Living in the Spirit
November 12, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 21:5-19

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.’ –Luke 21:5

None of us likes to hear dire predictions. Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed the first temple built by Solomon after the Siege of Jerusalem of 587 BCE. Rebuilt around 516 BCE and totally refurbished by Herod in the first century BCE, it was the center of the Jewish faith, considered to contain the very presence of God. The author of Luke wrote Jesus’ comments about the temple around 70 CE after the destruction of Herod’s redo. The dire prediction was proven true. Jesus’ radical statement in his ministry some 30+ years earlier was no doubt hard for some to swallow at the time. A part of human nature, I think, is to believe what we want to hear.

Perhaps that is why Jesus spent so much time talking about living our lives in the now. Living our love in all that we do paves the way for positive outcomes no matter how much calamity is going on about us. It is never adequate to do just enough to avoid catastrophe. We are called to be a part of creating a righteous world where justice results in peace and mercy provides an abundant life for all.

Now more than ever followers of Christ must hone and practice their skills at living in Christ’s light and love.

Prayer:
Teach us, O Lord, your lessons, as in our daily life
we struggle to be human and search for hope and faith.
Teach us to care for people, for all not just for some,
to love them as we find them or as they may be come. 

Let your acceptance change us, so that we may be moved
in living situations to do the truth in love;
to practice your acceptance until we know by heart
the table of forgiveness and laughter’s healing art*. Amen.

*Verses 2 and 3 of the hymn Help us accept each other by Fred Kaan see at http://www.hopepublishing.com/html/main.isx?sitesec=40.2.1.0&hymnID=3521

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.