November 14, 2021 – Pentecost +25B

“As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.” When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs.” Mark 13:1-8

Mankind has built amazing structures, like the pyramids of Giza, and the Great Wall of China, thinking they would last forever. Some of them did, and still do exist. Most of them have been lost to the sands of time. Solomon’s Temple was one of those buildings the Israelites thought would last forever. Built sometime around 1000 BCE the original Temple stood for almost 400 years. The original purpose was to house the Ark of the Covenant—to give G-d a place to dwell on earth that was not a tent. King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed that Temple in 587/586 BCE and the people of Israel were carried off into exile to the land of Babylon. Some 70 years later, circa 516 BCE, construction on the Second Temple began. This Temple would stand for almost 600 years before being destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. Nothing lasts forever, especially if those things have been built by humans.

One of the most difficult things a pastor must do is stand with people when their lives, or their personal worlds, come crashing down around them. As their pastor, I am to represent the presence of G-d in their midst. And when it all comes crashing down, they look to me for answers and comfort—wanting to lash out at G-d, lash out at the world, even lash out at me. You see, we spend years building up Temples of faith around us, learning particular things, reading particular things, repeating particular things, even chanting and singing particular things—and we believe that the presence of the Holy Spirit is in the things we do, so that our worship, our faith, our good works bridge the relationship between us and G-d. And, there is a part of us that believes that if we are good Christians, we will not see our Temples of faith torn down. It is our human nature to look around us and to find security and a sense of comfort in what we have built around us, what we have accumulated, what we know to have lasted for as long as we can remember. This security, this sense of the familiar is what impresses in us that things will last forever. It is no wonder this thinking invades our faith lives as well. This is what Jesus is trying to impress upon the disciples in our Gospel text.

Look, somewhere inside of us, we all know that we are just one step, one fall, one car accident, one heart attack, one fire, one stray bullet away from complete destruction. What insulates us from wanting to hunker down and wait for the end is knowing that through the Holy Spirit, Christ has written, has carved on the lining of our hearts this phrase “I will forever wipe the slate clean of your sins”.  As such, we continue to live as the church, to be the people of G-d encouraging one another, loving one another, being disciples of Christ thankful for what Christ has already given us knowing also in the world we are “not yet” what G-d intends for each one of us—that what awaits you and me is so colossal we cannot even fathom how wonderful that will be.

Look, there is nothing you and I can do to prevent our lives from falling apart, to ensure our homes or even our church will not be knocked down by an earthquake or fire, to prevent our loved ones from dying tragic deaths, or to prevent this congregation one day ceasing to exist. What we can do is live in the love and the blessings that G-d has “already” given us—knowing that the Reign of G-d has “Not Yet” been fulfilled–but that we can continue to live out the Gospel as G-d’s imperfect people made perfect through Christ.

Pastor Dave

November 13, 2021 — 2 Corinthians 6:14 – 7:7

“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. ² Make room in your hearts for us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. ³ I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. ⁴ I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy. ⁵ For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. ⁶ But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, ⁷ and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.” 2 Cor. 7:1-7

There is a cleansing that only G-d can do in our lives, and that comes through the forgiveness of sins – the absolution as we call it. There is also a cleansing that G-d wants to do in cooperation with us – a cleansing that can only come from looking within. Here, Paul writes about a cleansing that isn’t just something G-d does for us as we sit passively; this is a self-cleansing for intimacy with G-d that goes beyond a general cleansing for sin. We can talk about this cleansing in three parts:

First, there is the cleansing that comes to us as we trust in Jesus and His work on our behalf. This work of cleansing is really God’s work in us and not our work – but comes in a relationship of trust. Let us seek to be empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Second, in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, we allow our will to be bent to the will of G-d – this is not our work apart from G-d, but it is a work that awaits our will and effort. Let us seek to be cleansed through our service for G-d.

Third, again in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, we cleanse our hearts by living lives not indulging in all kinds of impurities and evil. Let us seek to value and do what is holy and right – which brings glory to G-d. 

Let us Pray,

Lord Christ, we can only look to you to be cleansed – cleansed through your word, your renewing spirit, and your love. Cleanse my life of my sin and bend my will towards yours. Amen

Pastor Dave