No Matter What

Based on Luke 21:5-19
First delivered Nov. 17, 2019
Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr 

            I remember standing at the base of the World Trade Center and looking up. It was disorienting. It actually made me a little dizzy. The building went up and up. You couldn’t actually see the top of the building. To this day, eighteen years after that tragic day in September, the image of those towers coming down triggers an emotional reaction. You saw the looks on the faces of people as they watched. Eyes wide open, hands to their mouth, the color draining from their faces. It was the look of horror mixed with incomprehension. For those who were there and for those of us watching on TV, we will never forget that sight.

            If there had been some kind of advanced warning, what a difference that would have made. If anything, to get the buildings evacuated as much as possible before the impact of those planes. Or, better yet, stopping those planes from flying into the buildings in the first place. There had been some intelligence that something was afoot. But whatever warnings our intelligence community had, it wasn’t enough to prevent such a tragedy that to this day impacts us all.

            There was a popular science fiction movie back in 1976 that got turned into a TV show called Logan’s Run. It is about a time where people were forced to live in these cities enclosed in these huge plastic bubbles. In order to control the population, once you reached the age of 30, you were randomly selected to enter this coliseum in which you would be zapped by this laser and killed while everyone is cheering. There was a man named Logan 12 who didn’t want to be that fate, so he and a female companion managed to run, to break out of the city and into the wilderness. Their fate out there in the wild was uncertain. But they found an old man who was living out there in the wild. He led them to a building where he was living. That building happened to be a partially destroyed U.S. Capitol building. What used to be the House of Representatives had desks and chairs strewn about. Everything was dusty. A feral cat was wandering around.

            It was a shock to see on film Washington D.C. in ruins, overgrown with trees and underbrush, the buildings dilapidated and abandoned. We just don’t think about our nation’s capital being laid waste. Can you imagine it? What would it be like if our capital was destroyed? I know some people would think, good riddance. But I think for most of us the idea of the capitol building, the White House, the Supreme Court, the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, the Pentagon, all those buildings being wiped out and the impact that would have on our nation…it’s hard to wrap our minds around. And we would certainly hope that before such destruction befell Washington, D.C. that there was some kind of advance warning, so at least the city could be evacuated, our elected leaders and the career federal employees protected in some way so that our government would continue to function.

            People joke that you know if someone is from Oklahoma when the tornado siren goes off and they run outside to look for the tornado. Guilty as charged. Those tornado sirens truly are life savers. They give us time to seek shelter so that even if we lose our house we won’t lose our lives. It is good to have those early warning signs for tornados, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. But the truth is that those warning signs won’t prevent those natural disasters from happening. They only help us get prepared, to seek some kind of shelter. But we don’t have the power to stop tornados and hurricanes and we can only do so much against flooding and wildfires. Early warnings at least give us a chance to survive.

            The people traveling with Jesus were admiring the beauty of the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem. It was impressive. It was a huge building with thick walls. You could see the Temple from miles away. It was full of precious stones. It was a building worthy for the dwelling place of God. For many, the Temple was considered to be the very center of the universe. And as they were marveling at its beauty, Jesus says that one day this strong, magnificent Temple, the house of God, will be torn down. Not one stone will be on top of the other. It will be razed to the ground. For Jesus’ companions such words must have been unfathomable. How can this be that God’s Temple could be destroyed? How would God allow that to happen? Naturally, they wanted to know what were the signs that such a catastrophe was about to happen. They wanted Jesus to tell them what they should look for, what would be the advance warning before such unspeakable destruction. Hopefully lives would be saved. The priests would be protected. Disaster plans could be enacted.

            What is interesting about this is that they don’t doubt the Temple will be destroyed. They don’t say to Jesus, “How can you say such a thing? How is that even possible?” Nor do they ask Jesus to tell them what they can do to prevent the destruction of the Temple. They don’t ask Jesus, “Is there anything we can do to keep that from happening?” No, they accept what Jesus says, as shocking as it sounds, to be the case. One day the Temple, the very dwelling place of God, the center of the universe, will be destroyed. The only question is, how will they know it is about to happen so they can be ready to respond when the disaster comes. They want to know what are the advance warnings.

            The signs Jesus describes though are not warning signs so much as descriptions of history. Jesus talks about how before the Temple is destroyed there will be wars, insurrections and natural disasters. Jesus might as well have said there will be seasons, cloudy days and hot weather. What are wars, insurrections and natural disasters signs of but signs of the fallen world we inhabit? The truth is that destruction, upheaval and tragedy are part of life. They are signs of the reality that there is evil in this world, there are forces that we can’t resist, that tragedy and catastrophic loss is woven into the very fabric of our existence and knowing these signs of destruction and tragedy won’t prevent them from happening. The Temple in Jerusalem will be destroyed because that’s what happens. Things humans build eventually crumble, even if they were built for the glory of God.

            We can hear this and affirm that destruction, tragedy, deep loss happens. We look at history and see evidence of this truth all across its pages. In our sober moments we would have acknowledged that the World Trade Center wouldn’t exist forever. And we can acknowledge the same thing about the Capital building and the White House. We can acknowledge the same about the building we are worshipping in and the city we live in. Scripture tells us that nations rise and fall. The United States is no exception.

            But living through such catastrophic destruction is surely something altogether different from acknowledging the possibility. New Yorkers had to live through the experience of losing the World Trade Center and all the loss this destruction inflicted on so many people, even, to a small extent, on the entire human family. To actually experience tragic loss of any kind is to experience grief but also fear, fear of what the future holds after the immediate experience of loss. How many were afraid of flying in the months after 9/11? How many survivors of mass shootings jump when they hear a bang that sounds like a gun shot? How many people, after the stock market crash of 1929, decided that their money was safer under the bed mattress than it was in banks? Hearing about or watching on TV various destructive events can cause people to become fearful.

            Fear of the future, of what might happen, is alive and well in our times. Since 9/11 we have been engaged in a global war on terror. It is fear of what might happen that motivates the quest for security. Yes, there is good reason to be prudent, to try to do what can reasonably be done to keep people safe. So, we have metal detectors at airports. You have to take off your shoes and belts. Only ticketed passengers are allowed through the security checks. There are strict guidelines on what you are allowed to carry on the plane. Once the cockpit door is shut it cannot be opened until the flight is over. All these safety measures are driven, partly, by fear that another 9/11 could happen again. Fear is what partly drives us to lock our doors, install alarm systems, erect fences, carry guns. Fear makes us turn inward and become closed off from those who we don’t know. We become hyper vigilant. We want to protect what we have and avoid risk as much as possible. Fear prevents us from taking risks. Fear builds walls, emotionally and physically.

            But Jesus tells us not to be afraid. In verse 9 we read, “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified.” An interesting choice of words. Jesus directs us to not be terrified, to reject the force of terrorism on our own psyches. How are we supposed to manage that? How are we to resist the force of fear that presses all around us? Jesus tells us that we are not to be afraid because “not a hair of your head will perish.” What does that mean? I’m sure Jesus was aware that many men, as they age, do find their hair perishing. Receding hairlines are not a new thing. So what is Jesus talking about?

            The reason we are not to be afraid in times of terror is because no matter what happens, we are still God’s children. Disasters can rock our worlds. Catastrophe can overwhelm us. Great loss can leave us feeling at a loss and not knowing where to turn or what to do. But we are still God’s children. We are still held by God. No matter what life throws at us, no matter what tragedy we endure or loss we experience, we will always belong to God. God is for us and not against us. Of what should we fear? God is with us.

            Jesus also tells us that in times of catastrophe and upheaval, when our worlds are turned upside down and we are cast about in the storms of life, that this is an opportunity for us to bear witness to the gospel. When everything is bad news, it is then that we can declare good news. This is not an invitation to be pollyannish, to see the world through rose colored glasses, to be in denial about the pain and loss and grief and disruption that catastrophe brings. The good news does not deny the reality of bad news, that things are not right in the world, that things are breaking apart, that death and decay is part of our reality. The good news we proclaim is that death does not have the last word, that what is broken, by God’s grace, can be mended, that what is wrong in the world can be made right because that’s what God does. God is in the business of bringing order out of chaos. Our good news we proclaim in times of tragedy is that this is not the end of the story. God isn’t done working to make things right again.

            So, in these times of terror, of loss, of brokenness and decay, where things are not as they should be, we can give witness to hope. We can point to signs where God is still active in the world. Not everything is gloom and doom! Just as an example, new Christian communities are exploding all over Africa and throughout Asia. Last night, Kim and I attended a worship service at Nationwide Arena led by Elevation Worship, Hillsong Worship and Casting Crowns. There were no empty seats and the Spirit moved in a powerful way. In our city, although many churches like ours are struggling, there are other churches that are experiencing dramatic growth. Every day in Columbus people are being blessed by Jesus followers. Lives are being transformed all around us. God’s love is an active love that is relentless. Not only is God’s love reaching into the hearts of people who are lost, drawing them into a relationship with Jesus Christ, but God’s love will not let us go. No matter what, we are loved by God. That is good news.

            So, when you go through times when you are afraid of the future, or times of loss, or even tragedy, when it seems like everything in your life is falling apart, know this: the Lord is still on the throne. God is still sovereign over the heavens and the earth. Nothing escapes God’s notice and nothing is beyond God’s redemption. Know that God still loves you and that there is nothing that can separate you from the love of God. Sometimes, when times are hard, we try with all our might just to hold on. I give you permission to let go and allow yourself to be held by God. When life becomes too much, and anxiety and trouble are pouring down, take shelter under God’s wings. When life becomes wearisome and you don’t think you can keep going, then stop. Rest for awhile in the presence of God. Allow God to bless you, energize you, refresh your soul, feed your spirit. Rest and let God renew your strength. Then, get up and keep going, keep living your life, keep being the hands and feet of Christ, no matter what else is going on around you. Keep loving God and loving others. Keep offering up your life as a living sacrifice to the eternal God, the God of life, of love, of hope, of inexpressible joy.