Sermon 16th November 2025 – 23rd Sunday after Pentecost
Text:
Luke 21:5-19 – Firm foundations
The
crowd gathers around something magnificent—the temple, a symbol of religious
life, heritage, and the human achievement of faith expressed in stone and
design. The people find great comfort
and security in this temple and want to point this out to Jesus. Jesus answers
with a piercing reminder: even the most glorious things we see around us are
not ultimate. Physical things don’t provide security. He says: “Not one stone
will be left upon another.”
In
many moments of life, we are tempted to stake our hope on the things we can
touch, measure, and admire. Our homes –
our finances – our careers. But Jesus points us toward a deeper foundation:
God’s kingdom and God’s word endure beyond the uncertainty of power, wealth,
and possessions. As Jesus says – heaven and earth may pass away but my words
never will.
In
times of confidence and in times of uncertainty, Jesus calls on us to found our
faith not in external structures, but in the promise and presence of God. That’s
not always easy – We can see, feel and experience physical things. But as the
Book of Hebrews states - faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance
about what we do not see. We live in times of much uncertainty which can cause
us to panic and secure ourselves in physical things.
Jesus
warned of these in his time – 2000 years ago. Jesus mentions wars, earthquakes,
famine, and “signs from heaven.”
He’s
not telling us to just ignore them or laugh them off as insignificant. These
are real dangers around us, but he calls on Christians to resist being
frightened by alarm luring us away from God and putting our faith in false
hopes. It was the very first sin – Adam
and Eve had to trust that God was going to provide for them but the serpent
twisted God’s words and lured them to have their eyes opened and being like
God.
We
too are asked to put our faith in things we cannot physically see or
understand. In the waters of our Baptism we are assured of God’s presence with
us – “I am with you always till the end of the age”. But we can’t physically
see that presence. God has given us a physical presence to see and touch – but
our eyes see bread and wine. Our faith sees Jesus’ body and blood that was
sacrificed for us to receive eternal life in heaven. We don’t see that presence
of Heaven yet but it’s there as Paul points out to the Colossians: He says in
Chapter 3: You have been raised with Christ, so set your hearts on things
above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on
things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden
with Christ in God. None of that is seen
but he continues and says:
When
Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
We don’t know when that time will come, but we are called to live faithfully in
the meantime—to discern what is trustworthy, which comes from God and what is
human made certainty that the world tells us to find assurance in.
Just
look around at the political upheaval, social turmoil, or personal crisis. The gospel was written 2000 years ago but it’s
like picking up today’s newspaper. Jesus invites us to respond with faith, not
fear; with humility, not bravado. We are
called to witness to truth and mercy, even as the world shakes our foundations.
We are to always be prepared to give the reason for the hope that we have. We
don’t have all the answers as Christians as to why the world is as it is if we
have a loving and all powerful God. So Jesus says to trust in him. Jesus says
“He will give you words and a wisdom,”. This is not a promise of keep us away
from all that is going but strength to trust him for endurance. Endurance is
not about avoiding threats; it’s about remaining faithful to God’s call in the
midst of pressure. Jesus says “not a
hair of your head will perish”. But let us remember the difference between
death and perishing. John 3:16 says - God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life". To perish is to
miss out on eternal life in Heaven. But as Paul said in the earlier quote from
Colossians – we have already died and are with Christ in Heaven.
The
body may suffer, but endurance in faith is a path to true life—life with God,
life that will live forever in Heaven where there will be no more suffering or
death. What Jesus speaks about today is more than surviving hardship. It’s about learning what truly matters when
everything around us begins to crumble – and it will. Jesus is pointing us toward our relationship
with God—trust in God, trust in Jesus and, willingness to witness even when it
costs us. As Jesus says – don’t let your hearts be troubled – trust in God –
trust in Jesus Christ. And Jesus says that there will come a time when our
faith will be costly: 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. And it may get even more personal:
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. However, Jesus promises, by your
faith you will gain your souls.
So,
how do we stay strong in our faith during these times? Ground yourself in daily
spiritual connection with God: Your bibles, prayer, and a community of
believers. In uncertain times, these become our foundation. Remember your
Baptism promise – remember the promise given in Holy Communion. And when you
hear rumors or see chaos, be slow to react in fear. Commit these to God and
trust him. Be a voice and a witness by how you respond. Share hope, live your faith, help the
vulnerable, and example forgiveness rather than judgment. The world needs a
church and Christians that bears witness through steadfast love and courageous
truth-telling in times of fear and uncertainty.
The
promise “not a hair of your head will perish” is not a promise of immunity from
harm. It’s a promise about God’s
faithful care and the deeper witness of life beyond death—eternal life that
begins now in trust and continues into forever. Endurance in faith is how we walk that path,
especially when the way is hard. Jesus doesn’t promise safety. He promises
something more important - his presence with us. He doesn’t say we’ll avoid
conflict. He says we’ll be given “words and wisdom” that no opponent can
withstand. He doesn’t say we won’t suffer which can only affect this life. He
says, “By your endurance you will gain your souls for eternity.”
Just
as Israel walked through the Red Sea protected by the waters that same water
destroyed their enemies, so too we walk through life with the waters of our
Baptism that will protect us until we have reached our home in Heaven – safe
from our enemy, the Devil. So Jesus invites us to shift our gaze from the
temporary to the eternal. Our earthly
Temples may fall.
Our
comforts may crumble. But faithfulness
endures forever,
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