Agony and Ecstacy
This is the sermon I preached this past Sunday, 11/13 at St. Timothy and St. Mark Lutheran Churches. The gospel text was Luke 21:5-19.
A while back, Ray and I
watched the movie "The Agony and the Ecstasy." It is the story of
Michelangelo and the conflicts and joys he experienced as he painted the
ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. To begin with, Michelangelo felt ill equipped
for the task for which Pope Julius had commissioned him. He was a sculptor, not
a painter.
Additionally, during his
work on the chapel, Michelangelo experienced significant barriers to his
artistic inspiration from society, his family, the Pope, and the Church leadership
of the day. To produce the marvelous frescoes on the chapel's ceiling, he
worked day and night for four years on top of scaffolding lying on his back!
What a feat! In order to produce the wonderfully, amazing work of art, Michelangelo
had to endure agony before experiencing the ecstasy of the finished work. How
people marveled at the glory of the frescoes. Even today, Michelangelo’s
paintings in the Sistine Chapel are considered some of the finest examples of
the Italian Renaissance. Michelangelo kept insisting that he was a sculptor not
a painter. Imagine what he could have done if he had considered himself a
painter.
Today's gospel story from
Luke, could also be called, "The Agony and the Ecstasy." In it, Jesus
describes the agony that Jesus’ followers will endure due to opposition and
obstacles they will experience in their lives of faith. But the ecstasy of it
all is the presence of Jesus with them.
For the Jews, the temple was
an amazing edifice. It was the center of Jewish social, religious and political
life. On top of that, it was the place where God lived. Jesus predicted the
temple's destruction, which was unthinkable! Jesus' hearers asked the obvious
questions. When is this going to happen and what do we look for to know it's
time?
Have you noticed that Jesus
never seems to give direct answers to the questions posed to him? Rather than
focusing on a special sign and when that would occur, Jesus emphasizes the
importance of bearing witness to God's work.
Jesus outlines three signs
symbolizing the time, which is one of agony. The first is the appearance of
false messiahs and false calculators of time and place (v. 8). False messiahs
preceded and followed the time of Jesus. In our day, we have seen plenty as
well. Are you familiar with the expression about "drinking the
Kool-Aid," referring to the mass killing of the followers of Jim Jones in
Guyana?
The second sign is wars,
tumults and international conflicts (vv. 9-10). Haven't these always been a
part of the world as well? Just look at the number of conflicts in the 20th
and 21st centuries and it makes your head spin. Some of the violence
in scripture has shocked those of us who read the Old Testament devotionally or
in a Bible study. Certainly, every generation has experienced such conflicts
and indeed wondered if they were the final generation before the end.
Jesus' third sign is natural
disasters like earthquakes, famines and plagues with cosmic terror (v. 11). These
too have always been with us. In 79 AD, not long after Jerusalem's destruction,
Mt. Vesuvius erupted, destroying the Roman city of Pompeii. Certainly, people
then must have thought that the end was coming soon. Just think back to what
we’ve seen in the past few years—Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, the Fukishima
earthquake and tidal wave, the tornadoes in Oklahoma and throughout the Midwest
and most recently the hurricane devastating Haiti. Then on top of it all was
the rancor displayed in the campaigns for President. Do you get the feeling
that we’re riding on a cosmic roller coaster? If you think things are going to
calm down, get ready to clench that grab bar. Jesus tells us there is more to
come!
Jesus outlines the fearsome
persecution his followers will experience. Jesus' disciples will be arrested,
persecuted, handed over and brought before kings and governors. We see much of
this played out in the book of Acts. Jesus' followers suffered at the hands of
Jews and Gentiles. In today’s world, Christians are being persecuted in China,
the Sudan, Egypt and other places throughout Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
However, when things seem
the bleakest, Jesus provides three counter-measures to all that is happening.
The first is that persecution would provide an opportunity for witness (vv.
13-15). Really Lord, can't we just share the gospel in a time of quietness and
peace?
That may not sound like such
good news, except Jesus would give his people the right words of testimony and
a wisdom that is unlike any other. This does not mean that I can just stand up
on a Sun. morning and say whatever comes into my head for a sermon. Sometimes I
wish it was that simple, but I still need to spend time in prayer and
preparation. What Jesus is talking about is not simple preaching or sharing
one’s faith. It is for those who are on trial for their faith. Jesus promises
his continual presence with his followers during these times of trial.
The second promise is that
not a hair of Jesus' followers' heads would perish (v. 18). What does Jesus
mean here? How can that be when Jesus described such terrible persecution?
We've heard the stories of how many Christians have been martyred throughout
time. Does this mean they weren't doing God's will, that they had somehow
missed the boat?
Since Jesus said that some
would be executed, this promise can't mean complete physical safety. What Jesus
was guaranteeing is that nothing would happen to his people outside of God's
range of operation. God knows all about what we're going through and is with us
in it.
It's a little puzzling as
well when Jesus promises that nothing will spell the end of life for the
faithful (v. 19). The emphasis here is on the resurrection life that no one can
take away from us--the life in Christ that started at our baptism, continues
throughout this life and into the next life.
The third promise is the
instruction to endure. That does not mean hanging on by the skin of our teeth.
Rather than passive waiting or placid exercise of patience, Jesus is speaking
of actively dealing with life and the circumstances that we face. He is talking
about endurance intertwined with a hope that has God as its object and its
expected outcome being divine intervention. To use a sports analogy, the best
defense is a strong offense. Needless to say, if you want a challenging life, follow
Jesus. It is not for the faint of heart.
Where are we today in
relationship to what's written in the gospel and what are we supposed to do
about it? Do we bemoan the aging membership of our congregation? Do we wonder
or fear what life will look like with our President-elect? Do we wonder what
our future in Bemus Point/Mayville? Who will take over when our older members
are gone? Are we testifying to friends, co-workers, people we meet and
neighbors in our community about God's love? If we hope in God, and allow him
to use us, it will be impossible to keep quiet and to keep people away from
God's church.
We may experience pain and
suffering along the way and in our witness of Christ, but God promises us the
ecstasy of his presence with us individually and as his people in this place.
Amen!
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