's sermon on Sunday. When I first read the scriptures I wondered how I would speak about the end times with four year olds. What I realized, though, is that though the end times are definitely a part of this message, the real message is that though the world in which we live is perishable, the Church is not. God has bound us together not just for today but forever. And when the world does perish, we'll still be together for eternity, serving God and one another in joy and peace.
I plan to take a pile of blocks with me to church on Sunday and have the kids help me build a building. Then I’m going to knock it down. We'll talk about the disappointment that the thing we build fell. Then I'll say, "But we can build again, because we're still together." The walls of our Temples might come tumbling down, but God doesn't dwell in those buildings, He dwells in the hearts of believers. So even if the walls are gone, God is still there in the body. All that's left of the Temple in Jerusalem where the faith go to pray. God is still there among His people, because they believe, not because there's a cushy house in which He might dwell.
In Christ we can have our cake and eat it too, because God doesn't just dwell in the physical realm of our world. He dwells in our hearts. And so, we can enjoy what we have today, do the work we are called to do, and when it falls, we can live in the promise that we'll be with God for eternity.
A WORD FOR TODAY
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