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Thought for the Week Sunday
15 November – 2nd before Advent
The account that we have just read in Mark occurs at the time when Jesus
is in Jerusalem. He has made his triumphal entrance into the city and is now
teaching hard about his kingdom and preparing his disciples for his impending
death. Jesus has spent a lot of time in the temple telling those present that
he is the fulfilment of the scriptures that they are reading. Some have
readily accepted this but others are stuck in the religious groove. Not
recognising Jesus for who he is and not understanding the teaching about his
kingdom. I think, partly in despair, Jesus resorts to shock tactics and
announces that the beautiful temple structure that they are admiring will be
destroyed and so will the world. Jesus looks ahead of time to when the
physical world, as we know it, will begin to fall apart. The pre cursor to
his return. These events must have seemed very real to all generations through the
centuries. As real then as they are now. We have the wars and the earthquakes
and you may feel that the ‘second coming’ of Christ is near. Who knows. There
are another series of sermons in that alone. Today I want to focus on the words of Jesus about the temple in
Jerusalem. It was such an important symbol to Israel and yet to some it
became a stumbling block. You can imagine the disciples saying;
And Jesus answered "Do you
see these great buildings? Not one
stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down". Even today, the site is still magnificent, although much altered after
the total destruction of the temple in the 1st and 2nd centuries and the
extensive reconstruction by the Moslems in 7th and 16th centuries. The golden
roofed Dome of the Rock, one of Islam's most sacred mosques, now dominates
the site where the temple once stood. Try to consider the reality of the temple and of what it meant to the
disciples and to the whole people of Israel - the people whom
scripture and history record as a people who "struggle with
God" and overcome. - the people through
whom God has planned a blessing for the whole world. - the people through
whom indeed comes to us the Christ and the spiritual answer for
that spiritual problem which has plagued us since Adam and Eve were
driven from the Garden. The temple - the home of God - the place where lies the Holy of Holies
- the place where the Ark of the Covenant once rested down - where the
alter for the mercy and the praise of God was erected - a most important and a most imposing place. It was the physical representation of a dream - the dream of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, the dream of Moses and of David and of Solomon. What is your dream? What is important to you? What is your most treasured belief? Your deepest hope? And where do you find that represented? That thing that gives meaning to your life? Or to the life of
our nation? Of our world. Think for a moment of the most important things to you. Be honest. NOW IMAGINE THESE THINGS AS STONES - A stone of wealth A stone of influence A stone of importance A stone of possessions A stone of accomplishment A stone of being loved A stone of what you consider most important Imagine them as stones in the temple building Jesus and the disciples
were looking at, a building containing thousands of stones, the stones which represent those things that we seek out, those things we turn to for a sense of permanence, for comfort, for peace of mind, all built into a building that, when there is
trouble in our lives we make our place of refuge, and when there is joy we
make the place for our thank offering. "Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown
down." A hard image to get hold of. For some - the question is - how could this happen? These stones are so massive - this place so big? For others the image is a challenge - something to resist the very idea of - something to fear for our lives so often rest within the temples we have constructed, instead of within the temple of heaven made by God. We have so carefully constructed our lives with these things - these stones - that protect and hallow - and suddenly we discover that they offer no protection at all. We begin to realise that life is fragile
and we are vulnerable. We have tried to protect ourselves but we realise it
is not possible. But this is not the end. Jesus pulls our own constructed world apart
and then rebuilds it. This time he is the cornerstone. And so we move to the reading from the book of Hebrews. Although the temple in Mark 13 has been destroyed Christ has created a
new and perfect way to God. We are no longer separated from the holy of
holies. His presence is no longer confined to a temple building. We can enter
with confidence and draw near to God. PRAYER Calm our fears and grant us the assurance of things hoped for. Overcome our anxieties and calm the troubled waters in our lives. Grant to us a heart of peace and a tongue of praise and holy hands to
raise in prayer to you. Grant that we may gain new confidence in your mercy and new strength
to do your will and to shine with your light before others. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. Adrian
Wilson: Reader, Anglican Chaplaincy of Midi-Pyrénées & Aude To return to main Thought for the Week page, click X at top right to close this window. |