The End Is Still To Come!

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SCRIPTURE

Mark 13:1-8 (NRSV)
The end and the coming of the Son

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 birth pains.

 
SERMON

To be honest with you, today’s Gospel passage is a great challenge for me. One could read it literally, or figuratively, or both. For most of us in Christian churches this pericope must also be read within the context of Stewardship Month and the invitation to pray about how much of our time, talent, and treasure we will invest in the ministry of the church in 2010.

If one reads this narrative literally, Jesus is probably prophesying about the destruction of the Jewish temple which occurred in AD 70 when Vespasian and Titus ended the Jewish War by destroying much of Jerusalem and completely tearing down the Jewish Temple all except for the Wailing Wall which remains to this day.

This would have been a horrific prophesy for Jesus’ Jewish listeners as they believed that the very presence of God was in residence in their temple! If there was no temple, where would God reside? If there was no presence of God on the Earth, what would they do? Jesus reminds them that although these things will happen, they should not be alarmed; the end is not yet nigh!

Now, that is one way of reading this scripture. But, another way is to look at it figuratively within the context of Stewardship Month. I notice that the disciples were very impressed with the “large stones and large buildings” of the temple complex. They seem to have bought the myth that bigger is always better!

In 2009, human beings have not escaped from this mentality. We want bigger houses and more expensive cars. We want more lucrative jobs and longer vacations in exotic locales. We want a bigger trophy and increasing fame. We want a fancier church edifice and more and more members to sit in it.

My goodness! All we have to do is turn on our televisions, boot up our computers, or open our newspapers to see that everyone wants a bigger and better--everything.

From balloon boy and his parents’ hoax, to NASA’s recent crash landing on the moon in search of water, to the recent implosion of the housing and financial markets here in the U.S., none of us is immune to the desire to get more, have more, and acquire more--by any means necessary.

Jesus offers a cautionary statement to his disciples regarding their amazement at the “large buildings and large stones.” He says, “"Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down."

Wow! What a word of wisdom! Jesus reminds us that even the most impressive buildings, jobs, vacations, boats, cabins, and bank accounts are but transient. All of it can be here today and gone tomorrow; and none of it will take flight with us when our souls return to our Maker.

So, what does all of this mean? Are we just working and striving for nothing? Will anything that we do really matter in the big scheme of things?

My friends, I believe that what we do does matter. But, we need to be wise enough to invest our valuable resources of time, talent, and treasure wisely and in things that will not be destroyed and will remain eternally.

Let’s keep it real, my friends. If someone told us that we could invest our resources in something that was guaranteed to produce 100% or more on our investment, we would jump at the opportunity, right? Or if that same person promised that our money would allow great good to be done on the Earth for our lifetime, as well as that of our children, and their children, and their children, we would joyfully invest, correct?

Of course we would! Well, today I am reminding all of us that when we invest in the Work and the Ministry of God, we are guaranteed to see returns 30, 60, or 100x what we have invested!
As we give of our time, talent, and treasure, we are providing the means to do God’s work with our hands! We are setting in motion the things necessary to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, house the homeless, visit the sick and imprisoned, and care for the widows and orphans.

When we invest our time, talent, and treasure in God’s Church we provide opportunities for people to be baptized and to experience Holy Communion, for families to be counseled when a loved one dies, and for young—or not so young—couples to be joined together in Holy Matrimony!

It is at times like these—and the ones facing your congregation in particular—that we begin to think about why our local church and denominational affiliations are so precious. I don’t know about you, but when I think about all of the precious memories that I have of Church—baptism, Sunday school, Easter pageants, confirmation, first communion, marriage, and then the baptism of my own children, my heart swells with such great joy!

Then when I think about all of the sweet people who have been a part of my communities of faith throughout my life time and who have invested in me as they encouraged, rebuked, and cared for me and my family—I simply get all choked up.

Recently I was thinking of the MasterCard commercials that you see on TV. I thought about how this concept could be applied to what we do in the church each and every week.

Visits to the sick and shut in--12. Kids laughing in Sunday school--32. People leading praise and worship music--7. Babies baptized--2. New families joining the church--4. Sharing the good news about Jesus Christ in our community—priceless!

Now, let me say this to all of us. Jesus cautions us that sometimes bad things happen to good people. He reminds us that everything we do together will not always be rosy. He instructs us that sometimes relationships fray, disagreements cannot be reconciled, loved ones go to war with one another, and hardships of every kind befall us; but, do not be dismayed. God is with us!

Jesus tells us that these types of natural--and man-made--disasters are nothing more than birth pains and assures us that they are not the end of the world!

Some of us are intimately acquainted with how birth pains work either from experiencing them ourselves or watching a loved one endure the birthing process. Birth is hard work. It hurts and it’s not fun. Things definitely get worse before they get better. Toward the end you want to quit and walk away. But, when all is said and done and a woman has endured the hardship—she receives the greatest reward!

Any woman in her right mind will tell you that birth pains are worth it in order to bring a beloved son or daughter into the world! When the doctor or midwife hands you your squalling baby, she or he is the most beautiful and beloved human being that ever did exist!

This is true of birthing a baby and it is true of enduring the hardships we face as human beings living in a fallen world.

But, let me tell you a secret. As Christians, we are called to be midwives in this world! We are invited to be present as attendants when people are experiencing the birth pains which are a natural part of life. When a family looses a child to illness or violence, we are to be present to bring a word of comfort and peace. When a neighbor looses a job or experiences a home foreclosure, we make ourselves available to offer a listening ear and a hot dish. When a loved one goes off to war, we ought to be prepared to help tie a yellow ribbon on the front of the house and to offer prayers daily for the one who is serving courageously and valiantly. And when a family, friendship, or community is torn asunder by disagreement and hardship, we are the ones who offer love, compassion, care, and prayer as we wait on the manifestation of God’s perfect plan in God’s perfect time.

Whilst all of these circumstances are horrible and may seem like the end of the world, they are not! For God is always good and God is always in control and God always has a good plan for our lives, not to harm us, but to give us a future and a hope.

Since God did not withhold his own Son, Jesus, from us, but allowed him to die on an old rugged cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life, we can be sure that God will provide every other thing that we truly need.

As we put all of our faith in Jesus, trusting in His ability to save us from any circumstance that may befall us, we will be compelled to joyfully and liberally invest our time, talent, and treasure in the things that are not perishable and that will bear witness to our family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers that trouble don’t last always!

As Christians we get to be God’s love, joy, and peace within our spheres of influence! We must be so filled with faith that we will know—and believe—that we have no-thing to fear in this world!

Soon and very soon, a day will come when the birthing process will be over and a new heaven and a new earth will emerge. In the New Jerusalem there will be no more heartache, no more pain, no more trouble, and no more tears, for those things will pass away. On that great day every knee will bow and tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!

That great day is a-coming, my friends, but the end is still to come. Let us work while it is day, as
together we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus, Come!”

In the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.



INVITATION

After reading today, you may be ready to put all of your hope in Jesus! If so, will you please pray with me?

Holy God, thank you that you love me so much that you gave Jesus to die on the cross to save me from my sin and gift me with eternal life. Although it sometimes feels like my troubles are the end of the world, I am comforted by the fact that you have said the end is yet to come! I believe that Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ shall come again! This is wonderful good news and I promise to share it with others. Please forgive me of my sin and fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I will be empowered and equipped to be a witness for you! I pray this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.



SPECIAL NOTE

If you just prayed that prayer for the first time, today, you are saved! Let me encourage you to tell a Christian friend that you just put all of your hope in Jesus. Ask him or her to help you find a Bible that is easy for you to understand and to find a good Bible believing church where you can be baptized and make new friends who will walk with you on your Christian journey!

I would be honored if you would let me know about your decision today by clicking "YES" in the poll located in the upper-right hand corner of the good news blog in answer to the question, "Did God save you today?"

Congratulations and Happy Re-birthday! Your salvation is our GOOD NEWS, please go and share the GOOD NEWS with others!