(This sermon was preached the Sunday after the terrorist attacks in Paris.)
The story you just heard might seem a bit out of place, especially to Oklahomans since people in this area know all too well the suffering and pain the people in Paris are dealing with right now. To sit here and listen to a story of blessing and generosity might also seem as though we’re planning to ignore what has happened, or just talk about the scripture in a way that leaves behind that pain and suffering. I don’t believe, especially here, that is really possible to do. So where is the good news this morning? Where is it in Paris? Where is it here? Where is it in the Gospel?
This morning’s gospel story has the
disciples admiring the temple building that represents
their faith rather than the faith itself. The disciples were suffering from a
disease my father used to call “The Edifice Complex.” In addition to teaching, my
father was a practicing architect and designer. He often raged about architects
who designed massive, imposing buildings than could never be comfortably worked
or lived in. Dad thought those architects were more interested in leaving
behind an edifice for everyone to remember them by than they were in building
something that would be useful, beautiful, and livable.
And in this morning’s Gospel, Jesus
calls the disciples to task for admiring the edifice, the building rather than
the faith it represents. He reminds them that no matter how large or beautiful
the building is it will not last forever. And because Jesus reminds the
disciples of the impermanence of all things, it’s only natural that the
disciples ask him, “So how long will
it last?”
For centuries people have been asking
and attempting to answer that question. Most recently, there were people who
claimed 2012 would be the year the world ends. Last time round it was the year
2000. Before that it was 1900. And wouldn’t we all like to know just how much
time we do have? Or maybe not. Perhaps we are better off not knowing. And that
is essentially what Jesus tells us. No one knows when the end of the world will
come. We will hear things that make us think the end is near, but we are to
beware of those who lead us astray. So forget all the “Left Behind” books and
all the stories about the rapture, because they are just that: stories. Yes,
there will be an end. No, we have no idea when.
Neither you nor I know what Jesus
would have to say about the Murrah Building bombing or the attacks in Paris.
But I firmly believe Jesus is asking us to, in our time here, however long it
turns out to be, to embody triumph, beauty, hope, and love. To tell out the
Good News of the triumph of life over death, the beauty of God’s created world,
the hope in the midst of doubt, and to cast out fear with love.
Here is what we can do since we live
in the uncertainty of knowing the end could be today, tomorrow, or thousands of
years from now. We can live our lives as though we may die tomorrow. And we can
also live as though we will be here forever. I don’t know what that means for
you, but to be completely personal, here is what it means for me.
I remind myself daily what St
Benedict said, “All, all, are to be
welcomed as Christ.” Because, as the Old Testament reading reminds us, we never
know who it is we entertain.
I tell my sister I love her. I tell
my friends that too. I practice those things that have nothing to do with
temples and everything to do with blessings from God. Things like love,
creativity, truth, and beauty. I cuddle cats. I talk to children and stray
dogs. I take walks and admire God’s creation. I cook and eat meals with people
I care about. I pray. I joyfully give my tithe to the church. I give money away
to people who need it more than I do. I feed the hungry and clothe the naked. I
read good books and plant perennials. And I live lightly on the earth so my
small corner of it will be worth passing on to the next person who lives where
I lived.
So what about the end? “When will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are
about to be accomplished?"[1]
None of us knows. But here is what we can do every day for however long we
have: we can live out triumph,
beauty, hope, and love. We can tell the Good News of the triumph of life over
death, the beauty of God’s created world, the hope in the midst of doubt, and the
love that casts out fear.
We can live as though we are living for all eternity, because, indeed,
we are. AMEN.
The Rev Nicolette Papanek
©2015
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