『Sermon - 11/16/25』のカバーアート

Sermon - 11/16/25

Sermon - 11/16/25

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 Sermon 11-16-25, Lk 21:5-19 Pastor Megan asked me to lead worship and preach this Sunday while she's attending the youth gathering, I checked my schedule and agreed. Later when I read the text I thought "ugh… I don't like this one" It's hard to preach on something I don't particularly like And maybe that's actually the key to today's Gospel message Similar to the disciples, We don't like what Jesus has to say sometimes / / / I love the Gospel of Luke and his focus on social justice And when I zoomed out of this particular passage to what's happening in Luke's narrative, it clicked for me So let's zoom out together / / / Jesus has been sitting in, teaching and preaching in, the temple since the end of chapter 19 when he entered the temple, caused a scene and said "My house shall be a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of robbers"… This disruption inspired the leaders to continue to look for a way to kill Jesus And he remains within the temple through the rest of chapter 21 until chapter 22 when the Passover begins, starting his journey to the cross We're in the midst of Jesus' speed round to get his point across before he's gone And he's intense about it Jesus' focus in the temple is one of redirection Stones and destruction aren't unique to his warning today Back in 20:17 He said "the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone… everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces" The religious leaders' desire to kill Jesus fueled their questioning of him They kept challenging Jesus, trying to trip him up on technicalities about taxes and marriage Jesus continued to warn and redirect the people Toward issues he saw as more important Beware of the scribes who dress all fancy and look powerful Look at this poor widow giving all she has to this oppressive system But the disciples get uncomfortable and attempt a redirection of their own They say – oh, but look how pretty and incredible and awesome this temple is! Let's take a break from all of these hard conversations and admire the centerpiece of our community and place that honors the one true God Surely Jesus will agree with us on this topic! Jesus doesn't falter -- and says: well, guess what, it will be destroyed! so let's focus on something lasting / / / Jesus' message reminds me of the Buddhist teaching of impermanence, and releasing attachment The Buddhist teacher, Ajahn Chah, said: "You see this goblet? For me this glass is already broken. I enjoy it. I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put this glass on a shelf and the wind knocks it over, or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, 'Of course.' When I understand that this glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious. Every moment is just as it is, and nothing need be otherwise." The glass is all ready broken The temple is all ready destroyed / / / But the disciples are alarmed and want to be prepared for this horrible destruction They cling to the temple and the comfort and security it offers So they ask, how will they know it's coming?! What can they do?! And Jesus doesn't answer them directly, as he never does But he instructs them to: "Beware" "Do not be led astray" "Do not be terrified" and leaves them with "By your endurance you will gain your souls" / / / The Jesus we see in Luke is not cozy or comforting He's on a mission He's provocative in the way he is trying to make us see the ugliness of the world and human nature He's frustrating in the way he keeps pointing out the things we'd rather look away from Like the impermanence of the solid places where we rest our assurance - like these stone buildings Like the uncertainty of societal structures of power and wealth that we benefit from Like the particularities of taxes and marriage that distract us from the real focus of loving God and loving our neighbor Like the cruel and violent actions of powerful leaders masked by the fancy veneer of wealth and beauty Like the oppressive systems that benefit from the poverty of others / / / The disciples want to escape this doom and gloom Don't we? They attempt a distraction, admiring the awesomeness of this enormous and gorgeous temple that is dedicated to God At least we have this common ground, right? But Jesus won't give them a break He's on a mission – then -- and now To challenge our view of the world and guide us toward seeing clearly Whatever you see will be destroyed The glass is all ready broken / / / I wonder about the metaphorical "temples" of beauty and distraction today? What are our "...
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