Luke 21:5–36

Gospel:

⁵And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, ⁶"As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." ⁷And they asked him, "Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?" ⁸And he said, "See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is at hand!' Do not go after them. ⁹And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once." ¹⁰Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. ¹²But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. ¹³This will be your opportunity to bear witness. ¹⁴Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, ¹⁵for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. ¹⁶You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. ¹⁷You will be hated by all for my name's sake. ¹⁸But not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹By your endurance you will gain your lives. ²⁰"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. ²¹Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, ²²for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. ²³Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. ²⁴They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. ²⁵"And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, ²⁶people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." ²⁹And he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. ³¹So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ³²Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. ³³Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. ³⁴"But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. ³⁵For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

The world present: solid. Built on the firm foundation of rock and stone. We stand on it, build on it, trust it. It's solid, immovable, a sure foundation. And, oh, how good it feels after a week at sea to step back onto solid earth!

But is it all that solid for real? Giant tectonic plates in the earth's crust, the size of continents, float on top the mantel. They slip and slide and rub against each other, and the earth shakes and quakes. Bridges, buildings, entire cities collapse and crumble to the ground. Enormous tsunamis form in the ocean wipe out hundreds of miles of coastland. Volcanic lava spurts out from cracks between these enormous plates. Hundreds, thousands killed in minutes. Sometimes millions left homeless. Perhaps earth and rock are not so solid after all. What if nothing is solid? What if there is nothing we can trust completely?

The Temple in Jerusalem was an enormous structure made from massive stones. It was God's dwelling place on earth among men. It was solid and indestructible. The disciples stood in awe at the sight of it. But Jesus shocked them with an earthshaking reality: "... all these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."

No, nothing in this world is solid. Nothing in life is solid. There are great earthquakes and famines and pestilences. Nation rises against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There are terrors and great signs in the heavens. And they will lay their hands on you and persecute you and deliver you up to the synagogues and prisons and before kings and governors for my name's sake. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death.

Life is fragile. Calamities strike. Disaster is right around the corner every day. Death looms over all of us. There are signs in the sun and moon;... comets and asteroids have come within just a few miles of crashing into the earth. The earth's temperature may be getting hotter. Melting polar ice. Enormous hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanoes. Nation rising against nation. Terrorism. Economic upheaval. Entire countries going bankrupt. Markets collapsing. And the enemies of Christ are on the march to kill Christians and Americans around the world.

Satan is furious. The forces of evil are attacking. Morality is a dirty word. We kill unborn children. We sell our bodies to immorality. We approve of evil practices. Just last week in Illinois we changed the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples. We trample over one another to gain a buck. We sue over every disagreement we have. We penalize people for working and award those who don't. We fill our environment with profanity and pornography. Jesus is being persecuted. His name is not allowed in public. We secularize his worship and profane his name.

Our enemy is on the prowl, seeking to devour us. Attacking the church; attacking us personally and individually. Creating havoc in our lives. Ripping apart families. Tearing apart friendships. Husband betrays wife. Friend betrays friend. Destroying lives. Sin fills our hearts. Our thoughts and desires become corrupt. We are filled with greed, lust, desire, selfishness and pride. The destruction of the temple in Jerusalem was only a foretaste of the ugliness and calamity that is to come. A sign of how even the rock solid foundations of our world crumble and collapse.

There is nothing solid. Nothing sure. Nothing we can trust. Not even ourselves. No, not even the stones are solid. "Not one stone will be left to stand upon another," says Jesus.

But the stones of the temple are not the important stone, are not the stone we can count on. Rather the Stone we trust is the Stone that does not move, the Stone that is reliable and sturdy. It is the Stone that the builders rejected. The Stone that became the stumbling stone to all who reject it. That Stone is Jesus Christ, the true foundation stone of the temple. Not the temple made with hands out of rock, but the temple made with flesh and blood, the flesh and blood of God himself. The temple of stone was destroyed because God moved his dwelling place to a new temple: the body of Jesus. Jesus, the stone the builders rejected, has become the cornerstone of salvation. Jesus is the temple of God, for he is God's dwelling place on earth.

Yes, in the midst of calamities; in the midst of signs and wonders in the sun and moon, when the heavens are shaken, when the devil attacks, when lives are destroyed by the evil in men's hearts, there is one thing for sure, one solid foundation, one Stone that is absolute, unmovable. There is one we can trust, rely on, and call on to save us. There is one thing that does not change—Jesus Christ, our Lord. When the earth quakes and the sea roars; when mountains spurt forth poisonous fumes and fire; when men kill innocent children, when others take you to court because of greed, when sin and corruption invade your heart and take control of your thoughts and actions, there is one who delivers. He delivered you by suffering all these calamities for you; by being falsely accused; by being beaten and scourged and ridiculed and scorned; by hanging on a cross and pouring out his life-giving blood onto every man, woman, and child in all the world; by giving up his last breath and dying for you; by rising from the dead three days later and by ascending into heaven and sitting on the throne of God to rule over all things. Yes, he, and he alone is immovable, fixed, permanent. He is trustworthy. He is the only firm foundation for your life. And he is in charge. He is on the throne. For "...on the third day he rose again from the dead, he ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty." This is your comfort. The one solid, immovable, foundation for your lives. The one who promises to save you out of all the calamities of life, the one who delivers you from the sins of your heart, and gathers you into his kingdom for all eternity. The one who dwells on the earth, whose temple is here among men. The one who has become your righteousness, who rose from the dead and who will raise you from the dead for he is the resurrection and the life, and all who believe in him shall not perish. He is Jesus Christ the Lord!

So now, when these calamities begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. Know that the kingdom of God is near and take heart. Do not be dismayed. Do not faint. Heaven and earth will pass away on account of sin, but His words, his promises, his gospel will not pass away. They are eternal. They are the foundation upon which the wise man builds his house, his life, his family, his future—the word of God. His word is the foundation that does not give way, it does not shake or tremble. It does not crumble or move. It is solid!

Therefore, watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life. Stay awake at all times praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place. Pray for the Holy Spirit to preserve your faith in the midst of this great tribulation. Pray for God to dwell in your midst all the days of your life to keep you safe in times of evil; to set his holy angels around you like a shield to defend you from the attacks of the evil one and keep you from all harm and danger. Thus our Lord taught us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

And this he does in word and sacrament. It is by his word, as you hear it preached, as you receive it in water, and bread and wine that you are sealed and protected. It is here, in the word, that your faith is preserved and kept for that day when the Lord comes to judge the living and the dead.

Stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to stand before the Son of Man at the judgment. That that day may not come upon you suddenly like a trap, but that you be ready, with your lamps lit, as you are watching and waiting for him to come. Come Lord Jesus, come! Amen.