Sermon - Paul's Valley /by Stan

Sermon Nov. 15th 24th Sunday after Pentecost
Mark 13 1 – 8
This morning’s Gospel lesson causes many of us to wonder about the end of time for earth. In today’s Gospel Jesus tell his disciples about the destruction of the temple that will happen in the near future. Remember some of his followers were Zealots’ and they wanted to drive Rome out of Israel. With the revolt of the Jews against the Romans in 70 A.D. the temple was destroyed and time as the Jews knew it was over.
What will happen during the end of days? Every generation, since the disciples saw Jesus return to Heaven, has had people who expected the end of time to happen now or soon.
That is why the Epistles remind us to live expecting Jesus to return at any minute. The church developed because the “end” didn’t come in the disciple’s lifetime. So, why was Jesus telling the disciples about the destruction of the Temple?
For Jesus we are not supposed to live worried about the future because we are to live in the “Here and now”. What would your life look like if you lived each day as if that day was your last day on earth?
Would you yell a cuss word to the person driving the car that cut you off in traffic? How about the neighbor who ran over your flower bed or “accidently” knocked part of your fence down? Would you growl at the boss at work because he gave you another assignment at the last minute and expects it tomorrow morning? Would you leave the house in a hurry and forget to tell your wife, husband or children that you love them? Would you want it to be over when you were fishing, or golfing, or working in the yard?
I’ve always thought of when it would happen for me. As a Deacon I have always wanted it to happen when I was serving at the altar. Yea! And, I want my funeral to be during the principle service on a Sunday, like it was done for clergy in the middle ages.
Bishop Moody tells a story of a preacher giving a sermon like this when he was a child and sitting in a pew. The Preacher stopped in the middle of the sermon, pointed to the aisle and said the angel of the Lord is coming to take me home. And then he died in the pulpit.
When is the end of time? How will it happen? Jesus told us that we were not to wonder instead we were to live life abundantly as if today is your last day on earth!
Amen.