Sermon for Sunday, November 17, 2013
Luke 21:5-19
PREACHER: Pastor Carrie Smith
The first
thing that should be said about today’s Gospel text is that this is a speech
for insiders. These words from Jesus are literally words meant for the choir –
for the believers, the community of the faithful, those who are in the pews or
the choir loft every Sunday; these are words for those disciples who have been
with Jesus on the journey thus far and seem likely to continue on, come what
may. This speech is not, then, a great tool for evangelism. I wouldn’t advise using
this bit of Scripture for your “elevator speech” about Christianity, for example!
And while it might be more accurate, it’s probably not a good idea for us to
put these words on the front of our church, either. There’s probably a good reason
we don’t see congregations named “By Your Endurance You Will Gain Your Souls
Church” or church signs declaring: “Welcome to Church! Do you see these stones?
All will be thrown down!” I think it’s also safe to say that next year’s
stewardship campaign will likely not be based on Luke 21:17: “Jesus said, ‘You
will be hated by all because of me.’ Please give generously.”
So this is
not a warm and fuzzy, feel-good, Joel Osteen-style Scripture text! But this
text does tell the truth. And sometimes, the truth hurts.
In this case,
one truth Jesus wants to impart is that the things we think are permanent and immovable
never really are. Temples, monuments,
memorials, family traditions, and even this church will one day be gone. Scripture says “The grass
withers and the flower fades; the Word of
God stands forever.” It doesn’t say anything about the structures we erect,
even those that are meant to honor God! We, like the disciples, admire the beautiful
stones, stained glass, and new technology adorning our temples, and Jesus says:
“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.”
On
Friday, I was asked to attend the Board meeting of my alma mater, the Lutheran School
of Theology at Chicago, as part of the strategic planning committee. We spent
the afternoon talking about how to increase enrollment, how to market the school, and how to ensure
its viability for the coming years. And, of course, we talked about the
building. The Board talked about plans for replacing air conditioners, upgrading
technology, and caring for aging (and often crumbling) student apartments. There
was also discussion about how to get decent Wifi in a building designed like a
concrete bunker which I have heard called (lovingly by students and not-so-lovingly
by the neighborhood) “the Darth Vader School”.
It was all
very interesting to observe, but as I listened to the careful planning for the future
of these buildings that still feel like a second home for me, I couldn’t help thinking
about those pesky words of Jesus: “As for these things you see, the days will
come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”
This was especially on my mind when the strategic planning consultant asked us
to imagine, not just success, but “wild success.” What would “wild success”
look like for this Lutheran seminary?
Board members
mentioned enrollment increases of 2 percent per year; becoming the “go-to
school” where bishops would find their favorite new pastors; having a balanced
budget with a surplus; and having a building that grows with our needs. All worthy
goals.
But it was just
one professor in the back of the room – a professor of church history, in his
last year of teaching – who raised his hand to offer: “It seems to me, dear people,
that ‘wild success’ would mean students leaving this place equipped to proclaim
Christ crucified and risen.”
Well, duh! This seems obvious, doesn’t it? You
could hear a collective groan from the Board members, who were just trying to do
their important work. And yet, this back of the room comment shone light on a problem
that we all can understand: we most often judge beauty, growth, and success as being
signs both of our faithfulness and of God’s presence and favor in our lives. Big
enrollment equals a successful seminary. Big worship attendance equals a faithful
church. Big house equals a happy family.
And if we believe
that beauty, growth, and success are signs of God’s presence or blessing in our
lives and on our mission, then it follows that persecution, distress, suffering
or pain are signs of God’s absence or abandonment. The closing of a seminary, for
example, would mean failure. A church that isn’t growing must not be faithfully
following Jesus. A family that loses its house must be doing something wrong. In
the worst possible example of this logic, we hear of people being told that if they
have cancer, they must not have enough faith, or must not have prayed hard enough.
And yet, this
is not the truth Jesus was laying out for the disciples in today’s preaching text,
is it? Here we have Jesus making his own back-of-the-room comment, attempting to
draw the disciples’ attention away from their beautifully adorned temple and instead
preparing them for the path ahead. He said:
“Watch out
for the doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged
identities claiming, ‘I’m the One,’ or, ‘The end is near.’ Don’t fall for any
of that. When you hear of wars and uprisings, keep your head and don’t panic. (Keep Calm, and Carry On!) This is routine history and no sign of the end.” He went on, “Nation will fight
nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Huge earthquakes will occur in
various places. There will be famines. You’ll think at times that the very sky
is falling.
“But before
any of this happens, they’ll arrest you, hunt you down, and drag you to court
and jail. It will go from bad to worse, dog-eat-dog, everyone at your throat
because you carry my name. You’ll end up on the witness stand, called to
testify. Make up your mind right now not to worry about it. I’ll give you the
words and wisdom that will reduce all your accusers to stammers and stutters.
“You’ll even
be turned in by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. Some of you will be
killed. There’s no telling who will hate you because of me. Even so, every
detail of your body and soul—even the hairs of your head!—is in my care;
nothing of you will be lost. Staying with it—that’s what is required. Stay with
it to the end. You won’t be sorry; you’ll be saved.”
Conflict, legal
problems, family strife, and death—this probably isn’t the vision of “wild success”
the seminary’s strategic planning consultant had in mind! And it’s probably not
on your wish list for your life, your family, or your church, either. And yet, as
believers, when we encounter tragedy or persecution, we do not start shouting
loud predictions of the end-times. We do not lose hope! Rather, we stand firm
and endure, trusting in our Lord Jesus, who promises that by our endurance we
will gain our souls.
As I said before,
this is not a feel-good piece of Scripture. But it is a feeling-the-truth kind of
Scripture. And the truth, while it can hurt, also sets us free.
Sisters and brothers,
the truth which sets us free is this: God loves you! And bad things will
happen. Bad things very well may happen because
you proclaim Christ, because you speak about him and try to follow him. But
even this does not indicate the end, or show in any way that God is not with
you. Frederick Buechner said it this way: “Here is the world. Beautiful and
terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever
separate us.”
And this is why,
as believers, we see the present time, with all its difficulty and tragedy, with
economic and employment struggles, health crises, and a culture hostile to the Gospel,
as being a time ripe for prayer, watchfulness, and endurance, and yes: testimony.
This is the time to share our stories of struggle and of enduring faith! This is
the time to come out of the closet as believers and followers of Jesus! This is
the time to sing to the Lord, for he has done marvelous things! Amen!
So, for a Lutheran
seminary, “wild success” might not mean a growing enrollment or faculty or building.
But it certainly means growing faithful pastors equipped to boldly proclaim Christ
in both good times and in bad.
For a church,
“wild success” might mean packing the pews and outgrowing the building and embarking
on a capital campaign. It could happen! But it also might mean banding together
in the face of a crisis, or faithfully embracing and adapting to a changing culture,
or giving ourselves and our resources away as food for the poor.
And I would submit
that for Bethany’s 2014 stewardship campaign, “wild success” would not be merely
having enough dollars to pay the salaries and cover the bills, but rather means
coming together, as a community, to proclaim
Christ crucified and risen through the use of our time and talents and treasures.
At the end of the day—and at the end of times, when even these walls we love so
dearly have come tumbling down, and when the Son of Man comes again to judge the
world with righteousness—I believe “wild success” will be judged to be the extent
to which we have sent people forth from this place, equipped to testify to the goodness
of God, in good times, and in bad.
So stand firm,
sisters and brothers! Do not weary in doing what is right! For by your endurance
you will gain your souls. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment