St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
Aylmer, Ontario
The Service of Holy Communion
November 14, 2021
The Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost
St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
448 Talbot Street West
Aylmer, Ontario N5H 1L1
Daniel 12:1-3
“At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. 2Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
Hebrews 10:11-14 [15-18] 19-25
11And every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, “he sat down at the right hand of God,” 13and since then has been waiting “until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.” 14For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.[ 15And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, 16“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,” 17he also adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” 18Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.]
19Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Mark 13:1-8
As he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” 2Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
3When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4“Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. 6Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. 8For 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.
“Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
· The Scriptural passages of the Sundays just before the close of the Church year can be disturbing. Just so you know, next Sunday is the Sunday of Christ the King, the last Sunday of the church year. The Sunday after next is the first Sunday in Advent, which reminds us that the festival of the Nativity of Jesus/Christmas is thundering down the track at us just that soon.
· Today we see Jesus’ disciples all amazed at the beauty of the Temple and the Temple district. Jesus changes their focus by saying that all this would be rubble. To this day, all that remains of the Temple is what is called the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. The Romans tore it down at the close of a war in Judah and the Temple has never been rebuilt.
· Is Jesus being a sort of party-pooper? Is he saying harsh things just to hurt the disciples’ feelings? No, he is telling the truth as he knows it.
· It’s as if he said “So you think this is all great? It will be a mess before too long.” Later he says to Peter, James, John, and Andrew “So you want to know the signs, the keywords, and the secret codes of the end of things? Better that you watch out for being led astray. Knowing those things might just do that. Better to keep the faith!”
· The Twelve had the same fears we often have: What’s going to happen? How will we know it’s happening? And first and foremost, how can we be ready?
· We all know of or have heard of people who have stockpiled canned goods, special foods, and even weapons and ammunition as a preparation for an uncertain future. We all know of cultic groups who have predicted the exact time of Jesus’ return, only to be disappointed and either fade away or change their focus to another time or another saviour. (Remember, last week in the US, John F. Kennedy Jr. and even JFK Sr. were supposed to appear in Dallas, TX and among other things, declare Donald Trump to be the “true” president of the US. When the Kennedys didn’t show at the time they were “billed” to appear, some said they’d show up at the Rolling Stones concert in Dallas later that evening.)
· With this in mind, what do we do? First of all, we need to remember that all through the Bible and the history of God’s people, God is always about the business of making new futures possible. Even Jesus’ warning of the destruction of the Temple looks forward to a new future. The Book of Revelation, which seems like a fever dream for most of its length, points to a new future. Really this is what grace and forgiveness are all about,
· Second, our preparation is not stockpiling Spam© or weaponry, but to keep our eyes on Jesus Christ. There are many ways we might be led off in other directions away from Jesus, but it is he who promises a new future. It may be a troublesome future at times but the ultimate goal is salvation by grace and a celebration of the goodness of God.
· It’s a good thing to remember where we are really going and where history, as convoluted and strange as it might be, is leading us.
“Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
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