First Reading: Malachi 4:1-6 1“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts. 4Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. 5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 6And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”
Psalm 98 1Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. 2With his right hand and his holy arm has he won for himself the victory. 3The Lord has made known his victory; his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations. 4He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel, and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. 5Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands; lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing. 6Sing to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the voice of song. 7With trumpets and the sound of the horn shout with joy before the king, the Lord. 8Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, the lands and those who dwell therein. 9Let the rivers clap their hands, and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord, when he comes to judge the earth. 10In righteousness shall he judge the world and the peoples with equity.
Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-13 1Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, 2and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. 3But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. 4And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. 5May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ. 6Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 8nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 9It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 13As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.
Gospel: Luke 21:5-36 5While some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, {Jesus} said, 6“As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 7And {the disciples} asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” 8And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. 9And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.” 10Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 13This will be your opportunity to bear witness. 14Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. 17You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. 18But not a hair of your head will perish. 19By your endurance you will gain your lives. 20But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, 22for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. 23Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. 24They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 25And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” 29And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 34But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Apocalypse Jacket
Based on financial reports, disaster movies apparently to do well at the box office. The plot for these movies always seems to feature frightened people battling aliens, or floods, or volcanos, or Godzilla, or even zombies ravaging major cities. With these world ending themes in mind, there’s a company in London called Vollebak that manufactures what they call an “Apocalypse Jacket.” This Apocalypse Jacket is touted to protect its wearer from extreme heat and chemical attacks, among other things. They advertise it with the tagline, “Zombies will hate it”—assuming, that is, that you run into any zombies.
The Apocalypse Jacket uses a special fiber created for NASA that’s incredibly strong and has no melting point. This fiber is then blended with the cloth fibers used in “ballistic-rated body armor.” It may well be the sturdiest piece of clothing on earth, and according to its manufacturer, it’s nearly indestructible. According to the maker, it can withstand exposure to black lava from volcanoes and sulfuric acid—assuming that the zombies that you run into are equipped with such weapons. These jackets have 23 pockets with hidden zippers all throughout the interior jacket, so you can carry everything you’ll need for escaping a natural disaster or a zombie apocalypse.
For a good many, apparently, there’s something thrilling about facing down an impending threat, lending credence to why disaster movies do so well in theaters. Studies show that people like to sit on the edge of their seats and feel their hearts pounding as the hero and heroine overcome nearly impossible odds. In case you were wondering, the highest-grossing disaster movie in the U.S. so far, is Independence Day, the movie about a worldwide alien invasion. Roland Emmerich, the director of Independence Day, claims that disaster movies are cathartic.
Disaster movies allow the audience to release tension over their fears of the future. As he says, “You see all this destruction and everything, but at the end the right people save the day.” Wheeler Winston Dixon is the chair of the Film Studies Program at the University of Nebraska. In his book Disaster and Memory, he writes, “People go to disaster movies to prove to themselves that they can go through the worst possible experience but somehow they’re immortal.” That may be the perfect tagline for today’s Bible passage from Luke 21: People can go through the worst possible experience but somehow, they’re immortal. And if we understand this statement—and if we really believe it—this should change how we live in these disturbing times. For anyone here today who has fears about the future, our gospel reading will certainly bring you hope and comfort.
In our Luke passage for today, Jesus and the disciples are standing in the temple in Jerusalem, admiring its strength and beauty. The Temple courts encompassed 36 acres of land. Renovated in 20 B.C. by Herod the Great, the giant stones that made up the Temple were dazzling, white marble, and over some of the stones was gold plating that reflected the sunlight. From a distance, the whole complex looked like a glowing jewel. Up close, it must have seemed like the most impressive building in the Roman Empire, and it probably was.
In response to the disciples admiring comments, Jesus had the unenviable task of telling His disciples that one day this magnificent Temple would be destroyed: and less than 40 years later, in 70 A.D., Jesus’ words would become a fact of history. And if this prediction weren’t bad enough, Jesus then adds, “False teachers will come in my name and turn people away from the truth. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and famines and pestilence. There will be terrors and great signs from heaven.” And before the worst of all this can happen, Jesus’ followers will be arrested, put in prison, betrayed by their loved ones, and some will be put to death. And yet, and this is key, Jesus promises that they still have a reason to hope.
This is the first thing we need to understand this morning: Vision without hope is dangerous, but with the hope that comes with trusting God, all things are possible. When we envision a hopeless future, we can become fearful, angry, anxious, and controlling. These qualities are not just the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit, they’re the enemies of those fruit. Fear, anger, anxiety, and the need to control cannot co-exist with the true fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5: 22-23).
The apostle Paul shares a vision of eternal hope in his letter to the church at Ephesus. In Ephesians 1:9-10 St. Paul writes, “God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.” In other words, in God’s good timing, everything in creation will be under the authority of our reigning Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If we understand this promise, then no matter what happens, or no matter what’s going on around us, we can take comfort and view the future with hope.
Jeffrey Immelt became the CEO of General Electric on September 10, 2001. As you recall, it was the next day, September 11, that terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, sending our nation reeling, and causing a worldwide meltdown of financial markets. The World Trade Center towers were insured by one of General Electric’s subsidiaries, GE Capital. The company experienced tremendous financial losses over the next few weeks and months. There couldn’t have been a worse time for a leader to take over the helm of a company.
Looking back on his leadership during this time, Immelt said, “I think what you learn in a crisis is that good leaders absorb fear. They’re not accelerators of fear — they know how to manage a sense of calm while still being really clear about the challenges ahead . . . You learn to hold two truths. You learn to say, ‘Things can always get worse, but here’s a dream that I have for the future, and I’m not going to give up on that.’”
In this Bible passage, Jesus is teaching His disciples, and us, to hold these same two truths: things can always get worse, but here’s a dream I have for the future, and I’m not going to give up on that dream. And so, despite unsettling events, Jesus can say to us, “Do not be deceived by false prophets and don’t be afraid.” With these two thoughts in mind, it’s good then for us to focus on verses 14-19 of our gospel passage: “But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. Everyone will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. Stand firm, and you will win life.”
Amazing wisdom: “make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves . . . Stand firm and you will win life.” Vision without hope is a dangerous thing but with a God centered hope, all things are possible. This brings us to the second thing for this morning: We can have hope if we make up our minds beforehand to see the future through Jesus. In First Corinthians 2, St. Paul writes that followers of Jesus take on the mind of Christ (I Cor. 2: 16). This is why Jesus spoke so much about the kingdom of God.
It’s God’s promise that the work of the kingdom includes restoring and redeeming creation, bringing justice, peace, and righteousness to undo the evil and oppression and hopelessness of our world. Keeping our focus on God’s promises and God’s love lets us view the future with hope and courage. When Gwenyth Todebush’s five-year-old son, Clark, was anxious about starting kindergarten, Gwenyth taught her son to calm his nerves with encouraging words to prepare him to face the day with positivity and courage. One morning on their drive to school, Gwenyth mentioned to Clark that she was nervous about a meeting that day. Young Clark responded, “Mama, I’m nervous all the time. I know what to do.”
Young Clark said, “You gotta say your affirmations in your mouth and in your heart. You say, ‘I am brave [about] this meeting!’, ‘I am loved!’, ‘I smell good!’ And you can say five or three or ten until you know it.” And his second piece of advice was, “You gotta walk big. You gotta mean it. Like Dolly on a dinosaur. Because you got it.” (Apparently, Clark is a big fan of Dolly Parton and dinosaurs, so I guess Dolly on a dinosaur is the ultimate image of courage to him). Clark had more advice for his mother, but these two encouraging thoughts help to demonstrate what it means to prepare yourself beforehand to not be afraid. This young boy had hope and courage because he viewed his future through his mother’s eyes. You and I can conquer fear if we remember to look at the future through Christ.
Adoniram and Anne Judson, America’s first missionaries, sailed to Burma in 1812 to serve there. Adoniram spent several long, tiresome years translating the Bible into the Burmese language. They served in Burma for 6 years before seeing their first convert. Then, in 1824, Adoniram was accused of spying for the British government. He was thrown into prison where he suffered frequent torture for 20 months. Shortly after his release from prison, his beloved wife Anne died. After being released, he contracted a lung disease that sapped what little energy he had left. He served in Burma for 37 years until his death in 1850. His dedication and joy, despite his suffering, inspired many other people to enter the mission field. He is known for the saying, “The future is as bright as the promises of God.”
When we see the future through Jesus, we can say with confidence, “The future is as bright as the promises of God.” This brings us to the final point for this morning: Jesus tells us that we can have hope in difficult times if we make up our minds beforehand to view trials as an opportunity to witness to the truth of God. A faith that has been tested, is a faith that can be trusted. Hard times and opposition to our faith serve both as testing grounds to reveal what we really believe, whether we truly base our hope on the character and promises of God, and whether we put our faith into action when it costs us something. If our faith in God isn’t a source of hope, peace, and strength in difficult times, then others have good reason to question whether God is real or not.
In the country of Yemen, it’s a crime to convert from Islam to another religion. So, when a man named Ibrahim became a follower of Jesus, he would study his Bible in secret, and he didn’t tell his family about his newfound faith for four years. Then one day during his prayer time, Ibrahim decided that if Jesus really was God in the flesh, then it didn’t make sense to live in fear any longer. He said, “I was tired of fear, and I asked myself this question: ‘If I believe in Jesus, and this is true, and He grants me eternity, who should I fear?’ So, if they come then to kill me, I was ready to say, ‘Welcome.’”
Ibrahim was baptized in 2002 and shared his faith with his wife and extended family. The family disowned him, and Ibrahim’s wife, Fatima, demanded a divorce. But she retracted her demands when she saw how Ibrahim’s behavior towards her became more respectful. Ibrahim established a church in Yemen and led many others to become followers of Jesus. But when the local authorities made false accusations against him, he and his family fled Yemen and settled in a neighboring country. There they set up an outreach to Yemeni refugees and continue to share their faith.
Listen again to Ibrahim’s words: “‘If I believe in Jesus, and this is true, and He grants me eternity, who should I fear?’ So if they come then to kill me, I was ready to say, ‘Welcome.’” Ibrahim is a man who has made up his mind beforehand to use his trials as an opportunity to witness to the truth of God. A pastor tells of sitting at the bedside of an elderly parishioner who was dying. The man said, “For 87 years, I have been feasting on the promises of God, but this morning I couldn’t remember a single one of them.” The pastor asked, “Friend, do you think God has forgotten?”
In times of fear and hardship, it’s easy to forget the promises of God. When our faith is shaken, when we see news reports of financial hardships, of “wars and famine, earthquakes, and pestilence”, it’s natural to react with fear, anger, anxiety, or a controlling attitude. But God hasn’t forgotten His promises. God hasn’t abandoned His purposes. And God will never forsake His people.
Jesus bids us, don’t wait until difficult times come to figure out what you believe or how to respond. Make up your mind beforehand to see the future through Jesus. Make up your mind today to view the trials that come as an opportunity to witness to the truth of God. And in this hope, we can stand firm, and as St. Paul reminds us, “we will win life.”
Amen
So true and powerful! I can relate to the small boy. For years I have been speaking God’s promises and making them personal.
Believing in your heart and confessing it with your mouth, you shall have what you say. That’s my paraphrase of several verses.