Sermon from 10am Sunday Worship, 11/17/2024, by Felicity Thompson, Seminarian
Centering Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, may your will be done, through me.
As Jesus and His disciples walked through Jerusalem, they were amazed at the grandeur of the Temple, a massive structure the disciples believed would stand forever. But Jesus surprised them with a prophecy. It was startling: “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
What is this passage talking about? It is telling us that God shows up for us. What does this mean? It is important to read this in the historical text. It is also important to read it in the contemporary form.
This comes from an Apocalyptic text. It is not to frighten people with unpredictable things. And it is fitting for what is going on in the world today. We gather to hear this today to remind us that God is with us.
Some of us worry, this time of the year, about impending snowstorms. The snow falls and melts away. In California we see stories of fires on the news, burning communities. Wars in the Middle East, Ukraine, South Sudan. We have had hurricanes this year leaving devastation in parts of Florida, North Carolina and other parts of the south. And sadly, gun violence that leaves all of us traumatized. The gospel reading we just heard sounds like the world that we live in. But what’s the message? What’s the good news?
There is a prophetic voice of what is about to happen. Jesus is warning about deception, liars, about people who are going to take advantage of the chaos and make it worse. Because when chaos strikes, people are going to start grasping for things instead of looking for Jesus. It is a warning that deception is one of the pitfalls that people of faith might fall into when things go south. We need to stay focused, collectively, and not go astray.
Tornadoes, wars, famines, destructive floods, perennial turpitude, big stones, gigantic stones! In a world filled with seemingly unshakeable things - our possessions, our routines, our ambitions - this passage reminds us that nothing in this world is permanent. The foundations we so carefully build for ourselves in life - whether financial security, career accomplishments, or material comfort - are as temporary as the Temple Jesus describes. If all things are passing, what then should be our response?
Where do we remember a similar scene of destruction in the Bible? Remember Sodom and Gomorrah? Lot welcomed some visiting angels and the townspeople were outraged. See they had gotten into the habit of not welcoming strangers, showing kindness and caring for others, especially those who are vulnerable or different. And in that society, hospitality was seen as a moral duty in those days.
Sodom and Gomorrah are described as being consumed by rampant wickedness, rancor, and injustice. These were cities affected by unchecked moral decay, upside down logic, and societal corruption. Remember Lot's wife? Sodom and Gomorrah were burning down and God sent two angels to rescue Lot, his wife and their two daughters. “Don’t look back”, were the only instructions God gave Lot and his wife. She looked back. Life as she knew it was burning down. She wanted what she was leaving more than what God had for her. Sometimes the dysfunction of our past is more comforting than the unknown God has for us in our future. The Bible says because she disobeyed God and looked back, she got calcified and stuck in a place where she was only supposed to be passing through.
Where are we supposed to be passing through? Are we backing out of our blessings? Are we excited about what the future has in store for us? Or are we holding on tight to the past? God’s judgment on those cities shows us that there are moral limits to human behaviors. When societies cross those lines, we face consequences. It teaches us to reflect on our own actions and how they impact our communities.
Life is about moving forward, there is no going back. We have to turn the page to a brighter future, so we are not consumed and destroyed by this world’s violent past. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a well-known British minister and medical doctor, said, “Thank God my salvation does not depend upon my frail hold on Him, but of His mighty grasp on me.”
Jesus’ words to his disciples invite us to look beyond what is visible and place our focus on what is lasting. Stewardship, in the biblical sense, is the call to manage our time, talents, and treasures in alignment with God’s purposes. It’s about holding our resources with an open hand, recognizing that they are gifts meant for building God’s Kingdom, not just for our own comfort or security.
When Jesus speaks of the end times, he urges his followers to be vigilant and prepared - not necessarily because the world is ending soon, but because our time, resources, and opportunities are fleeting. Stewardship is about recognizing that everything we have is on loan from God. This passage calls us to examine whether we are using these gifts wisely and investing them in what truly matters: justice, mercy, love, and the advancement of God’s kingdom.
The disciples looked at the Temple and saw a structure they thought would last forever. But Jesus shows them that even what seems permanent is vulnerable. In our lives, how often do we invest all our time and energy into things we think will bring us lasting security? Our jobs, our investments, our homes, even our personal ambitions - these are not bad things, but they are temporary.
In light of this, God calls us to steward our time with intention and faithfulness. How are we using our time? Are we spending it building relationships, serving others, and deepening our relationship with God? Or are we pouring all of it into pursuits that may fade away? In Mark 13, Jesus reminds us of our call to prioritize the eternal over the temporary, to ensure that our lives reflect the values of God’s kingdom.
Jesus tells his disciples not to be led astray by false teachers, wars, and calamities. In times of uncertainty, it’s easy to grasp onto worldly securities, like financial wealth or material possessions, thinking they will bring peace. Yet, stewardship challenges us to see our resources as tools for blessing others and meeting the needs of God’s people.
In our world, where people face hunger, displacement, and poverty, stewardship calls us to share our resources generously. Mark 13 invites us to look at what we own with fresh eyes, realizing that what we possess is not ours to keep, but to use for the good of others and the glory of God. True security comes not from accumulation, but from our faithful use of what we have been given.
The end of this passage speaks of “birth pains,” reminding us that God’s kingdom is always being born among us, even in challenging times. Each of us has been entrusted with faith, the good news of Jesus, and spiritual gifts. Stewardship here means that we don’t hold onto the gospel as something for ourselves alone but share it with others who need hope, healing, and peace. In doing so, we become bearers of God’s light, even as we wait and watch for God’s kingdom to come in full.
In today’s world, we are called to steward our faith boldly, standing as examples of hope, trust, and generosity. Just as Jesus called his disciples to stay awake and be alert, we are called to be actively engaged in the work of the Kingdom.
May we take the gifts God has given us and invest them wisely - our time, our energy, our resources, and our faith - knowing that the only lasting legacy is one built on love, service, and faithfulness to God. As we move through each day this season, may we see stewardship as the privilege of participating in God’s work, living in a way that reflects the kingdom that will never fade away.
Who we are is God’s gift to us. But who we become is our gift back to God. Who we are is God’s gift to us, the only way we are the way we are is because of the grace of God. The only reason we are in the position we are in is because of the grace of God. The only reason we have what we have is because of the grace and mercy of a loving Savior.
What we do from this point is our gift back to God. God has given us all that we need, to make good the things that He has blessed us with. Now, let’s turn our lives back into gifts, back to God, so that we can be living, loving, walking, moving, breathing testimonies of God’s faithfulness in and over our lives.
Amen