Date: November 10th & 13th
Preacher: Pastor Ashley Rosa-Ruggieri
First Reading: Malachi 4:1-2a
Psalmody: Psalm 98
Second Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Gospel: Luke 21:5-19
I used to babysit often when I was growing up, sometimes for older kids, but oftentimes for younger elementary or preschool age. It was always interesting to see how kids would interact with one another, especially when there was more than one sibling. One particular instance I was reminded of for today was a little girl was building a tower with blocks. She was very happy with it, so excited that she built such a tall tower, and she had two older siblings, a brother, and a sister. And so, when the little one was finished with her tower, she called over her older siblings to look at it. Quickly, the older brother decided that the nicest thing about this tower was that it would be fun to knock down, and so he did. He walked right up, pushed the tower over with a loud yell, and then just walked away. Now the younger sister had tears in her eyes, all that work she had just done felt wasted, and the older sister came over and said, “it’s okay, we will build it back together.” And so, they began to work on rebuilding, but this time, the youngest sibling was not alone to create her tower.
I was reminded of this story today because our Gospel lesson also features a structure that had been built with love, dedication, and excitement, followed by a warning that the sound building in front of them would not always be there. To start, I want to give a little context to the structure itself in this story—the temple mentioned at the beginning of the passage. The temple mentioned here is in Jerusalem, and it has quite the history of being destroyed and then rebuilt or renovated. There was once a temple in this space, that had been destroyed hundreds of years before this while the area was under siege. Then, they rebuilt the temple, into what some call the second temple, and that one had stood in the same place for hundreds of years. But Herod the Great, decided that this second temple was not good enough compared to the original temple, and so it needed to be refurbished or renovated.
For those who have done renovation projects before, you may know that this is a long process, especially if the space being redone is still in use in the areas around the improvements. After years of installing adornments, tapestries, marble walls, and gold or silver plating, the temple was complete. No cost was given a second thought when it came to making this temple extravagantly beautiful. For those who were there during these renovations, they saw the beauty of the temple transform before their eyes. They were proud of this beautiful space, a place dedicated to God and filled with beauty worthy of the Lord. People in surrounding areas came to view this gorgeous temple in awe, as it was like nothing they had seen in their lifetimes. And so, this is the context of a group of people at the start of this passage noticing the beautiful, new adornments in the temple around them and commenting on the wonderful dedication to God that they beheld in front of them.
And HERE is where Jesus decides to tell them about what is to some day come for the beautiful temple before them. Some time in the future, this temple will no longer stand, it will be destroyed like the one before it, and that time will also come with other forms of pain and suffering. Jesus mentions the temples destruction, but also famine, plague, betrayal, war, earthquakes, and signs. This means that before those who are hearing Jesus have even a chance to breathe, a moment to process what the destruction of the structure around them will mean, they are overwhelmed with a whole group of other coming difficulties to worry about. As modern-day readers, it can sometimes be alarming to read the prophetic part of this passage that states all of the hardship to come, and with that alarm comes a tendency to skip over the first part, the part about the temple.
Consider for a moment how those around Jesus might be feeling after hearing that this beautifully refurbished temple around them, a sacred space they have dedicated to God, will soon be destroyed as it stands. I cannot imagine the shock, denial, bargaining, anger, sadness, mourning, and grief they might feel upon hearing this first news, and then loaded with the other trials to come as well. Something tells me that much like the little girl I babysat, their eyes may have filled with tears at the idea of something so exciting and beautiful being destroyed before their eyes. And how often in our world do we push away any sort of grief, rather than allow ourselves to feel the pain associated with it? But just like in my babysitting story, we too have someone who comes alongside us in the grief and promises that something can be rebuilt together. Perhaps it will not look the same as it did, but it will be an opportunity to remember that life continues on after destruction and loss.
In this passage today, after all of the signs and warnings of destruction, that promise can be found from Jesus too. Our scripture here ends with the Lord saying, “But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.” This endurance is what we then are called too even in the times of difficulty. The endurance to continue on in the midst of all stages of grief and the endurance to continue on knowing that the difficult parts of life are on the horizon. That endurance will help keep you grounded, down to your own soul. You will gain a quietness inside of yourself, inside your soul that is a constant reminder of the endurance you have shown, the community you have endured with, and the God who was present all along, fueling your endurance.
Life has never been filled with only the beautiful things, and even in our lives of faith that is no exception. What we choose to do with the knowledge that things could be hard in the future, is where we hold the most power. Power to acknowledge our pain and hurt, while living into the endurance that the Holy Spirit helps to provide. Trust in the promises of endurance that Jesus offers to us in scripture this day, even when things feel destroyed or broken, knowing that the Lord upholds you with the Holy Spirit, and surrounds you with a community saying, “it’s okay, we will build it back together.” Thanks be to God.