Advent I, Saturday – December 6 (Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, c. 342)
AM Psalm 20,21:1-7(8-14); PM Psalm 110:1-5(6-7),116,117
Isaiah 4:2-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18;
Luke 21:5-19
When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he 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 defence 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.
This passage from Luke is quite intimidating and scary because it is ostensibly about the end times, the cataclysmic Day of Judgment, a subject I would much rather avoid. However, I believe rather than doom and gloom, the passage is about overcoming some of our deepest fears, and of the importance and power of our devotion to and trust in God’s Good News.
First, the lessons of history are somewhat reassuring, because even though we know that Jesus’ prediction did indeed come to pass and the temple was destroyed, we also know that the seed of David lived on to grow and flourish for the next two thousand years, and that the destruction of the temple couldn’t really kill its spirit.
Then, what about the notion that “you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.” This statement particularly rings true to me right now because I am engaged in a conflict in my family that feels very much as if they are betraying me.
But in reading this passage, I realize that Jesus was saying that we all have the strength to escape such disasters. I can choose to mimic Jesus in his weakness on the cross and know that that is strength. I can choose to spend the day with my family knowing Jesus is right next to me the whole time. I can choose not to feel threatened or insecure because I have been cast out of their circle, simply because I am carrying the wrong message for them. “By your endurance you will gain your souls.”
So in this context, the rest of the passage makes more sense. I know I can live in the wisdom that God has given me rather than in fear. And so I should be able to live in even an apocalyptic world, threatened by earthquakes and famines and plagues, and know that through my faith, God will fulfill his promise to me and “not a hair of your head will perish.”
Laraine L.
Teacher, sometimes we are parched from the never ending path we struggle to run with endurance for you. We tire and become distracted by the things of this life and world. Quench our parched souls that we may by faithful endurance find the rainbow of your promise at the end of the road. Amen.
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