St. Luke 21:5-36 Dearly beloved,
The Christian church on earth is a church in waiting....waiting for the redemption that Christ has brought from His cross. The Church has been waiting for a long time, I might add. We have been in the last days since Christ’s death and resurrection. Jesus ushered in the last days. All the miracles, healings, raising of the dead and the preaching of the coming kingdom that marks Christ’s ministry is the evidence of the consummation of all things. Jesus is the Redeemer. Jesus’ words in Luke’s gospel prepare us for the end of the church year. The church year ends with the focus on Christ’s judgment. A church historian would be quick to point out that we are not the only ones who think the day of Christ’s return is near. For example, St. Paul in his two letters to the Thessalonians addresses their viewpoint. The Thessalonian church was so certain that they were in the last days that they stopped working. They sat down to wait for Christ. Paul tells them in these letters that this is precisely why they must work. If Christ could come any day, then the gospel needs to go out for people to hear. Fast forward a couple hundred years and a bishop named Cyprian watched as Christians were martyred in great number for confessing Christ. Cyprian rightly concluded that Christ could come any day. Then there is Martin Luther. Martin Luther wrote in many places that he believed Jesus would come any day. Luther was certain in his mind that things could not get much worse. These men were right, and there are more throughout church history that thought along the same lines. I hear Christians speak similarly today about the end times. They are also correct. Jesus could return any day. We wait with expectation, and as we do we listen to St. Luke who is directing our gaze to the Jerusalem Temple: Jesus says it will collapse. He speaks of how horrible it would be to reside in Jerusalem when all of this takes place. Woe to nursing mothers who are there. Jesus is talking about what would come to take place in the years 66-70AD when the Romans surrounded Jerusalem and starved out the population. The Temple would be destroyed. This event carried with it enormous consequence for all. Jesus, in foretelling of this historic occurrence, is pointing the apostles and the church to the massive shift that happens with Christ’s redemption. The Temple was, in the Old Testament, the place of God’s presence. The shift is seen in the coming of Jesus--the presence of God has shifted from the Temple to Jesus. He is God dwelling not in a Temple made with hands but within flesh. Jesus ushers in the new way. The Temple was no longer needed. Jesus dies on the cross and is resurrected, and suddenly all those who reside in Christ through Holy Baptism and faith become a part of this new Temple, the Body of Christ. The church, the faithful, the followers of Jesus become a part of this new Temple, being yoked to Jesus. Christ’s sacrifice and His subsequent gathering of people unto Him is the real fulfillment of the Temple in the Old Testament. How the Bible ties things together really gives us insight into all of this. The prophet Amos speaks of the end times and he speaks of the Temple. Amos says, “‘In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,’ [says the Lord who does this]”(Amos 9:11-12). James the Bishop of Jerusalem (and the brother of Jesus) cites these verses in Acts 15 after he is told of the success of the Gentile mission. James is indicating to us that Amos is not talking about the physical structure of the Temple, like the Jewish people thought. James is telling us that Amos is talking about those who are grafted in to Jesus through the gospel. The new “booth of David” is a body of believers who rest in Christ. What a wonderful gift you have been given. All of you saints in Christ are a part of David’s booth of which the prophet speaks. With such a blessing comes great responsibility. We are to be watchful. Those who are a part of the body of Christ are to order their steps carefully. We are to be aware of the variables in the world that threaten to lead us into sin. We have to watch out for people who anger us, lead us into sin and ungodly living. We have to be prepared for situations that catch us unaware, which lead us to sin before we know what even happened. We are in the end times. We have been since Christ’s coming in the flesh. It is easy to fall into sin. Therefore, the Christian faith is one of deliberate contemplation and reflection. We must know who we are and to whom we belong. You belong to Jesus. You have been baptized and brought into Christ’s body, the church. This church not made with hands is invisible, scattered throughout time and space. She is covered in the blood of Christ and is holy. You are all a part of this booth of David. Therefore, the church goes forth in thanksgiving for what Jesus has done. In the meantime we wait.....but not with slackness. The gospel will not cease. The preaching of Jesus is the mark and the sign of this booth of David and when the body and blood of Christ are held up for all to behold and eat and drink, we know that we are near the kingdom and Christ will soon be coming out of the clouds in order to bring us home. Amen. Rev. Chad D. Kendall Trinity Lutheran Church Lowell, Indiana www.trinitylowell.org
