Proper 28C / Ordinary 33C / Pentecost +23
November 17, 2019

St. Luke 21:5-19

The Destruction of the Temple Foretold

5 When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”

Signs and Persecutions

7 They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” 8 And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’[a] and, ‘The time is near!’[b] Do not go after them.

9 “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” 10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

12 “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 13 This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14 So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; 15 for I will give you words[c] and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17 You will be hated by all because of my name. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your souls.

Footnotes:

1. Luke 21:8 Gk I am
2. Luke 21:8 Or at hand
3. Luke 21:15 Gk a mouth

Our Turn

“But not a hair of your head will perish.  By your endurance you will gain your souls.”  St. Luke 21:18-19

The early church was in crisis.  Jerusalem seized.  The Temple lay in ruin.  And Jesus has yet to return.  Those who followed Christ, the early Christian community, stood on the brink and wondered:  “What next?”

The Gospel reading for this morning, these words of Luke are written to a community in crisis.  The center is not holding.  The Jerusalem church is scattered and sporadic persecutions have started.

What does Luke write about Jesus and what does he have to say to a faith community in crisis?

Here is my paraphrase of the Gospel reading for today:

“The Temple is gone.  Bricks and mortar – buildings adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God will not last.  It is foolhardy to place your trust in them.  Your relationship to God does not depend on these things.

Don’t be led astray by teachers who want to provide security in these things.  Don’t be afraid amidst the changes and chaos.  Don’t lose faith when you face uncertainty and upheaval.  But count it as an opportunity to testify and speak out of God’s faithfulness because not a hair of your head will perish.  By you endurance you will gain your souls.”

In other words God is saying, “Do not be afraid, I am with you!”

Easier said than done both in the first century and now!  Fear has a way of limiting our perspective.  It can put the blinders on and narrow our focus.  And that may be helpful to get through a difficult time but in the long run if fear has its way with us we become diminished, isolated, and get a warped view of ourselves and others.  People driven by fear are known to do terrible things.

There is cause for fear today.  The ground upon which we live is tottering.  Securities of which we thought we had are breaking all around us.  Neighbors and neighborhoods are not what they use to be.  Trust of authority, government, legislators is on the wane.  Parts of our own nation and other parts of the world are ravaged by extreme natural disasters – hurricanes, fierce fires, the record setting floods – the threat of climate change! 

In the midst of that Jesus says:  “Do not be terrified…not a hair of your head will perish…by your endurance you will gain your souls.” 

And Jesus declares this “an opportunity to testify.”  In other words an opportunity to speak out of a God who stands in solidarity with God’s people – an opportunity to speak about the promises that God makes to us.

Great suffering changes some people and defeats others.  Jesus contends that God can give us courage in the face of fear, boldness in the face of suffering.  And those who endure will discover their true self.

Fear and suffering provides an opportunity for those who have been changed to tell of their hope.

Thomas Dorsey, born in rural Georgia in 1889, became a prolific songwriter and an excellent gospel and blues musician.  In his youth he moved to Chicago and found work not only in clubs and theatres, but playing the piano in churches as well.  After some turbulence in his life he devoted his artistry strictly to the church.

In 1932 he kissed his pregnant wife and then he traveled to St. Louis, Missouri to be a featured soloist at a large revival meeting.  While performing at the revival, Dorsey received a telegram that simply stated:  “Your wife just died.” He raced back to Chicago to discover that his wife had given birth to a son before dying in childbirth.  The next day his son died, too.

Dorsey withdrew in sorrow and agony from family and friends after he buried his wife and son in the same casket.  He refused to compose and play music for quite some time.

Late in the evening, while still in great grief and despair, he was moved to sit in front of the piano.  Suddenly a feeling of peace washed over him.  He began to play.  A melody came to him that he had never heard before and he began to play.  That very night Dorsey recorded his testimony:

Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on,
Let me stand
I'm tired, I am weak I am worn
through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home

Dorsey's endurance saw him through this most difficult time and his hymn is a testimony to faith.  He turned to Christ.

Our turn…it is our turn to testify. 

Christianity is about turning. 

Our faith is about turning and it is our turn.

Turn away from that which will bring no security or no hope – the bricks of the temple, the promises of politicians, the accumulation of wealth, and the will to go it alone.  Our faith is about turning – turning from trusting in ourselves and turning toward trusting in God.

It is our turn – our turn in the midst of things we cannot understand to believe and trust in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, and the resurrection to eternal life.

Our Christian faith is about turning – turning away from ourselves and toward the one who says: 

“Not a hair of your head will perish.  Be not afraid, I am with you.”

Jesus calls us to metanoia - to turn away from our fears and look to the Cross.  There Christ took on all of human fear and in that dark hour knew death.  God turned away then and then turned again raising the Christ.  Repentance and turning is a life-long process.  It is our turn.

Today we are invited not to be terrified when confronted with suffering in our lives or in our community, nation, or world.  We are invited to quietly and confidently remain safe in the hand that carries us.

Our help is from the Helper himself. 

Christ promises to be with us always.

Great suffering will change us.  Jesus contends that God can give us courage in the face of fear, boldness in the face of suffering.  And those who endure will discover their true selves and tell their stories of a living Lord. 

Amen