Picture this: A teenage girl stands silently in the corner of the mat, the backs
of her feet firmly planted right inside the line, her pony tail tight, and her face
completely composed. And then the music begins and she becomes alive,
executing flips and twists and jumps that wow the audience and the Olympic
judges too.
It’s fascinating to watch the way Olympic athletes compose themselves
before they begin. They have mastered all the skills and techniques. They no
longer have to think about their routine – it is all muscle memory. But they
also know that the last hurdle is their own psyche. If they don’t stay in that
mindset, in that groove, then they will step out of the line, they will miss their
flip, they won’t dare to do the next step and they will not stick the landing.
One of the challenges is distraction. How many would-be gymnasts decide
they would rather play flute or basketball or just be an ordinary teen? Those
are all good things too. But for a gymnast intent on the Olympics, they
become distractions.
In the Gospel lesson, Jesus has arrived in Jerusalem and people – probably
the disciples too -- were oohing and aahing over the Temple. And
understandably so! From all accounts the Temple in Jerusalem was breath-
takingly beautiful with gold dripping from every corner and every wall that
wasn’t covered with tapestries and all of the finest artwork from around the
world. And it was huge and took years to build. Herod spared no expense in
building this Temple.
I’m sure that it was beautiful – and there is nothing wrong with that! Beauty
that comes from art is a wonderful gift that can glorify God When I visited
the Cathedral at Santiago last month, all the silver and gold and statuary in
the Cathedral had been recently repaired and polished. It just shone.
But, while beautiful art and architecture are wonderful gifts that can glorify
God, they are not the best thing in and of themselves. And, even though the
temple was built to last – Jesus tells his disciples not to put their trust in a
temple made of stone because soon every stone would end up as a piece of
rubble.
The first readers of Luke’s Gospel would very likely have known that this
prophecy had come true, since the temple fell in 70 AD, before most scholars
believe that Luke wrote his Gospel. Those readers may have wondered: is
this a sign of the end times? They knew the prophecies: Nations fighting
against nations. Earthquakes. Fire. Famine. Wars and uprisings.
We know those signs too. If we hadn’t just read the Gospel, you might think I
was reading headlines from the news. Russian blasting Ukraine with bombs –
that sounds like nations fighting against nations. There are earthquakes in
Alaska, California and Indonesia and many more that we don’t hear about.
Catastrophic fires are raging on the west coast. Famine continues to plague
East Africa, killing one person every thirty six seconds. It is no wonder that
some people, look at these events and proclaim: “the end is near!”
But this is nothing new. And as Jesus tells his disciples, so I say to you:
“Don’t fall for doomsday deceivers.” Then and now they prey upon our fears
and anxieties and try to get us to follow them. But Jesus warns, “beware that
you are not led astray.” For these “doomsday deceivers” distract us and keep
us from being focused on what is most important.
Like a coach does for an Olympic gymnast, Jesus challenges his disciples and
all Christians – including you and me – to stay the course, stay with it to the
end, regardless of how challenging the journey can become. But a coach can
only give the gymnast the dream of gold at the Olympics. It’s an inspiring
goal, a worthy goal. But it lasts only for a moment. Three minutes and the
routine is over – good or bad. The gymnast could be headed for the podium
or not. But either way… the glory is just for a moment.
Jesus offers us so much more, because Jesus is with you. Jesus is with you
when you are afraid – whether from wars or earthquakes or some other
disaster whether it is natural or human-caused. And Jesus is with you when
others take sides against you. It doesn’t mean it is going to be easy. But Jesus
promises to be with you… always. . . and you will never be alone. And that’s
a promise. Jesus promises them and each one of us that He’s got you – he’s
got all of you – even every hair of your head.
And this is why, like the disciples, and like the people in the early church we
can dare to respond to the challenges we face. Jesus tells his disciples, You
will be “called to testify.” Or as it says in another translation, “You will have
the opportunity to witness.”
Most of us won’t be called to a witness stand in a courtroom to testify to your
faith. But each of us is called to be a witness by the way that we live our
lives. And, as the world around us becomes more secular, you may be called
upon to tell a colleague, a classmate, a grandchild or a friend, why you are a
Christian and what does it mean to you.
They may be asking because you don’t fit the “mold” of what they think a
Christian is. Or, they may be asking, at least in part, because they do not
know. This s a new day in our life of faith. Our neighbors do not know that
Jesus that we know. And so we can share the Good News first of who God is
– that God is a loving God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
And that because of God’s great love, God sent Jesus into the world to be our
Savior. And finally, that God is a God who welcomes everyone… both you
and everyone that you may call “them”.
Finally, we can take encouragement from the letter to the Thessalonians: “So,
friends, take a firm stand, feet on the ground and head high. Keep a tight grip
on what you were taught, whether in personal conversation or by our letter.
May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and
surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, put a fresh heart in
you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.” As Jesus says, “Stay with
it!” With God’s help, we can be a witness of God’s love and grace to our
neighbors and to one another.
Thanks be to God. Amen.