26the Sunday after Pentecost

This sermon was written in 2012, by Anjel Scarborough, (With a few edits from
Portia)
And it still speaks today.
On August 23, 2011, Louisa County, Virginia,
Was rocked by a magnitude 5.8 earthquake.
We expect such activity along the Pacific coast,
But rarely think about it happening elsewhere.
Earthquakes in Virginia are rare;
And the shocks of this earthquake were felt as far away as Florida,
And Ontario, Canada.
This earthquake did damage to the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul:
Which is better known as the National Cathedral.
The earthquake only lasted 10 to 15 seconds,
But in that time, a tremendous amount of damage was done to the majestic stone
structure.
Who could’ve imagined the destruction in such a short amount of time?
“Then Jesus asked him,
‘Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another;
All will be thrown down.”
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus wasn’t referring to the National Cathedral.
He was referring to the greatest building project of his day and time--
Herod’s temple in Jerusalem.
This temple was massive:
With many outer structures and courtyards that took about 80 years to complete.
And all of us it was destroyed in the year 70 A.D. by Roman legions.

It would have been hard, if not impossible,
For the disciples to imagine the complete destruction of such a massive building:
And a building that was the most holy place of the Jewish faith.
It’s hard for us too,
To imagine the important places and structures that we know and love will be
“thrown down.”
But we have witnessed a glimpse of such destruction:
With the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11.
This kind of catastrophic destruction leads to collective trauma,
And lingering anxiety.
But even if the structures are not totally “thrown down”
It is still difficult to ponder that even the place where we worship today will one
day be in ruin.
It is the folly of humanity to seek permanence in the things of this world:
And yet it seems to be our nature:
To assume that the things of this world will last for eternity.
Perhaps it is our deep angst, in knowing our own mortality:
That leads us to build structures of many kinds:
Buildings, ships, corporate businesses, political empires,
Families…
Jesus’ teaching today reminds us that the structures of this world will not last
forever.
“All will be thrown down.”
With these words, Jesus calls us out:
On our desire for immortality:
For permanence.
And it sparks anxiety in the disciples,

And they want answers.
“When will this be?” they ask him:
Pressing him for signs of the end.
In Jesus’ day,
And even to THIS day:
There are plenty of people who look for these signs:
As if knowing when the end will come,
Will somehow change its coming.
Jesus doesn’t give specifics as to when the end will come:
And he doesn’t tell them exactly what will happen.
Instead, he tells them there will be upheavals of many kinds:
Stating very clearly:
That these are the beginning of the birth pangs:
Not the signs of the end of all things.
The things that Jesus describes:
Wars and rumors of war,
Famine, earthquakes:
Were all occurring in his day:
And they still occur today.
The birth pangs have already begun:
They’ve been for thousands of years:
And we might wonder when the birth pangs will be done.
We live in a bit more comfort than the people of Jesus’ times.
But we still live in a highly anxious society:
Where the messages we hear all around us center on being afraid:
Be afraid of terrorism; be afraid of the economy collapsing:
Be afraid of losing our jobs;
Be afraid of losing our health, or healthcare.
Be afraid of our children’s future:
Be afraid of rejection.
The list is endless.

We are afraid that our neatly constructed lives will
“All be thrown down.”
So we live in captivity to that fear:
And when we live in captivity to fear:
We never really live!

In the larger context of Mark’s gospel:
These words from Jesus come just before he enters Jerusalem to be crucified.
These words about the destruction of the temple:
And upheavals to come:
Are a prefiguring of his own death:
The very destruction of his own body.
“All will be thrown down”
Is a promise that all things of this world will fall apart,
Disintegrate, and die.
But in the broader context of this chapter of Mark’s gospel:
Jesus reminds us that our job isn’t to know exactly what will happen,
How it will happen,
Or when it will happen.
Rather: our job is to be faithful, patient, and keep awake:
Because God is working out the plan of salvation and has not abandoned us.
It will be all right because God is in charge.
No earthly power:
No earthly government:
No one:
But God.
This isn’t to say that things will be easy:
And that hardships and suffering won’t befall us.
It isn’t an empty optimism promising things will get better for our lives;
They may or may not.

It IS a promise that God is in charge regardless.
Jesus promises us that things will be all right because only God has the last word.
When death on the cross appeared to be the end,
God had the last word at an empty tomb.
Throughout our lives,
We will experience death and resurrection many times over as the neatly
arranged structures of our lives are thrown down.
These apocalyptic words of Jesus remind us to hang on:
And to place our trust in something more than ourselves,
More than our possessions,
More than our buildings,
More than our governments, our relationships, our health, or our intellects.
It is to place our ultimate trust in the One from whom all things come.
It is to accept our finitude and mortality in a radical trust of God’s unchangeable
grace and goodness:
So that we might be freed from the captivity of anxious fear,
And finally live fully and freely as God’s beloved children.
Amen.