Pentecost 25 (C)Luke 18:9-14
When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, ‘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.’
They asked him, ‘Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?’ And he said, ‘Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and, “The time is near!” Do not go after them.
‘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.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
‘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. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defence in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.
Sermon
There are certain books and movies I have been eager for my kids to know. The Bible for example. That’s a pretty big deal. I want my kids to know and enjoy it. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn is another. When it comes to movies, I have made sure my kids have been exposed to The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, and the Ten Commandments. Perhaps one of the most cherished movies we have made sure the kids get into is the movie “The Princess Bride.” If you haven’t seen it, the Princess Bride is an offbeat cult comedy classic that my family has watched several times and I am proud to say my kids are able to quote from like they were quoting from the Bible.
One scene in the movie shows a Spaniard named Inigo Montoya engaged in a mighty duel with the “man in black.” Both with swords drawn in their left hands, back and forth they went. High drama! A life and death struggle! At one point the “man in black” apparently had the upper hand but Inigo Montoya was grinning. The “man in black” asked “Why are you smiling?” He replied “Because I know something that you do not.” “Oh,” said the man in black “what is that?” Montoya replied “I, am not left handed.” Then he switches to his right hand and continues the battle gaining the advantage. The great duel continues until the “man in black” is pressed against the wall at the edge of the cliff and he is smiling. The Spaniard asks “And why are you smiling?” The “man in black” answers, “Because I know something that you do not. I am not left handed either.” Then he switches to his right hand and the battle continues.
Today Jesus wants you to know something that most people do not know. He wants you to know what he knows about the end of the world. In today’s gospel from Luke chapter 21, he is with his disciples at the temple in Jerusalem and his disciples are amazed at the stone work. Blown away, they were. It was the largest structure they would have ever seen in their lives. Single cuts of rock measuring up to 50 tons formed the temple walls. It was a sight to behold. Jesus, though, was not impressed. He said “You see these stones? The day is coming went not one stone will be left standing upon another.”
To the Jewish ear that was doomsday talk. To the disciples it caught their attention more than the rocks themselves. “When?” they asked. “What? . . .” “How will we know ?. . .” As you can imagine their minds were racing.
Jesus then tells them about the day when egomaniacs are going to stand up and claim to be “the One.” A day when demagogues and charismatic personalities are going to lead people down a dark alley. A day when there are going to be wars and rumors of wars, when nations rise up against nations, when there will be earthquakes and upheavals. A day when famine and pestilence ravage the lands. A day when tsunamis batter helpless villages, when Jesus followers are mistreated, bullied, and assaulted, A day when . . .
You get the picture. It’s a bad scene. A dark time. You might even say “We already know all that.” And I have no doubt that you do. You can’t turn on the tv without being reminded that the world is in a world of hurt. You hear about bad almost the instant it happens. Thanks to cable news and the internet, you heard about the earthquake that buried Haiti within moments of it happening. You heard about the BP oil rig explosion before the rig itself sunk to the bottom. Heavens to betsy, you could watch the oil spew into the ocean by a live feed camera. It’s all around us, all the time, news feeds on the latest catastrophe in some remote part of the world. The latest military coup in Africa, the latest protest in France, the latest terrorist attack in Yemen.
Even if you don’t watch cable news or have internet access, you can often be reminded of the hurt the world is in by looking at your own life. Some of you are in the fight of your life dueling with a marriage that can’t seem to get on track. Some of us are dueling with bodies that seem to be attacking themselves. Others are dueling with financial realities that seem to have the upper hand.
These are all things that you do know. And if you are like a lot of people you feel like you know them all too well. What on earth is it then that Jesus knows about the end that most do not know?
It comes near the end of today’s gospel reading. After listing all kinds of terrible things that make up our world, Jesus says “And not a hair of your head will perish.” Through all this upheaval and danger and devastation and agony, Jesus says you will not lose even as much as follicle. In Matthew, Jesus says all this upheaval and cataclysm is but “the beginning of the birth pangs (24:8). In the book of Romans Paul says that the whole creation has been “groaning in labor pains” (8:22).
When Jesus talks about the tribulations and struggles of this present time, he says what you and I need to know is that what is happening is a new birth. What is happening is God is bringing about a new creation. God is delivering a new life, like a midwife delivering a baby.
No doubt many of you can remember what that was like. Just yesterday I was visiting a couple in the church that just had a new two week old baby. Her name is Brinley Rees Watson. She is Kelly and Paul Watson’s newest joy. I sat there on the sofa next to Kelly and held the precious little girl. I cradled her in my arms, studied her face, smelled her hair. It was an unforgettable smell and took me back to when Karin and I welcomed into the world our three kids. What a flood of memories! Beautiful time. Looking down at little Brinley into her baby blue eyes, her little eyelids opened and closed. They worked! Her fingers nice and long and crinkly. It was a perfect moment as I looked at her mom and dad looking on with such a sense of hope and excitement at the promise and gifts of a new life.
I looked back down at Brinley and then she puked right at my face! Not a little spit up, but full force projectile baby vomit missing my nose by a half an inch, drenching my shirt. We all laughed and smiled, and commented on what good lungs she had. No amount of messiness
When Jesus talks about the end he wants you to know that all the hardships you go through, these are labor pains. Through all these tribulations and upheavals and cataclysms God is reaching into the world to pull out new life. He is forming a new creation. Every time you are doubled over in hardship no matter what the cause or the source, you are one contraction closer to a new life with God.
As you duel whatever it is you duel, you may or may not be able smile in the midst of it, but one day you will. You will be all smiles with new life and possibility.
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