Christ the King Epiphany Church, Wilbraham

The Rev. Martha S. Sipe

November 16, 2025 / Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost / Lectionary 33C

Luke 21:5-19

Jesus tells his disciples that the Temple would be destroyed – the Temple, the center of their culture, the center of their national identity, the place where they believed God physically lived.  It would be the end of life as they had known it.  “When will this happen?” the disciples want to know.  They ask, of course, because they want to be prepared.  And Jesus’ response is:  they won’t know.  They can’t know when it’s going to happen.  Unfortunately, that sounds all too familiar.  The world, then as now, is a very unpredictable place.  And the news of chaos and challenge gets worse.  Jesus continues, describing all the terrible things that will happen in the future:  wars, earthquakes, famines, plagues, arrests, persecution, betrayals . . . all this gloom and doom is in the future, says Jesus to his disciples, says Jesus to us.

Can I be honest?  Jesus’ words feel like just about the last thing I want to hear right now.  

I don’t know about you, but for me personally, I feel like the future has already given me plenty to worry about:  money, or the potential lack of it; health, or the potential lack it; insufficient time, insufficient energy, insufficient resources; all the things that might happen, or might not.  How are we supposed to plan for such a chaotic and unpredictable future?  I’ll be honest – these are not comforting words from our Savior.

And while I’m being honest, let me be even more honest:  This seems like a terrible text for preaching stewardship.  We’re at that time of year as a church when we’re beginning to prepare next year’s budget.  You have probably already received your pledge cards in the mail, and if you haven’t, you’ll probably get them tomorrow.  Then next Sunday, we’re asking you to bring your completed pledge card with you to worship so that we can offer our intentions to God as an act of devotion and worship.  That’s next week.  This week – today – is my opening to talk about stewardship – how we live our lives in response to God’s love.  This is my chance to persuade you through my preaching that God wants you to grow in your support of this church and its ministries.  This is my opportunity to make supplication for the Spirit to be at work in our hearts and minds as we decide this week what we’re going to write on our pledge cards next week.  So the timing of Jesus’ words – his predictions of doom and gloom – the timing is, quite frankly, less than optimal.  Because when reasonable, rational, planning and prepared people hear that the future is likely to be chaotic and unpredictable, we generally respond by tightening our belts, curtailing unnecessary expenditures, bulking up our bank balances . . . not by promising to give our money away. 

But fellow disciples, our call in Christ is not to be reasonable and rational people who plan and prepare how we’re going to take care of ourselves.  We are called to be people of faith.

As people of faith, we hear Jesus telling us not to be terrified.  He tells us not to prepare in advance because he will give us the words and wisdom that we need to withstand whatever troubles come.  He affirms that not a hair on our heads will perish.  I hear in these words an invitation to trust that God will be with us through all of our future unknowns – the cosmic kind that will affect all humanity and the personal unknowns which will directly impact us.  We are people of faith who trust in God for our provision and protection.

And because we trust in God, this moment – this moment with all of its challenges, this moment as we ponder an uncertain future – this is our opportunity to testify, as Jesus says.  Now the word testify can be tough.  To testify is to give public testimony – and that sounds scary.  But as I think about the stewardship materials that have been sent out this season, I realize that testifying is telling our story:  the story of Jesus and his love, and the story of how we, in this place, are trying to follow Jesus.  So when you encounter someone in your life who is struggling to deal with the chaotic and unpredictable world, tell them what we do here to cope with the changes and chances of life:  we keep on giving thanks, we keep on praying, and we keep on loving – one another and the world – as best we can.  Tell your friends, tell your families, tell your neighbors, heck tell strangers if you dare – that that’s how we, as people of faith, keep going.

But friends, we must never forget that we testify not only with our lips, but also with our lives.  We testify by what we do.  When we gather together to praise God and intercede for the world, we are testifying to our faith – that we trust in God’s loving and gracious will.  Your offerings make our worship possible.  When we open ourselves to the Spirit’s guidance through our studies and classes and learning opportunities, we are testifying to our faith – that God wants to be deeply known.  Your offerings make faith formation possible in this place.  When we reach out a hand to help a sister or brother, as we do through the over $22,000 budgeted to share with the diocese and the synod for work beyond our parish; when we lift up those who are struggling, as we will do next week through the $15,000 which we will disburse through our StarBucks allocation; when we share our money, we are testifying to our faith.  Your offerings make it possible for us to be God’s partners in bringing relief to those in need.  Any time that we as individuals or as a church give away our time, our work, our resources, we are testifying to our faith. 

We are people of faith.  We can give generously of ourselves because we are made in the image of one who generously blesses us.  We can look with confidence into a future that seems uncertain because the one who holds our future is trustworthy.  We can testify with our words and our actions because the one about whom we testify walks by our side every step of the way in this world and the next.  Let’s keep on giving thanks, keep on praying, and keep on loving as best we can.  Our future is secure!