Grace to you and peace…
Take a moment and turn to your neighbor and describe to her
or him the most impressive building in which you’ve ever been in your life –
doesn’t have to be religious, but it could be.
Perhaps a cathedral, perhaps an athletic stadium or a mall, perhaps a
skyscraper or a castle. Think about it
for a moment, and then tell your neighbor…
[share some responses. Empire State Building, Wrigley Field, Castle Church, Mall of America]
Well maybe you had to think about what the most impressive
building you’ve ever seen is, but for the people Jesus’ time and place, this
would not have been an interesting question, because everybody knew: It was the temple in Jerusalem.
And in our Gospel text, as some of the disciples are
admiring that temple – “What large stones, and what large buildings” – Jesus prophesies. See these stones? See this temple, see that cathedral, that
stadium, that mall, that skyscraper, that castle? Not a stone will be left on stone.” In other words, all earthly things will
eventually deteriorate and waste away…as glorious as they may be right now. “But my body,” Jesus says to us today, “will
rise up through the ashes.”
Christ speaks to us today about ultimate things—the end of
the world, the end or our lives—and thank God for it. The world will end. Our lives will end. But Christ will rise up through the ashes to
take us with him, to shower the ruined world, the dead and all creation with
love and righteousness, Christ will rise up through the ashes to rule all in
all.
Come, this morning, sisters and brothers in Christ, receive
the comfort of God in the midst of our fears.
Do you ever worry about the world coming to an end? It seems like no matter what period we’re in,
someone is are always able to relate to these texts about nation rising against
nation. Whether the halls of power are
dominated by Democrats some years or Republicans other years, there’s always
that voice: “Uh oh, this is the end.” Maybe it comes from whatever party is not
currently in power, or maybe it’s on our tv sets or radios or computer screens,
or maybe that voice is in our own heads: “Uh oh, this is the end.”
But here’s what’s at the heart of our readings today,
friends in Christ: Whether we live or
whether we die, we belong to Christ!
That’s actually from the book of Romans, but it’s at heart of today
too. Come, you who are scared about the
end or the world or the end of your life, come, you who are terrified about
what might be next. Come—all are welcome
in this place—and receive the comfort of God this day—offered to us in Bread
and Wine, Word and Water. The comfort of
God. Maybe our places of worship—our
stadiums, our shopping malls—will be destroyed.
Those places where we put our trust, our joy, our money. Maybe our places of worship—our churches
where Christianity is studied, preached and practiced—are sliding off a
cliff. I don’t happen to believe that,
but I’ve been wrong before; and sometimes we forget that everything we have can
be gone in the blink of an eye.
And even if we were to lose everything, sisters and brothers
who follow Jesus, remember that Christ rises up through the ashes to save us,
to heal us, to redeem us, and to comfort us.
Can we trust that promise? Can we
open our hands to receive that gift freely given in Christ Jesus?
The Church is not a building, the church is the body of
Christ. The Church is you. But not just you, it’s the generations and
generations that came before you and me.
And it’s the generations and generations that, thanks be to God, will
follow. The church of Jesus Christ will
live forever, wherever 2 or 3 are gathered, wherever the word is preached and
the sacraments are administered.
What if this building was to burn down? That’s worth asking with our text today. What if this wonderful building was reduced
to a pile of ashes on the corner of Avocado and Fury? Would Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church
still exist? Would you still have a
church home? Of course, because
[children’s song: “I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together.”]
Christ rises up through the ashes. Our God lives, not confined to buildings and
rituals (which rise and fall), but our God lives…among us (prof who threw the Bible against the wall), in us, around us…as
we seek ways to love and care for each other and this frightened world. Let our reading from Hebrews guide us this
day and always: Let’s wait for God by caring for each other. Let us lift one another up. Let us be the church. Let us wait for God by reaching out.
Sisters and brothers in Christ, someday it will all end—maybe
tomorrow, maybe light years from now—but remember this day and always that
whether you live or whether you die, whether this world lives or whether it
dies, WE BELONG TO CHRIST. May that
strong word be your comfort in all you do.
Let’s read together our HOD #327 -- "Through the night of doubt and sorrow".
Let us pray:
O God, our help in ages past, help us to trust in you now. In the midst of our joy and in the midst of
our fear, help us to trust in you now.
We give you thanks for the gift of your Son, who rises up through the
ashes, and leads us on our journeys.
Continue to hold us together, strengthen our hearts, and assure us of
your promise, this day and for evermore.
AMEN.
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