What Are You Looking For?
Pentecost 23C – Lectionary 33
November 17, 2019
Grace, Waseca, MN
Luke 21.5-19; John 1.35-39a
“Are you a Christian?” she asked, with a hint of excitement mixed with wonder and awe. We were in the break room of a Minnesota fabrics store, she a salesclerk, me a manager trainee. I sensed she was excited to meet a fellow Christian, especially one of the supervisory variety. “Yes,” I admitted, though I didn’t tell her I’d recently returned to the fold after a lengthy absence following Confirmation. Her next question threw me, but didn’t surprise me: “Do you believe that we are in the end times?”
With that question I knew immediately about her particular brand of Christianity, one that focused on Jesus’ supposedly imminent return, especially of the “Late, Great Planet Earth” and “Left Behind” kind. “Yes,” I responded out loud. However, to myself I said, “But not the way you think.” I didn’t know a lot of theology then, but I knew enough that I didn’t want to go down that rabbit hole with her. Fortunately, one or both of us was needed on the sales floor so I didn’t have to pursue it further.
The so-called end times are in view in our Gospel reading from Luke. Those following Jesus are marveling at the architecture of the temple, almost like small town tourists in the big city for the first time. Indeed, the temple was a marvel: enormous stones, stunningly white and overlaid with gold shiningly visible from miles away. So, imagine their shock when Jesus predicts its destruction, which indeed will happen 35 years later. “When will this happen,” they ask, and then they demand the signs signaling its forthcoming.
In his response, Jesus tells them that what they are looking for is not the most important question they should be asking. Yet, at first, it seems as if he answers when he talks about wars, insurrections, famines and earthquakes. But then he shifts the discussion: what does it mean to be a person of faith when times are hard? Being a person of faith when times are hard means that we cannot put our ultimate trust in things that can be thrown down and destroyed. It also means trusting in Christ presence when all those things fail.
Those disciples in Luke’s Gospel trusted an idea of God, one who filled the temple and would overwhelm anyone who would come near. Those followers of John the Baptist who catch sight of Jesus weren’t very sure what they were looking for, but somehow knew that they needed to abide with Jesus for a time, to come and see. They all will learn that being a person of faith when times are hard means being prepared to give testimony to the hope that is within us with the assurance that Jesus is present, giving us what we need.
One thing it means to be a person of faith when times are hard is to make a commitment to the preaching and living out of the gospel. Today we are asking you to make a commitment to God’s mission and ministry through this place. Before I do so, I want to tell you a bit of my story about growing in generosity because I’m not going to ask you to do something that I wouldn’t do. When we married, Cindy informed me we would be tithing to our church (giving 10%). My first thought was, “Does she know how much money we don’t have?” (She’s an accountant and handles our finances. She does.) My second thought was, “I wonder how long this will last?” (It’s lasted 39+ years, but it has not always easy.)
I want to be clear about two things: first, I am not the hero in this story, and neither is my wife. I agreed to tithing out of a sense of duty, “I have to give,” which has some legitimacy. We are all obligated to give our fair share to support the congregations to which we belong. Even so, as I engaged in this practice, it was God’s faithfulness to us that was heroic. Through the practice of tithing I learned to trust in God more deeply than I ever could have imagined. Now, in addition to the obligation of giving my fair share, I have delight in giving even more.
The second thing I want to make perfectly clear is that I am not shaming you into giving. Nor am I even asking you all to become tithers, though that would thrill me to no end if you did so because of what God could do through us.
What I am asking is that you prayerfully consider growing in generosity today. For some of you that mean practicing proportionate giving, going from 2% to 3% or more. For some of you, growing in generosity might mean adding 10% to what you are currently giving. For others, perhaps growing means you are filling out a statement of intent card for the first time. And for still others, maybe growing in giving means showing up today even though you knew we are going to talk about stewardship and giving.
I wish I’d had the wherewithal to ask that young salesclerk, “What are you looking for?” when she asked me the question about end times. Then I might have had the courage to speak words of assurance to her that we have a God who knows what it’s like to be a person of faith when times are hard and encourages to live boldly in both words and deeds. Our Waseca community and beyond need to see and hear the witness of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. Many are looking for answers in places that won’t last and need us to say, “Come and see the one who does.” Amen.
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