Keep the Faith: Last Sunday's Sermon

The Readings

Old Testament

Isaiah 65:17-25

For I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;

the former things shall not be remembered
or come to mind.

But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I am creating;

for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.

I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
and delight in my people;

no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,
or the cry of distress.

No more shall there be in it
an infant that lives but a few days,
or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;

for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,
and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.

They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;

for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

They shall not labor in vain,
or bear children for calamity;

for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord--
and their descendants as well.

Before they call I will answer,
while they are yet speaking I will hear.

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
but the serpent-- its food shall be dust!

They shall not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.

The Epistle

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, and we did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.

The Gospel

Luke 21:5-19

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, "As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down."

They asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?" And he said, "Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, `I am he!' and, `The time is near!' Do not go after them.

"When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately." Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

"But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls."

The Sermon

The reading from Isaiah is an upbeat message to the people that a corner has been turned. They can return to Jerusalem from their exile and their lives will be filled with joy! People will now live extraordinarily long lives. They should not fear that they will be forced out of their homes. What they plant, they will also be able to harvest. There will be peace in the land. It will be so peaceful that the wolf and the lamb will eat together. Frankly, I'm not sure how either of these two creatures would feel about that. Things that were once a threat will no longer threaten.

The stories we hear from the old testament are very up and down. There seems to be a constant tension between God and the Jewish people. I believe the writers of the old testament are being honest when they tell of their rocky relationship with God. Many of us are much the same. We want to do right by God but so often we fall short, just as did the Jews.

Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians has found some of the early followers of Jesus to come up short as well. He reprimands them by telling them they are not pulling their own weight. Apparently it has become quite distressing. Paul tells them, “Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work.”

This letter reminds me of my college days. I lived off campus and shared housing with several housemates. It became clear that some of us had a stronger work ethic than others and it resulted in a good deal of grumbling in the places where I lived.

So, how does this relate to us at St. Andrew's? I am pleased to tell you that I have never met a group of people who were so willing to chip in and help. Sometimes it makes me feel like such a slacker. Each of you is doing God's work when you do so many of the things that make St. Andrew's such a welcoming and loving place. Thank You!

In this passage from Luke's gospel Jesus sounds a lot like an old testament prophet. He prophesies that they are headed into bad times. The temple which has stood for five hundred years will be torn down. False messiahs will try to get followers. There will be wars and insurrections Natural disasters will occur. Families and friends will betray each other and some, if not most of his followers will be put to death.

And then, finally there is some good news. Jesus tells them that they will not perish because by their endurance they will gain their souls.

Its not easy being human and it was frighteningly difficult in the time of Jesus. Today, we still have wars and insurrections. We still have natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and fires. People still ridicule others because of their religion. False prophets still abound.

Those final words of Jesus in this passage will still carry us through these difficult times. He tells us, “By your endurance you will gain your souls.” His message is to keep the faith and do your best to not stray from the path'; to love each other and show that love by heeding the passage in Matthew 25: visit the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger.

Remember, we are all God's children and whatever we do for our brothers and sisters, we have done to and for him.

Amen