The End – Sermon by Jon Shaw
St Wilfrids Sunday 15th November 2015
If I said to you Y2K would any of you now what I
was talking about ? Well cast your mind back to
1999 when the whole world was planning for the
new Millennium ? Do you remember the fuss
about Y2K or simply known as the Millennium
Bug.
The problem was truncating from four digits in our
time to two digits.
There seemed to be world wide concern about a
world wide computer disaster that was supposed to
take place.
People began to stockpile water and de-hydrated
goods, some people build bomb shelters, Asda
started to run out of food there was a fear of flying
on that new years eve in case Aircraft fell out of the
sky.
People did start to over react of an unknown
cataclysmic event so what happened, well nothing
only a lot of hangovers.
On the new day of the new Millennium I wanted to
witness the dawn of the new era and got up early
on that morning and went to watch the dawn of the
new millennium .
I went to the top of Georges lane to witness this if I
looked to my right I could see the black Darkness
of the western sky, them looking to the left the new
brightness dawn of the new day, and it got me
thinking what is in store for the next thousand years
it made me think of course there would be days of
darkness the lie ahead but also great days of
lightness and joy.
But what does Lie ahead for us it is clear that we
can not predict, But of Course Jesus does.
Today we hear of Jesus and his disciples are
leaving the temple as they do they are on the
mount of olives which rises above Jerusalem, from
the east its slopes can look down into the city and
see the temple as they are sitting looking at it a
conversation begins about it.
let us try to visualize it, the temple at the time was
a wonder of the world.
Some of stones were 40 feet long 12 feet high and
18 feet wide. The front of the temple was covered
in plates of Gold. When the sun rose the plates
were reflected back a fiery splendour, so fierce that
people were forced to turn to turn there eyes away,
just as we are when faced with the sun in our eyes.
Inside the walls were 45 Acres that could hold
250.000 people at one time.
The Jews at the time thought something this huge
and magnificent would last forever, the destruction
of something so massive seemed highly unlikely.
Today, with a few well placed charges of dynamite,
it wouldn’t be difficult. But then it was
unthinkable.
Could you ever imaging two huge buildings could
be brought to the ground in minutes yet in 9. 11
they were.
Jesus said not one stone in the temple would be left
on another, everyone would be thrown down and it
was.
The temple was destroyed as predicted by Jesus by
the Romans around 70 AD when Jesus spoke these
words around 40 years before the destruction of
the temple , he gave no dates but what he gave was
warnings to watch and wait for the son of man to
come again with glory and power.
In the Gospel of Mark Chapter 13 it is not easy to
understand it fully. However, the words of Jesus
tell us clearly about the time of his return even if
some of the details are difficult to make sense of.
He did warn us of wars and earthquakes and indeed
in this church Just last week we honoured those
who fell in the great war the war to change the
world.
When we hear of wars and rumours of wars ,do not
be alarmed, Wars are awful. They are terrible : but
they must not draw us into thinking that God has
withdrawn from his world.
So when our light turns to darkness and we shift
from comfort to discomfort, when our world moves
from certainty to uncertainty and when people and
friends and family turn against us , these are not
reasons to reject God and cease to believe in him.
They are the opposite. They are times to remind
ourselves that Jesus predicted these events, and
they are times to stand firm.
A young lady busied herself getting ready for a
blind date, Dinner at an exclusive restaurant with
music and dancing, She went out to have her hair
done, did her make up, put on her best dress and
was ready for her dates arrival.
His expected arrival time came and went. After
waiting an hour she decided she was stood up. She
took off her best dress, let down her hair, put on her
pyjamas, gathered her favourite junk food and sat
down to watch TV
About an hour later there was a knock at the door.
It was her date.He looked at her with a surprised
expression and said, “ What I gave you and extra
two hours and you’re still not ready.
So today not matter what we face we reminded to
be alert to watch and wait and pray and watch and
be ready to Go where God leads us.
God continues to lead us through signs visions and
dreams that it was we herd in the book of Daniel
this morning. On this day we bring Nathaniel into
Baptism.
The parents were not sure what to call there son,
But Michael his dad kept having a dream and in
that dream over and over again he herd the word
Nathaniel, there God has led you and we come with
joy to name him today.
Also when I went to visit Lindsey the other day she
asked If I would pray for the baptismal gifts that
Nathanial would receive today.
This is one of them a Little Boy watching and
praying exactly what the gospel told us to do, we
thank you father that God has spoken to us and
especially this family today.
For the Film Ben hur, Charlton Heston had to learn
to drive a chariot with four horses. After many
weeks of lessons, Heston said, “ I think I can drive
the chariot all right; but I’m not sure I can actually
win the race.
The director responded , “You just stay in the race
and I’ll make sure you win.
That is exactly what Jesus is saying to us today no
matter what we face if we hear of wars and
rumours of wars and hardships, do not be
alarmed… As long as we are with Christ Jesus, we
will win the race of life. Amen.