Reflection: "Watch Out For Tomorrow"The bright sun stunned the disciples as they strolled out from the majestic temple onto the bleached limestone terrace. Hand-chiselled, these giant stone blocks measured more than 2 metre on each side.
A grown person could walk two or three paces per stone. They watched hundreds of people milling in these courtyards and patios outside the temple. Rising far above the streets, these massive boulders were hewn from limestone cliffs. They were….. BIG. The stones were there to stay, and the delicate, gorgeous temple would have made you gasp. As this was the holiest place in all Israel, the disciples were surely in a state of awe. Someone said, “Look, what large stones and what large buildings” and everyone marvelled at the grandeur. Therefore, you can just imagine the disciple’s dismay when Jesus asked, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” The disciples were probably wondering “Who does he think he is, talking about the temple’s demise when he’s actually at the temple?” We can surely relate to the disciples’ frustration. Most of us love our possessions, our houses, cars and clothes, wealth, health. We like the occasional shiny building, the thriving city, a powerful military presence protecting us. These things make us feel safe and we’d rather not hear that moths destroy and rust consumes, that our possessions are short-lived, temporary like mist, because we don’t want to lose our material status. This economic system works – for some – and we move mountains to prevent its crumble. But, deep down, I guess we all know that eventually we’ll die and go back to God - with nothing. Everything we’ve built on earth will stay here, and we’ll be gone. Mortality is a scary thing and talk of the end makes most people fidget uncomfortably. In the gospels we read of messianic and apocalyptic Jews, who spent their days actually waiting for the end of time. That’s why our upcoming Advent season bible readings are full of end-times predictions. Our spiritual ancestors expected the end within months, and they were anxious to know when it would happen. For example, the Essene community, that followed John’s gospel and wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls, moved as far away from civilization as possible. They were camped in desert caves by the Dead Sea, literally training for a cosmic battle. And like it or not, these people are part of our spiritual story. They asked with pained anxiety: How do we live in the present, when we don’t know the future? As Jesus is forecasting the temple’s destruction, the disciples also wonder: What should we be doing today when we don’t know what tomorrow will bring? The gospel writers must have agreed on the importance of the temple story, because Luke tells it in today’s gospel, Mark tells a similar tale in Chapter 13 of his gospel, Matthew in Chapter 24, and John alludes to the temple destruction in Chapter 2. Peter, Andrew, James and John ask Jesus, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” The response Jesus gives is less than helpful, as he tells them, “When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, don’t be alarmed; this must take place.” Not helpful, Jesus. They were asking when, but your response is that really bad stuff is going to happen. How should they live today when they don’t know what tomorrow will bring? They were probably thinking “Come on, Jesus, we really want to know. We’ve got plans to make!” This can be a disturbing reading for some, and perhaps it’s unwise to release the tension. Easy answers make for good bumper stickers, but real life is a bit more complex. In place of an easy answer, consider what Jesus offers. Something to all of us: the profound truth that God is still in charge. God calls us to love with radical abandon. This is less of a dream, more of a solid movement. We don’t know what comes tomorrow, but we know that God calls us to love neighbour as ourselves and to work tirelessly toward a just society and a loving community. So how do we live in the present when we don’t know the future? We should partner with God, giving it all that we have, because God has work for us to do - today! Jesus talked about a revolution in which the last are first, the proud get scattered, the lowly are lifted up. God fills the hungry with good things and sends the rich away empty. The sick are healed, the poor are blessed and, in this revolution, we’re all the beloved children of God. He started the revolution, but it depends, in part, on us to keep it going. I’m up for it, are you on board? When we read today’s story in the context of Luke’s full gospel, Jesus drops the temple bomb right before setting his face toward Jerusalem. “All will be thrown down,” he says, perhaps referencing his own death. And history shows that it was so. The Roman army plundered Jerusalem in the year 70, with soldiers pillaging the temple, murdering people and destroying everything that Israel held dear. Yet death never gets the last word, as Jerusalem rose from the Roman ashes. Jesus died a brutal death at the hands of the military state, but that’s just Friday’s news. When Sunday rolled around and took the stone with it and resurrection strolled out of the empty tomb. God was still in charge. Remember though, that Jesus doesn’t promise easy living. Jesus doesn’t say that the temple remains, that we avoid death, or that pain goes away. But Jesus does promise that God is with us - even to the end of the age. God is still in charge and we can trust in God when we can no longer trust anything else. Have you ever prayed in a time of uncertainty, in a time of waiting? Consider the poetic beauty of today’s reading from Isaiah 65. To the people who knew exactly what it meant to lose a temple, God said, “See, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. So be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating.” How do we live today when we don’t know tomorrow? We draw strength from God, who invites our participation and endures long after the cities and buildings and stones have crumbled. We adopt an attitude that asks not what God can do for us, but what we can do to bring the Kingdom of God just a bit closer. We love our neighbours as we love ourselves and we strive for just societies and a stable planet- new heavens and a new earth. We pray without ceasing, and we trust in a mighty God from whom all blessings flow. This is the revolutionary Gospel - the good news of Jesus Christ. It’s here for us today, so don’t wait for tomorrow – it may not be what you’re expecting. Blessings…………..Pastor Rick
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