Sermon: Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost, Luke 21:5-19, November 13, 2022

Sermon: Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost, Luke 21:5-19, November 13, 2022 + Faith Lutheran Church, Pastor Jonathan Linman

So, what do you think? Are we nearing the end of the world? All the bad news stories we hear day in and day out might have us think so. Threats to democracy in many countries of the world, including our own. Wars. Natural disasters in greater numbers and with more damaging effects. Droughts. Wildfires. Mass shootings. The unraveling of the world order we have known for several decades. And on the list goes, prodding some to conclude that the end is near.

This season in our liturgical calendar, when we near the end of the church’s year also invites us to consider end times. Indeed, the lectionary passages appointed for these remaining Sundays after Pentecost are all about endings of one sort or another, but maybe especially focusing on the more ultimate end times, namely, the day of the Lord, the day of judgment.

There have always been end times. We know from history that civilizations come and go. Individual lives come to an end. We talk of the ends of eras, and on and on.

But there may be unique features of our own age which could result in a more ultimate and final worldwide destruction. First off, there’s the very real threat of nuclear annihilation, the cloud of which we’ve been living under since the mid-20th Century. This threat has not gone away even though we don’t hear too much about it in popular news outlets these days. Then there’s the specter of climate change which threatens to make parts of the planet uninhabitable, and which may lead to the further extinction of many more life forms, maybe even the human race….

So, given the heavy weight of the threats of end times of all sorts, let’s delve into what Luke reports that Jesus has to say about all of this. Today’s passage from Luke is example of apocalyptic literature found in the gospels, where Jesus expounds on end of time themes. With foreboding language, Jesus warns his followers about being led astray by false prophets and speaks of wars and insurrections and great earthquakes and famine and plagues. Sound familiar? It should, because much of human history is marked by these things.

In fact, when Luke recorded these sayings that he remembered Jesus saying, a lot of what Jesus was describing had already taken place. Many scholars suggest that the Gospel of Luke was written between 80 and 90 AD. In 70 AD, the Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem.

So, when Luke recalls Jesus’ words about not one stone of the temple being left upon the other, that actually took place by the time Luke’s Gospel appeared in its final form. It’s also true that in the various persecutions of Christians in the early days of the church, when Luke was written, many of Jesus’ followers were in fact arrested and brought before religious and civil authorities.

If all of this sounds like a lot of bad news, it is! And there’s a lot of apocalyptic kinds of bad news going on in our time of “global polycrisis,” namely, when “crises in multiple global systems become causally entangled in ways that significantly degrade humanity’s prospects.” (from a paper published by Cascade Institute)

Case in point: consider the inter-relatedness of the war in Ukraine and resulting higher gas prices that have effects on increasing the overall inflation rate, which makes homeownership even harder for the average person given higher interest rates, and more. Then there’s the war’s effects on food insecurity in Africa because not enough wheat is being shipped from Ukraine, a major producer of wheat, and on and on. This is the stuff of polycrisis, which seems to be the way of the world these days, folks.

All of this can be overwhelming, even terrifying, sometimes keeping us awake at night, or at least preventing us from consistently having peace of mind.

Yet in response to long lists of calamities, what does Jesus say according to Luke? “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified…” Don’t be terrified? What? How can that be? How can all of what’s going on in our world not terrify us?

Jesus goes on to list more of the terrible things that are going to happen, nations rising against nation and countries against countries and the dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

Then he adds this, specifically addressing his followers: “But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; … and you will be brought before rulers and governors because of my name.” Oh, come on, Jesus. Enough already.

But he adds: “This will give you an opportunity to testify.” And the Greek word that’s translated in English here is martyr. All of the trials and tribulations that that the disciples would endure because of Jesus’ name gave them the opportunity to be martyrs. And many of them were in fact killed because of their devotion to Jesus.

Who wants to sign up for that? And where’s there any good news? Of course, there is good news, because with Jesus, there always is.

At this point in Luke’s gospel, Jesus has already entered the holy city of Jerusalem for his own last days of earthly, public ministry. We’re in chapter 21 of Luke and the Passion accounts of his own arrest, trial, crucifixion and death begin in chapter 22. And we know that there’s enormously good news for us in Jesus’ death that led to his resurrection and his victory over sin and death thereby. For Christ, we confess, is the source of the whole world’s ultimate salvation. Everything else pales in comparison.

With Jesus’ death and resurrection, we see a fulfillment of the promise found in the prophet Malachi, today’s first reading: “But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.” In the case of Jesus, it’s the son

(s-o-n) of righteousness rising with healing in his wings, his wings which shelter us and save us and all who believe from all the hellish things going on around us.

And there’s still more good news in this particular passage. Listen again to Jesus as recorded by Luke as he addressed his disciples: “So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.” Jesus will give them words, his words. Literally, from the Greek, Jesus will give them a mouth, his own mouth with his own words to withstand the onslaught of opponents.

And insofar as we are also Jesus’ followers, his disciples, Jesus gives us a word and a wisdom, too – his own word, his own wisdom, in the gift of his very self, his real presence to us even now in these latter days. Thanks be to God.

Even now, right now, we are hearing Jesus’ own words and his own wisdom through the scriptural word. In a few minutes, we’ll eat that word who is Christ in a simple meal of bread and wine to receive the gift of his very self, the embodied wisdom of God. Jesus’ promise to his followers of a word and wisdom to fortify us is fulfilled for us each and every Sunday right here.

In the end, Jesus promises this to his followers: “You will be hated by all because of my name. But – but… – not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.” Great news. Endurance. But that sounds like a lot of hard work, doesn’t it? Except when we take a closer look at this word in the original language, the Greek also gives the sense of staying, abiding, dwelling, all more receptive, if not to say, restful stances – though it can be hard work to sit still!

When we dwell with Jesus – or better, when he abides with us – we become so grounded and rooted in Christ, his words, his wisdom, that we can discover peace amidst the storms of life raging all around us, and thus our terror, our fear, begins to subside.

After all, it was Jesus’ deep abiding with God, whom he called abba, father, daddy, that allowed him to be peacefully fast asleep in the boat on the sea when the storm raged and terrified the disciples. Jesus woke up and calmed the waters.

And that’s what Christ does for us, too, when he dwells with us week after week, here in this place. He calms the stormy seas of our lives. Thus, we may discover here faith, not fear. Trust that all shall be well even amidst all the sturm und drang.

Moreover, our groundedness in Christ is also the wellspring from which Christ gives us a word and a wisdom to testify on account of his name when we may face forms of persecution because of our faith. In Christ we can make up our minds not to prepare our defense in advance, for we trust that Christ will give us the right words and wisdom to confront our accusers.

Thus, we’ll end up testifying, witnessing, being martyrs in our own ways. That’s what we’re called to do when so much around us is going crazy beyond our abilities to control any of it: we get to point to Jesus who bids us not be terrified because when we abide with him we discover that our souls are saved.

Thus, Paul exhorts his readers, as expressed in today’s reading from 2 Thessalonians, to not be idle, mere busybodies. In other words, we’re not called to be spiritual freeloaders. We are called to witness, to give testimony concerning Jesus and the reign of God he both proclaims and embodies – in his own words which Christ gives us each Sunday, words we eat, literally putting his sacred presence into our mouths at the Eucharist.

Here are some of the ways I see you at Faith-La Fe testifying to Christ’s name, being martyrs, witnesses pointing to Christ:

The care you show for each other by visiting and remaining in contact during times of personal crisis

Praying for those on our prayer list, especially when that leads to reaching out to those for whom we pray

Showing up at marches and other public events advocating for God’s justice on account of the Son of Man

The patience and love you demonstrate even with those with whom you disagree at family gatherings at the Thanksgiving table

The many occasions of mutual conversation and consolation when we speak a gospel word to each other – and more….

Thus it is that we claim opportunities in our daily lives to testify to Christ using his own words in quiet, practical ways, not being idle or mere busybodies. And ever bearing witness to Christ, with faith ever renewed by the Holy Spirit, we spiral into God’s promised future, whether that future is sooner or later, a few years away or still centuries to come.

And thus it is that in Christ, grounded in him, abiding and enduring with him, we lose our terror and are given voice, his voice for the healing of the nations in these latter days. Thanks be to God. Amen.