These illustrations are based on Luke 21:5-19
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Sermon Opener - The Bedrock of Faith - Luke 21:5-19
Have you ever tried to make a prediction? Here are some predictions from the past. All from people who were trusted individuals:
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, in 1943 said, "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Popular Mechanics magazine in 1949 made this prediction: "Where a calculator on the ENIAC is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and weigh only 1.5 tons."
There was an inventor by the name of Lee DeForest. He claimed that "While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, commercially and financially it is an impossibility."
The Decca Recording Co. made a big mistake when they made this prediction: "We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." That was their prediction in 1962 concerning a few lads from Liverpool. Their band was called the Beatles.
As the disciples walked out of the Temple in Jerusalem Jesus paused with his disciples, looked back at the Temple and predicted, "Do you see all these great buildings. Not one stone will be left on another." To the disciples this was bedrock. Nothing could bring down these walls. "Look, teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!" they said to Jesus…
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First the Bad News... - Luke 21:5-19
At the famous Lloyd’s of London insurance house, there is an historic bell that is sometimes referred to as the Bad News Bell. In 1799, a large frigate ship, the HMS Lutine set sail from London to Hamburg, Germany. Hamburg was facing a financial crisis, and the HMS Lutine was loaded with gold and silver intended to help stave off a crash of the German stock market.
Unfortunately, a great storm caught the HMS Lutine, and she sank somewhere along the Dutch coastline. Of the 240 crew members on board, only one survived. All of the HMS Lutine’s cargo was lost at sea.
In 1858, divers found part of the wreckage of the Lutine, including the bell that had hung at the front of the ship. The bell was turned over to Lloyd’s of London, the insurance underwriters who had insured the HMS Lutine’s original trip. The folks at Lloyd’s of London hung the bell in the underwriter’s office. They started a new tradition with it.
For many years, whenever a ship was late in arriving at its destination, a Lloyd’s employee rung the bell once to let all the brokers know the bad news. If the missing ship arrived safely, the bell was rung twice. The good news followed the bad.
In recent years, the keepers of the bell have rung it to commemorate solemn occasions, such as the death of Princess Diana or 9/11.
In our Bible passage today, Jesus had to deliver some terrible news to his disciples. But he didn’t deliver it in the good news/bad news formula we’re accustomed to. Jesus told them the bad news first, but then he told them the good news—that God had already planned to help them persevere when events in the future became painful and chaotic....
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Stop Speculating!
Here, in my judgment, is one of the subtlest temptations that faces any Christian in any era: If we are not careful, we can get diverted here from what Christ has called us to do in this present age. This happened in Thessalonica not twenty years after Jesus died, and Saint Paul met the issue head on. Some of the folk there got so caught up in expecting and predicting the imminent return of the Lord that they had ceased to do any work and degenerated into idle busybodies who prattled only about the future (2 Thessalonians 3:11). Paul rebuked this tendency to let an over-interest in "the last things" divert us from faithfulness to "the first things."
There is an old story about a warrior who was struck one day by a poisonous arrow. This man happened to be a speculative sort of person, so as he lay on the ground he mused to himself: "I wonder what kind of wood this arrow is made of? What sort of birds, do you suppose, the feathers come from? I wonder what type of man shot this arrow — tall or short, dark or light." His comrades, who saw his plight, could bear it no longer, but cried out in frustration: "For God's sake, man! Stop speculating and pull out the arrow!"
Need I say more?
Gary L. Carver and Tom M. Garrison, Sermons for Sundays in Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany: Building a Victorious Life, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.
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Consider the Joy!
Consider the story of one young man. He was often sick as a baby. He was always small, puny some would say. As a youth he was always frail and delicate. He was not able to play sports with the other boys his age. Eventually he entered the ministry. But his health was so fragile, he was unable to serve his growing congregation.
Amazingly, he did not dwell on his troubles. In fact, his spirit soared. His only real complaint was the poor quality of the hymns of his day. He felt they did not convey hope and joy. Someone challenged him to write better ones. He did. He wrote over 600 hymns, most of them hymns of praise.
When his health collapsed completely in 1748, he left one of the most remarkable collection of hymns the world has ever known. His name was Isaac Watts. In a few weeks we will be singing one of his most famous hymns, "Joy to the World!" Isaac Watts discovered joy in his life because he knew that God would never desert him. He was able to live his life with all sorts of health problems feeling close to God and Jesus. He had joy deep in his heart.
Timothy J. Smith
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When All Hope Seems Lost
Fiorello LaGuardia was mayor of New York City during the Depression, and he was quite a character. He would ride the city fire trucks, take entire orphanages to baseball games and whenever the city newspapers went on strike, he would get on the radio and read the Sunday "funnies" to the children.
At any rate, one bitter cold winter's night in 1935, Mayor LaGuardia turned up in a night court that served the poorest ward in the city, dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself. After he heard a few cases, a tattered old woman was brought before him, accused of stealing a loaf of bread.
She told LaGuardia that her daughter's husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick and her grandchildren were starving. But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, insisted on pressing charges. "My store is in a very bad neighborhood, your honor," he said. "She's got to be punished in order to teach other people a lesson."
The mayor sighed. He turned to the old woman and said, "I've got to punish you," he said. "The law makes no exception - ten dollars or ten days in jail."
But even as he spoke, LaGuardia was reaching into his pocket and pulling out a ten dollar bill. "Here is the woman's fine," he said, "and furthermore, I'm going to fine everyone in this court room fifty cents for living in a city where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant."
The following day, the New York Times reported that $47.50 was turned over to the bewildered old woman. It was given by the red-faced store owner, some seventy petty criminals, people with traffic violations and city policemen - and they all gave their mayor a standing ovation as they
handed over their money.
That's how it will be with God's world. Just when it seems that all hope is lost, and goodness and mercy shall never win, the Great Judge will come to set things right, deciding for the hungry and the meek of the earth.
Erskine White, Together in Christ, CSS Publishing Company
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With a Good Ship
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale once told of encountering a hurricane while on a cruise in the Atlantic. After the captain managed to sail around the danger, he and Dr. Peale were visiting with one another.
The captain said he had always lived by a simple philosophy namely that if the sea is smooth, it will get rough; and if it is rough, it will get smooth. He added something worth remembering: “But with a good ship,” the Captain said, “you can always ride it out.”
Our ship is our faith in Christ. With a good ship, you can always ride it out. Life is unpredictable. God is with us. Not a hair on our head will perish.
King Duncan, Stay Alive All Your Life, Cited by Steve Lambert
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The Best Conclusion
C. S. Lewis said that when the author appears on the stage, you know the play is over. This is how he understands the doctrine of the Second Coming of our Lord. It means that he who has begun a good work will bring it to the best conclusion of which he is capable. After all, no one has ever claimed that this planet earth was intended to exist forever. In what is called by scientists "the second law of thermodynamics," it is clearly predicted that the energy supply of this planet will eventually come to an end, which means that a conclusion of life as we know it here is inevitable. The concept of the Second Coming merely affirms that such a conclusion will be purposeful. The drama of history is not going to just fizzle out or end in a whimper! It is going to come to the kind of climax that he who conceived the drama wants for it.
Gary L. Carver and Tom M. Garrision, Sermons for Sundays in Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany: Building a Victorious Life, CSS Publishing Company
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Don't Panic
"Don’t panic!" Those are the words I frequently say when someone has come to see me and they are in the midst of a crisis. They may have lost their job, had a marital crisis, a problem with a child, or found themselves in serious financial trouble. They are anxious. It seems like the world is caving in on them. They feel lonely and afraid. They can’t see anyway out of their predicament.
It has been my experience over the years as a pastor that when folks are desperate they tend to run, quit or act in haste. I am not discounting their pain or minimizing the crisis, rather I am merely helping them to see that their perceptions have exaggerated the crisis. Or, they have a distorted perception of reality.
This was the case with the disciples. They were being persecuted by an oppressive government. They were powerless and under immense pressure. All seemed dark and hopeless, so much so that they wondered if the "end" was near. They were desperate, blinded by their anxiety and totally unable to see into the future.
They are no different than us. Whenever things are happening in the world of epic proportions, like hurricanes, wars, catastrophes or plagues there are those who believe that the world is coming to an end.
Keith Wagner, Are You Having an Anxiety Attack?
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Humor: False Prophets and Messiahs
Several years ago, Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks did a comedy skit called the "2013 Year Old Man". In the skit, Reiner interviews Brooks, who is the old gentleman. At one point, Reiner asks the old man, "Did you always believe in the Lord?"
Brooks replied: "No. We had a guy in our village named Phil, and for a time we worshiped him."
Reiner: You worshiped a guy named Phil? Why?
Brooks: Because he was big, and mean, and he could break you in two with his bare hands!
Reiner: Did you have prayers?
Brooks: Yes, would you like to hear one? O Phil, please don't be mean, and hurt us, or break us in two with your bare hands.
Reiner: So when did you start worshiping the Lord?
Brooks: Well, one day a big thunderstorm came up, and a lightning bolt hit Phil. We gathered around and saw that he was dead. Then we said to one another, "There's somthin' bigger than Phil!"
Tim Carpenter,www.Sermons.com
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Tie in to the Destruction of the Temple
In the Hobbit by JRR Tolkein, Bilbo Baggins has met Gollum for the first time. Bilbo is lost and needs to find his way out of Gollum's cave. Gollum will show him the way out if he can answer a riddle.
This thing all things devours,
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stone to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down.
Bilbo is stumped. He doesn't know the answer to the riddle and after being pressured by Gollum says, "Give me time." Gollum hears the word "time" and mistakenly takes it as Bilbo’s answer, which of course is right. Time devours all things, even massive Temples.
Brett Blair, www.Sermons.com
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ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS NOT IN OUR EMAIL
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Sermon Opener - Move Life from Duty to Destiny
Did you hear the latest Disney news?
I’m sorry, when it comes to Disney we’re all failed cynics. Is there anyone who doesn’t take their kids to Disneyland or Disney World? Everyone loves Disney.
Here’s the latest news from Disney: Disneyland and Disney World are shutting down and rebuilding one of the rides. Do you know which one it is? Can you guess which one?
You got it . . .the ride with the theme song that bores its way into your skull like an earworm and won’t get out . . . . it just nestles in your ear, squirms and squiggles until you sing (let’s hear it now, “It’s a Small World After All, It’s a Small World After All . . .” Stop it before we can’t stop it.
Disney is rebuilding “It’s a Small World” because Americans have gotten too big for “Small World.” Our butts have gotten too big for our “Small World.”
In many ways this is the problem of the disciples in this morning’s gospel reading. The disciples have gotten too big for their britches, and Jesus is taking them down a notch.
Like you I was riveted by the images of the devastating fires that raged across southern California last month. The blow-torching Santa Ana winds spread wildfires across the hills and into neighborhoods at breakneck speed. In order to contact home-owner’s as quickly as possible, emergency evacuation officials put into effect a “reverse 9-1-1” operation.
Did you know until then there was such a thing? I didn’t. Do we have a “Reverse 9-1-1" in place here, does anyone know?
Instead of a panicked caller dialing a central 911 dispatch unit to report an emergency, the 911 operators called thousands of residents to warn them that they were about to find themselves in the middle of a 911 emergency. The “Reverse 9-1-1" calls were used to evacuate whole neighborhoods as the fierce flames blew into towns and consumed thousands of homes. Thanks to these personal “heads up” 911 calls, many Californians were able to flee to safety before the fires found them. 1800+ homes were lost, but lives were saved.
1. Where’s My Reverse 9-1-1?
2. Time-travel with the Spirit.
3. Push or Pull?
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Fighting Back against Falling Back - 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
You’ve had a couple of weeksto adjust. How you doing . . . fighting back against falling back?
Spring forward; fall back.
These past couple of weeksyour bio-rhythms have been batty, fighting back after “falling back” or maybe even “falling flat.”
Retreating one hour in order to get back to “Standard Time” is supposed to make our mid-winter mornings less dark and dismal. Unfortunately, as anyone who lives above the 45th parallel knows, those brighter “a.m.’s” come attached to distinctly darker and longer “p.m.’s.” And even that extra morning light really only lasts for a couple of weeks, at best.
It isn’t easy to readjust the “circadian” rhythms of our bodies. Not even by just an hour. And if you are not afflicted with SAD, “seasonal affective disorder, where the lack of daylight hours brings on depression, lethargy, and genuine “SADness,” losing the light still brings all of us physical challenges and changes.
You cannot wake up “bright-eyed and bushy-tailed” to birdsong when all the song birds have flown south and the only feathered friend you see on your morning commute is the occasional owl.
It is hard to argue with the family dog when the open door for a gloomy, rain-soaked “morning” walk is rejected with horror and he beats a fast-track back to his snuggly-ball doggy bed.
Besides over-priced trips to sunny lands abroad and fried-sun states at home, scientists prescribe doses of specific wave lengths of light, available in special light bulbs, to help our bodies fight off the SAD-slump fall-back. More recently, nutritionists have recommended we up our intake of Omega-3 oils - those “good” fats found especially in oily fish and English walnuts. Salmon, the fish with the most unchangeable body rhythm of any scaly swimmer, is especially high in these Omega-3 fatty acids. Apparently it takes a crazy, obsessed-by-tides-and-rhythms fish to help our bodies combat the changing tides and rhythms that the turning world has unleashed upon us.
Cold, dark days make us want to hunker down and veg out. The feeling that all there is ahead of us is a cold, dark future can bring on a kind of human “root vegetable” behavior. The just finished political races bombarded us with bad news. Employment numbers are slightly improving but not encouraging. The future of the economy does not look rosy. Getting up every morning, keeping motivated, giving all we have to our family, our church, our community, is not easy under these dark conditions.
The concluding commands made to the Thessalonian community in this week’s epistle text addressed the threat of “idleness” to the life of the faithful....
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We Don't Need to Prepare Sunday School Lessons?
When you consider the history of the Christian church, the death of martyrs has sometimes been more powerful than their lives. Killing Christians only serves to convince people of Christianity's truth. Tertullian said it well: "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church."
It is interesting that Luke, who places such an emphasis on the Holy Spirit's work, quotes Jesus as saying "I will give you a mouth and wisdom," whereas the other Synoptic Gospels attribute this to the Spirit (Matthew 24:20; Mark 13:11). Of course, it is the Spirit of Jesus speaking, so it means the same thing.
Dear friends, unfortunately, Jesus isn't telling us that we don't need to prepare Sunday school lessons or sermons, that the Spirit will speak instead of us. This applies to testimony during persecution, not every day ministry. Yes, the Spirit can anoint our poor efforts in a wonderful way. But he can usually anoint and use our prepared presentations even better. Pastor, teacher -- unless you are planning to be martyred on Sunday morning -- prepare!
Ralph F. Wilson, Nation Shall Rise Against Nation
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What It Really Takes to Follow
From a Hagar the Horrible comic: Hagar is inciting on his troops. "This is the moment we've been waiting for men! The moment we do battle with the enemy! Is everyone here?”
They shout: "YES!"
Hagar continues: "Okay men -- repeat after me. 'I am a Viking Warrior!'"
"I AM A VIKING WARRIOR!" they shout.
"And I will fight to the death for what I believe!"
(silence in the next frame)
(silence again in a second frame)
In the third frame Hagar asks: "Okay, why aren't you repeating after me?!"
One meek Viking speaks for them all: "Hagar, the men would like to change that to 'and I will fight hard until it's time for dinner.'"
Similarly, could you image a poster of Jesus pointing his finger at you (like "Uncle Sam") with "I want you" printed in large letters. Then, in much smaller print:
You will be arrested and persecuted.
You will be handed over to religious and secular authorities.
You will witness to these authorities about Jesus.
You will be betrayed by family members.
Some of you will be put to death.
You will be hated by all because of me.
Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes
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Passive Dependency vs. Responsible Involvement
Again and again in history, when events get unusually complex or threatening, the tendency has been to turn to millennial speculation out of a sense of total powerlessness. People feel that things are in such a mess that only the intervention of God himself is capable of undoing what has been done. Then, too, the role of passive dependency is always easier than a stance of responsible involvement. Who has not, like a little child, wanted to gather up all the broken things and take them to Daddy to fix? The impulse to let someone else come in and solve all our difficulties is very strong; in fact, it is the classic infantile reaction to any problem, and who can deny that speculating abstractly about the future is less demanding than trying to serve lovingly and sacrificially in the present?
Gary L. Carver and Tom M. Garrison, Sermons for Sundays in Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany: Building a Victorious Life, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.
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The End Was So Near
One of my friends this week reported on a TV preacher recently talking for an hour about his new book that supposedly explained everything we needed to know about the coming of Jesus and the end of time. "You must have this book," he said over and over again, a telephone number (not even toll-free) constantly flashing at the bottom of the screen. Seems that he was the only one who had prophetic insight into world events, and for a mere $14.95 we could have the benefit of his wisdom. We would not survive the coming terrors unless we had this book. A pastor called the number and suggested to the poor operator that if this preacher really thought this was so vital to the survival of the planet, and that the end was so near, he would be giving the book away! I mean, he won't need the money, right? It's all coming to an end anyway. Who needs a bank account? True, it costs money to print, but he will not have to pay for it if it goes as he says. The woman on the other end of the line was not amused. "Sorry, sir," she said, "but I don't know much about theology," to which the pastor responded, "Neither does the writer of the book you're selling."
David E. Leininger, When Your Church Provokes You
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The Decay of Culture
Meditation: How would you respond if someone prophesied that your church would be destroyed? In 1972 a violent earthquake ripped through the center of Managua and destroyed the great cathedral church. This was only the beginning of the troubles for the tiny nation and Christian community of Nicaragua which suffered great turmoil and loss in the civil war that ensued for more than a decade. Out of the ashes of destruction and the ravages of communism has emerged a humbler and more purified church. God sends many "signs" today pointing not only to his coming judgment, but also to his saving action and mercy. Jesus foretold many signs of God's action and judgment. To the great consternation of the Jews, Jesus prophesied the destruction of their temple at Jerusalem. The Jewish people took great pride in their temple, a marvel of the ancient world. The foretelling of this destruction was a dire judgment in itself. They sought Jesus for a sign that would indicate when this would occur. Jesus admonished them to not seek signs but rather to seek God's kingdom. There will be plenty of signs pointing to God's ultimate judgment -- wars, famines, diseases, earthquakes, etc.
An American judge, named Robert H. Bork, recently wrote a book entitled, Slouching towards Gomorrah. His message sounds an alarm about the moral crisis and decay of our culture. We often don't recognize the moral crisis and spiritual conflict of our age, until something "shakes us up" to the reality of our present condition. The reward for the righteous and the penalty for the unrighteous are not always experienced in this life; but they are sure to come in the Day of Judgment. There will be persecution, suffering, and difficulties in this age until the Lord comes again. God intends our anticipation of his final judgment to be a powerful deterrent to wrongdoing. God extends grace and mercy to all who will heed his call and his warning. Do you take advantage of this season of grace and mercy to seek God's kingdom and to pursue his will?
"Lord, your grace and mercy abound even in the midst of turmoil and destruction. Increase my hunger for your kingdom and help me to be faithful to your word. May nothing, not even the fear of death or the loss of all that I have, deter me from seeking you and the coming of your kingdom with hope and joy."
Don Schwager
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Natural Disasters and the Second Coming
A few years ago a group of people in Seattle who were part of a cult group were sure the end of the earth would come at the end of 2001. Earthquakes. Floods, wars, and tornadoes will devastate the earth, they said, by the year 2001. In 1993 they made plans to build an airship so that they can escape. I don't think they are on target with their airship, but whatever of good or ill lies ahead, we need not worry about some human device to reassure us. In His own good time "the Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout" and "we which are alive shall he caught up to meet him in the air." We have nothing to fear, and the only preparation we need to make is to stay close to the Lord Jesus and keep our lives pure.
James Cox, The Minister's Manuel, 1993, p. 326.
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Quietly Harboring Fatalism
Say the word "apocalypse" to the average man or woman on the street, and you will conjure up in his or her imagination just such a picture of catastrophic happenings. But were you to probe deeper into people's thoughts regarding such matters, you might find a kind of fatalism that many folks quietly harbor. As writer Daniel Wojcik noted in his book The End of the World As We Know It, you can detect the fatalism people carry around in their hearts just by listening to certain popular catch phrases. People will refer to this or that event in their lives (be it something good or something bad) and they'll say things like, "It was fated that we meet this way. This was your destiny. It was meant to be. It was in the cards." Or, when someone dies, people may characterize this by saying, "I guess his number was up. It was just his time. It was his fate."
When facing the uncertainties of the future, many people will say that since there is nothing we can do about it anyway, the best we can do is grit our teeth, press forward, and hope for the best. And if the worst happens and some apocalypse comes, then that's just the way it has to be. It's all rather random anyway and so, in the meanwhile, we'll live life while we have it and let the chips fall where they may.
Of course, many people are perhaps not aware of the fatalism that colors their perceptions of the present and the future. It reminds me of the man who once declared, "I am not a fatalist! And even if I were, what could I do about it!?" Christians, of course, should not be fatalists, but for some Christians past and present, there has been an attempt to do an end-run on fatalism by claiming that they know already precisely what the future holds. And so they've turned passages like Luke 21 (and entire biblical books like Revelation) into a kind of giant secret code that, if we can just crack it, will spell out in neat and precise details the future's exact timelines.
Probably, though, that's the wrong approach. Although there is no denying the forward, future bent of passages like Luke 21, in the end Jesus is not interested in telling us precisely what the future holds but rather Who holds the future. And when you know Who holds the future, then you know Who holds your every moment in this present time as well. It is that confidence that allows us to rest easy when Jesus tells us that he will be with us and will even provide us with words to say if and when the world presses in on us and persecutes us for his sake.
Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations
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There Are Worse Things than a Nuclear War
Perhaps some of you remember General Alexander Haig, a military leader in the war in Vietnam and political leader in the Reagan administration. Now, General Haig was not exactly what you would call a great theologian. He once said something which on the surface sounded utterly stupid, and he was roundly criticized by the media for saying it. He said, "There are worse things than a nuclear war." That sounds like he stuck his foot in his mouth, but that is exactly what we Christians believe. What is far worse than a nuclear war? Not having faith and trust in God. Not to trust God and his promises means that we are headed for a destiny even worse than a nuclear holocaust. But to trust and believe the promises of God means that nothing in this world, not even the mushroom cloud of a nuclear bomb or the ecological disaster of global warming or the insidious attack of terminal cancer or the suffering and humiliation of an economic recession can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ. We can believe that because our Judgment Day has already happened.
Steven E. Albertin, Against the Grain, CSS Publishing
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Is the Mule for Sale?
Once upon a time there was a woman married to an annoying man. He would complain about everything. One day he went to the creek with his mule. He complained so much that the mule got annoyed and kicked him to death. At the funeral, when all the men walked by the wife she shook her head yes and every time the women walked by she shook her head no.
The minister asked "Why are you shaking your head yes for men and no for women?" Her response was, "The men would say how sorry they felt for me and I was saying, "Yes, I'll be alright." When the women walked by, they were asking if the mule was for sale…"
Staff,www.eSermons.com
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Still Time to Build a Better World
There is a story I heard about Isaiah 65, a story about a man named J.S. Woodsworth who was a former minister in our denominational tradition. He lived during the early part of last century. It was the turn of the century and there were labour difficulties in the City of Winnipeg. Some of you will have heard of the Winnipeg General Strike. It was a time in Canada where workers had no vacations, few holidays, worked 12 or more hours a day, 6 days a week, and for little pay. Needless to say, there was labour turmoil and rioting. The Winnipeg General Strike was the worst labour rioting in this century. Amid all this was a man named J.S. Woodsworth, working for the cause of underpaid workers.
He was working as the editor of a newspaper and amid all this labour struggle he wrote an article in which he said that work should offer enough pay to support a home, enough pay to put food on the table, and much more.
Once the paper came out and was read by the government leaders in Winnipeg he was arrested for his radical views. We often forget that it was just a few decades ago that people got arrested in Canada for just sharing their views in a newspaper. He was arrested! But while he was in jail, another issue of his paper came out ... "Editor arrested for Quoting the Prophet Isaiah" That is what his editorial in the paper was; it was a paraphrase of Isaiah's vision of the world.
J.S. Woodsworth was someone who believed in Isaiah's vision ... yet in sharing his view on how that vision should be fulfilled he was arrested and persecuted ... yet he continued throughout his life with endurance to fulfill the call to seek a just and peaceful world ... on his tomb it reads ... there is still time to build a better world ...
James Love
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The End Is Near
Humorist Lewis Grizzard wrote about a man in his hometown named Luther Gilroy. Luther claimed he was out plowing his field and saw a sign in the sky that said THE END IS NEAR. So Luther let his mule and his cow out of their pens, gave all his chickens away, and climbed on top of his house to await the end. When it didn't come, he pouted and refused to come down off the roof. Finally, his wife called the deputy sheriff, who came over and said, "Luther, you idiot, I saw that same sign. It didn't say, `The end is near.' It said, `Go drink a beer.' Now come down off that roof before you fall off and break your neck."
Lewis Grizzard, Chili Dawgs Always Bark at Night (New York: Villard Books, 1989), p. 52.
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Apocalyptic Literature
This is a style of writing popular among the Hebrews from the days of the exile and into the first century. There was the belief that the world of this "age" was evil and unredeemable. As the next "age" of righteousness breaks in with God's intervention, the powers of evil will rage until they are finally defeated and the righteous of God are vindicated. There were, of course, many variations on the basic theme. This "apocalyptic" style sought to bring eternal realities into earthly images that could be comprehended in this eschatological drama of the "last things." While prophetic in tone, it was written to encourage the faithful in its day. In the case of today's gospel, virtually all Jesus had predicted has already been fulfilled. Yet, its value then and now is significant because:
1. It believed firmly in God's power and intent to defeat the forces of evil. Folks in our generation have little sense of direction or of destiny. If salvation is believed at all, it is considered "universal."
2. Apocalyptic writings looked seriously upon the powers of evil, seeing a fearful and significant cosmic struggle. The ancient baptismal question is basic: "Do you renounce all the forces of evil, the devil and all of his empty promises?"8 We are called upon every day to decide, and we need to deal seriously with the "forces of evil."
3. Apocalyptic literature called upon its readers to decide, to stand firm and to join the battle for justice and righteousness. Precisely put, "Whose side are you on?"
All of which is the point to Jesus' answer to the very natural questions of his disciples: "How?" "When?" and "What will be the warning signs?"
Theodore F. Schneider, Until the King Comes, CSS Publishing Company
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Every Day to Read the Scriptures and Pray
Martin Luther, the great reformer of the church back in the 16th century, made the comment one morning when he got out of bed that his work load that day was so heavy, that he knew he would never get it all done unless he spent three hours in prayer first. Many of us find it difficult to set aside 15 minutes a day for prayer, let alone three hours, but then, not many of us are having the impact on the world that Martin Luther did either. It was in his prayer that all his energies were collected, and his action became focused and effective.
What was true of Luther has been true of all those who have been effective and faithful servants of Christ. Who can imagine the incredible success of the early Methodist movement without the disciplined prayer life of John Wesley and the early Methodist class meetings where people gathered to pray, to worship, to encourage and exhort one another in love? Wesley once wrote to a young preacher who was suffering from burn-out, "O begin! Fix some time every day to read the scriptures and to pray. It is for your life. Without this all else would be trifling and idleness." The list could go on and on. All who have been faithful witnesses and seemingly tireless in doing what is right have been sustained and inspired by their hope in God's new creation, and for all of them, that vision has been kept alive by a regular and disciplined habit of prayer.
Larry R. Kalajainen, Extraordinary Faith for Ordinary Time, CSS Publishing Company, Inc.
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The Impossible Takes a Little Longer
At the age of 20, Art Berg was a very happy man. Everything was going right. He was a gifted athlete and had started his own tennis court construction company. And he was engaged to a beautiful woman. Leaving California one Christmas eve, he was headed to Utah with a friend. He was going to meet his fiancée and complete their wedding plans.
During the long drive, he fell asleep while at the wheel. His car hit an abutment and rolled down a hill. He was ejected from the car and found himself laying on the desert with a broken neck. He was paralyzed from the chest down. He completely lost the use of his legs and arms. The doctors told him he would never work again. They concluded that he could never play sports again and would be dependent on others the rest of his life. One even suggested he forget getting married.
Art Berg was really afraid. It was the darkest moment in his life. The "end times" were upon him. In the midst of his peril his mother came and whispered a few words in his ear. "Art, while the difficult takes time, the impossible takes a little longer." In other words, "don’t panic!" Suddenly, Art’s darkness was filled with a light of hope. That was years ago. Today Art Berg is president of his own company, a professional speaker and author. He has gained back some of the use of his arms and legs and can now drive. He travels across the country sharing his message, "that the impossible just takes a little longer." Art married his fiancée and they have two children. He has even returned to the world of sports, swimming and scuba diving. In l993 Art was the first quadriplegic to race 32 miles in a marathon, all because he didn’t panic.
Don’t panic, is the message of the day.
Keith Wagner, Are You Having an Anxiety Attack?
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A Use for Conflict
Perhaps similar to Jesus' speech, pastors need to tell congregations, "We are going to emphasize mission and witnessing to the unbelievers, and it will cause conflicts. Members will be fighting members. Families will be fighting families. Some of your friends will leave the congregation. We will wonder if all the turmoil will destroy this church as earthquakes destroy buildings. However, if we continue on the mission path, unafraid of the conflicts, and hold on to our conviction to share Jesus' story with the world, we will gain new life -- both for the congregation, and for the people who come to believe the gospel we have shared with them."
The Christian faith does not remove us from conflict, but, we might say, it gives us a purpose and a use for the conflict -- times and places and opportunities to witness to the grace of God revealed in Jesus.
Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes
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God Renews Our Strength
In times of need, Jesus promises his disciples, you will receive strength from beyond. Rabbi Harold Kushner reflects on this strength. "I have seen weak people become strong," he writes, "timid people become brave, selfish people become generous. I have seen people care for their elderly parents, for brain damaged children, for wives in wheelchairs, for years, even decades, and I have asked myself, where do people get the strength to keep doing that for so long? Where do they get the resources of love and loyalty to keep going? The only answer I come up with is when we are weary and out of strength, we turn to God and God renews our strength, so we can run and not grow weary, so that we can walk and not feel faint."
Rabbi Harold Kuschner, quoted by King Duncan,www.Sermons.com
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A Clear Direction
It seems to me that in order to be led off the path, one needs to have a path -- a clear direction. What is it that keeps us from being deceived by logical, but misguided interpreters of current events? We need to be clear about the path we are on and where it is going. Or, to counter the specific deceptions Jesus is talking about in this passage of scripture: to really know the true messiah and what he says about the time. Within a different context, the same can be said about congregations (or individuals) who have a clear mission for their lives. They are better able to fend off temptations to vary from that path.
Brian Stoffregen, Exegetical Notes
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Endurance
Jesus was warning the early disciples (and us) to watch out for a time when false messengers would run around, urgently insisting that the end of the world was at hand. Jesus was saying that we should not be afraid. History goes on. Wars and natural disasters are simply part of how the world works. Times may get rough, but you can rest assured that you are in God's hands. Don't give up.
One time there was a little country schoolhouse that was heated by an old-fashioned, potbellied coal stove. A little boy had the job of coming to school early each day and starting the fire to warm up the building. One morning the teacher arrived only to find the building engulfed in flames. The little boy was still inside so the teacher and some students dragged him outside. He had major burns on the lower half of his body. He was taken to a nearby hospital where the doctor told his mother that he probably wouldn’t live. "It’s for the best," he said, "Because he is so badly burned."
The brave little boy didn’t want to die. He made up his mind he would survive. Others said he was doomed to be a cripple all his life and never walk. The little boy managed to gain strength, although from the waist down he had no motor ability. It seemed hopeless. Ultimately the boy was released from the hospital. Every day his mother would massage his legs, but there was no feeling.
One day his mother wheeled him out into the yard. It was a sunny day. Instead of sitting there, the boy threw himself from the chair. He pulled himself across the grass and managed to work his way to the picket fence. With much effort he raised himself up and stake by stake, dragged himself along the fence. He resolved that he would walk. Every day he dragged himself to the fence and worked his way along the fence.
Through the daily massages, his iron persistence and his resolute determination, he developed the ability to stand up. Eventually he had enough strength to walk. He began to walk to school, then later he started running to school. He entered college and made the track team. Still later
in Madison Square Garden the boy, now a young man, who was never expected to walk, ran the world’s fastest mile. Through endurance, Dr. Glenn Cunningham had overcome what others thought was a permanent disability.
Mickey Anders, What To Do When The Walls Fall Down
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Yes We Can!
While in college I never intended to enter the military. The war in Vietnam and the military draft changed all that. Being separated from family and putting my career on hold for 4 years was a real set back. Because of all the noise of jet aircraft I have since lost about 75% of my hearing. But, I managed to survive and looking back I am convinced that my faith got me through it. There was, however a silver lining.
Jesus told his listeners that "by their endurance they would gain their souls." In other words, their suffering, sacrifice and commitment would bring them personal reward. Five years after I was discharged from the Navy, I made the decision to enter the ministry. I had no idea how I could afford a seminary education. Thankfully, I was able to take advantage of the GI Bill and therefore have enough money to finance my three years in seminary.
Commitment does not go un-rewarded. God is always aware when we are faithful and when we are not. God sees our kindness to others, the sacrifices we make and our Christ-like attitudes. God knows there will be difficult times and difficult people. Our greatest challenge is to be faithful and God will take care of our souls. Instead of saying, "No we can't," let us say, "Yes we can!"
Keith Wagner, Yes, You Can!
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The Ecclesiastical Equivalent of Homeland Security
I think it was Mark Twain who once observed that the Bible is far too brutal a book to read to children. And in truth, despite the longstanding practice of having devotions at the dinner table and reading the Bible to our children, a good deal of what is actually said by even Jesus can be chilling. Luke 21 is a passage we’d all rather not hear. We want Jesus to say something else. We want a different set of predictions and an alternative set of promises. We want Jesus to say, “Don’t worry about trials and persecutions for I shall deliver you from them before they happen.” We want Jesus to say, “The world will be so impressed by the church’s rhetoric, accomplishments, and proclamations that they won’t dare lay a hand on you to begin with.”
We want the ecclesiastical equivalent of “Homeland Security” that will seal up our borders from evildoers and proffer us protection into the future. Instead of that Jesus assures us that when it comes to the world’s hatred of us on account of his very name, there’s nothing for it. It will happen. But he will remain with us and in us when it does.
Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations
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Reading the Signs
In his award winning book, The Education of Little Tree, writer Forest Carter writes of life with his Cherokee grandparents. He tells of sitting with his grandfather watching the morning sun rise over a mountain one winter morning.
"... we watched the mountain while we ate. The sun hit the top like an explosion, sending showers of glitter and sparkle into the air. The sparkling of the icy trees hurt the eyes to look, and it moved down the mountain like a wave as the sun backed the night shadow down and down. A crow scout sent three hard calls through the air, warning we were there.
And now the mountain popped and gave breathing sighs that sent little puffs of steam into the air. She pinged and murmured as the sun released the trees from their death armor of ice.
Grandpa watched, same as me, and listened as the sounds grew with the morning wind that set up a low whistle in the trees. 'She's coming alive,' he said soft and low, without taking his eyes from the mountain.
'Yes sir,' I said, 'she's coming alive.' And I knew right then that me and Grandpa had us an understanding that most folks didn't know."
Little Tree learned from his Grandpa how to read the signs of nature. Reading signs, not the printed ones we see on our streets and highways, but the signs of nature and life and living is an art that takes time, practice and patience. The reward is what Little Tree called, "...an understanding that most folks don't know."
In our gospel reading this morning, Jesus talks about "signs of the times" and particularly the signs of his coming. In effect, he says to us, "Pay attention to signs of the times and be prepared for my coming."
John P. Jewell adapting Forest Carter from The Education of Little Tree, Lectionary Sermons,www.Sermons.com
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Three Sure Things
A man named John Wilson writes about his father‑in‑law. He says his father-in-law was a lifelong Bible teacher. However, his father-in-law found his faith troubled in his final years. A degenerative nerve disease confined him to bed, impeding him from most of the activities that gave him pleasure.
Meanwhile, his thirty-nine‑year‑old daughter was battling a severe form of diabetes. Financial pressures mounted. During the most severe crisis, his father-in-law composed a Christmas letter and mailed it to others in the family. Many things that he had once taught, he now felt uneasy about. What could he believe with certainty? He came up with these three things. These were the three things he believed regardless of what life may send his way: “Life is difficult. God is merciful. Heaven is sure.” These things he could count on. “Life is difficult. God is merciful. Heaven is sure.” When his daughter died of diabetic complications the very next week after mailing his letter, he clung to those truths ever more fiercely.
What he was saying was that though life sometimes gets tough, ultimately, not a hair on our head will perish. We are in God’s hands. He will not let us fall.
Richard Fairchild quoted by King Duncan,www.sermons.com
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We Cut the Coal
Sometimes people do not think that their work is very important or significant. They go through each day believing that what they do is of little value or importance. They need to see the larger picture and how their job fits into the bigger picture. They need to discover, as Martin Luther said, the ministry of vocation.
During World War II, Winston Churchill as Prime Minister was traveling around his country. He was trying to motivate and inspire his fellow citizens. He was willing to go almost anywhere to encourage people in the war effort. He would, of course, always visit the troops. But he also visited those who worked on the farms and in the factories. He knew that the odds against them were great and that he must continue to help keep the morale high.
There was one group he had not yet seen. It was the coal miners. Someone asked him if he would be willing to see these men, who spend most of their time below the ground in such dangerous conditions. One man told Churchill that the miners did not feel that they were doing very much in the effort against the Nazis. He said that no one ever gave them any credit for the work that they did. Would he visit them, he asked. The Prime Minister told the man that he would be pleased to visit these men.
When Churchill visited the coal miners they were absolutely amazed that he was there. They could not believe that he would come to see them. All they could do was to stare with their dirty faces at the man who would lead Britain to victory. His words will never be forgotten by those who heard him on that day. "We will be victorious!" he said. "We will preserve our freedom. And years from now when our freedom is secure and peace reigns, your children and your children's children will come and they will say to you, 'What did you do to win our freedom in that great war?' And one will say, 'I marched with the Eighth Army!' Someone else will proudly say, 'I manned a submarine.' And another will say, 'I guided the ships that moved the troops and the supplies.' And still another will say, 'I doctored the wounds!' " The men sat with rapt attention wondering what he might say about them. "They will come to you," he shouted, "and you will say with equal right and equal pride, 'I cut the coal! I cut the coal that fueled the ships that moved the supplies! That's what I did. I cut the coal!'
Source: Robert Schuller, Be an Extraordinary Person in an Ordinary World (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell), p. 89."
John R. Steward, Lectionary Tales for the Pulpit