Reverend Philip Stringer
Mark 13:1-8
LET US PRAY: O merciful Father in Heaven: You give the knowledge of your saving help -- a comfort to your people. Feed our hearts with your Holy Word, and make our hearts instruments of your glory, today and all days. AMEN
There are a host of thoughts and images that come to mind with today’s Gospel text. About 30 years ago, we lived in one of Chicago’s western suburbs -- if the traffic was moving well, it would take us 45 minutes to drive downtown. But even from our neighborhood, we could see the Sears Tower -- At 1,451 feet, it was the world’s tallest building for 30 years!
In 1998 the twin Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur claimed to surpass it, although we argued against that idea in Chicago -- it was taller only because of the spires. The Sears Tower still had the highest floors.
Then, 6 years later while we were living in Taiwan, we watched as the upper portion of the Taipei 101 building was lifted into place and it became the world’s tallest building.
Our family and friends from around the world called and emailed about it — EVERYBODY knew about it.
And that’s why it was built, isn’t it? Why do these massive buildings get built? When you look at the rest of Taipei, it’s really kind of ridiculous. But that doesn’t matter. It was built to send a message to the world -- we have the biggest and the best. We have the technology to do it, and we have the money to do it. A building like that tells the world that the sky’s the limit -- not only for the building, but for anything you want to do in this country.
Well . . . that lasted for 6 years anyway. The Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai reaches half a mile into the sky -- nearly a quarter of a mile higher than the Sears Tower! There are now 25 buildings higher than the Sears Tower. The Taipei 101 is the 11th tallest.
One of Jesus’ disciples was similarly impressed with the Temple -- Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!
He had good reason to notice. Herod the Great had ordered it built shortly before Jesus’ birth. It was a massive, imposing piece of architecture -- the Burj Khalifa Tower of their day; but even more than this. The temple size gave testimony to the greatness of their relationship to God. Certainly, anyone who saw it would have marveled.
But Jesus was unimpressed. “You see these great buildings? Not a single stone will be left on another . . .” He was well aware that all human institutions and creations have only a limited lasting value. Towers, institutions, families, congregations and nations, too.
The strength of nations is a fragile thing — as we are being reminded of in these days of political transition.
Today is a good day for us to pause and consider the things that impress us. Not only the things that you and I admire -- but also the things which we find imposing -- maybe even intimidating. What things and forces do you find awe-inspiring? How are those things and forces shaping what you do?
How do you suppose the people of 1,000 years ago would have answered the question. What did the people of 6,000 years ago fear? What tyrants or armies presumed to rule the world? What wonders impressed the people? — what did they aspire to as greatness? Whatever those things were, they’re all gone now.
Jesus had just finished teaching his disciples about the many things wrong with the Temple system -- full of corruption and greed. Still, this disciple at least tries to find something redeeming in it by how impressive the buildings looked.
Admittedly, something like the temple can’t be built without power -- political, economic, and religious.
A host of images come to mind for me when I think of that.
There is Solomon’s Temple -- built before this one, even though God said God didn’t want it. But Solomon built it, turning his own people into slaves to get the job done -- consuming countless lives -- and paid for by driving the people into poverty. Solomon so weakened the nation -- in large part because of the Temple -- that it split in two after his death. Even so, people today lament the loss of that Temple and pray for its return.
I also think of the great cathedrals of the world -- beautiful buildings intended to honor God and to proclaim God’s greatness -- they were built in the heart of a community because the worship of God was to be at the heart of their life together.
But one can’t help but wonder about the expense of building them. It was a different era and a different context. There’s no point in our judging whether or not they should have been built. But it is good for us to consider what is appropriate for us today. How are WE called to witness to the power of God’s love today?
This text also makes me think of church steeples. You know, THEY used to be the tallest structures. Do you know why? A church steeple preached two sermons at once, without words.
First of all -- it declared that whatever we do -- and the greatest accomplishments we achieve -- higher than the greatest accomplishment of humanity is the cross of Jesus. What God has done on the cross exceeds anything that we can do by our own works. No matter how high we go, the cross is still higher.
The second message of the church steeple was to remind us that the greatest thing that we can do, is to lift high the cross of Jesus.
My thoughts return to the Sears Tower in Chicago (It’s called the “Willis Tower” now).
I don’t know how many times I’ve been to the top of the Sears Tower -- but it’s exciting to go. On a clear day you can see the state of Wisconsin to the North, Indiana to the southeast, and even Michigan on the other side of Lake Michigan. And if you look almost straight down, you can see something else that always gives me pause -- far below is the steeple of Chicago Temple United Methodist Church.
It was built in the late 1800’s and was called the church in the sky -- it was the world’s highest church -- and IT was actually the tallest building in Chicago for nearly 50 years. Those days are long passed and today it is hidden within the shadows of Chicago’s “big shoulders.” I don’t know if the sun’s rays ever fall on it anymore.
Do you know what building was finally built to surpass it as the highest in Chicago? The Chicago Board of Trade building. There seems to be something profound about that.
What is it that you lift up in your heart as great?
Cyrus and Cagular—
“I saw only the face of the man who said he would die for me.”
What is it that you find awe-inspiring in this world?
Armies and nations — economies, buildings — regardless of whether they are good or bad, they will all come to an end. What we see in Jesus will never end. It is the perfect love of the creator. Love — out of which this world was made. Love — out of which Jesus came and died. Love — out of which Jesus was raised and a new creation is being made. This kingdom will have no end.
When Jesus speaks of wars and famine and so forth, he is reminding us that it has always been this way in the world. Don’t be swayed. Don’t make the moment bigger than it actually is — a moment. Don’t despair, and certainly don’t ascribe power and glory to these things. They are only like birth pangs.
Jesus is building something greater, without walls. It is already growing within us and among us — and insofar as we are willing to give of ourselves out of faith in the power of his love, we share in his work of healing the world through the power of love.
AMEN
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