Luke 21:5-17Well wow, what an incredible week                                                                it’s beenLots of news to talk about today                                                our world has been forever changedWhere should I start?                                how do I preach on a day like this?Let’s start with the thing that matters most                                                                this week Mike and Theresa Wellens                                                                                                                gave birth to their first childA little girl whom they named Madeleine                                                                she came in just a little above 5 pounds                                                                                                and the family is at home now I’d venture to say                                that nothing more important than that                                                                                                happened this weekOur congregation grew by one                                                as did our responsibilities to help this family                                                                                                raise their daughter in the faithShe’ll be baptized                as soon as she’s big enough to come to worshipBut of course that’s not the only thing of importance                                                                                                that happened this weekWe got news on Tuesday                                that Sue Adair had passed awaySue was a long time member of our congregation                                                                who has been suffering from Alzheimer’s for a few yearsI remember her at my installation                                gently but firmly ushering me to the front of the line at the potluck                                                                                                when she found me lingering at the back of the lineSue was a sweet, sweet lady                                and we were sad to see her goWe held her funeral on Friday                                                and reminded ourselves of the promises Jesus madeThat this world is not all there is                                                that death is not the endThat we can comfort each other with the words of Jesus                                                                                Do not let your hearts be troubled                                                                                                                believe in God, believe also in meSo two big events this week                                a birth in the life of the congregation                                                                                and all the hopes and promises that come with thatAnd a death                 and all the sadness and mourning                                                                that accompanies a lossDid anything else more important                                                happen this week?No,                not more important                But there was an election                                with winners and losers                                                                and all the hopes and dreams and sadness and mourning                                                                                                                that accompanies every electionI’ll confess it’s taken me several days                                                                to find perspective on this election                                                                                                                and I’m still lookingI went to bed before the results came in                                                                fully expecting Clinton to be elected                                                                                and wondering what her presidency would be likeWhen I woke up I was shocked to discover                                                                that Trump had pulled out the upset of the century                                                                                and then I devoured the news as I wondered                                                                                                what his presidency will be likeFor some on Tuesday night                                hopes and dreams were realized                                                                their voices were finally heardFor others those hopes and dreams                                                                 were dashed                                                                                 and new fears have risenIn the past couple of days                                we’ve seen the stages of grief on display all over the news                                                                                denial, anger, bargaining, despair, acceptance                    A lot of the protests in the street                                                are ways for people to grieve—and that’s okFor my part                I’ve spent the week trying to figure out                                                                how to preach to both groups simultaneously!Some of you voted for Trump                                hoping he would shake things up in Washington                                                                                get things done, Maybe it was a desire to reshape the supreme court                                                                                or finally send a non-politician to break the gridlockOr maybe you just didn’t trust Clinton                                or felt like the government wasn’t listening to your voice                                                                                and now are hopeful for what Trump might accomplishOthers of you are extremely disappointed and fearful today                                                                you wonder if a Trump presidency will lead to a spike                                                                                                                in discrimination against minority groupsYou had hoped for the first female president                                                and are struggling with the fact that half of your country                                                                could vote for someone who talked about women the way Trump hasSo we’re a mixed bag today                                and here we are in the same sanctuary                                                                                singing, praying, communing togetherWorshipping the One God                                who is neither conservative nor liberal                                                                                in whose image we were madeIf there’s hope for our country                                I don’t think it comes from our politics                                                                                                but from our faithThe appointed scripture for this Sunday                                                                is one that predicts the end of the worldWhen I read it on Monday                                before the election                                                I was like “you’ve got to be kidding”Is this a sign the apocalypse is coming                                                that whoever gets elected                                                                                will usher in the end of the age?That might be reading too much into it                                                this passage usually comes up around this time                                                                                                                after an electionBut still I think there is wisdom for us                                                from Jesus’ words about the end of the ageThe world may not be ending                                but regardless of who we voted for                                                there is great uncertainty about the future and anger                                                                                                about the presentThere was one scene on the news where House speaker Paul Ryan                                                                was giving the Trumps a tour of the capitol building                                                                                and they were dutifully impressed by the structure and viewOur gospel lesson recounts the time                                                                when Jesus came to the capitol of his country                                                                                                                                the city of JerusalemHe and his disciples toured the temple                                                which was an impressive building in its own right                                                                                and would have rivaled anything we have in DC todayThe temple stood a full 1/3 higher                                                that the Dome of the Rock                                                                                which currently occupies that space in JerusalemAnd the disciples are oohing and awwwing                                                 as they crane their necks to look up at the templeThe center of power                                the place where God livedIt was the economic engine                                                of the nationThe political powerhouse                                the religious centerThe temple was Wall Street, Washington DC and the Vatican                                                                                                all rolled up into oneThe disciples are duly impressed                                but Jesus it seems is notHe calls them out of their revelry                                and shocks them when he says Not one stone of this temple will be left upon another                                                                                                                all will be thrown downJesus says that everything they know                                                everything about the way the world works                                                                                will one day come crashing downHe then gives them more bad news                                about what’s coming in the futureWars and rumors of wars                                nations and kingdoms rising up against each otherGreat earthquakes                                and famines                                                 and plaguesAnd they themselves                                                     will be persecuted and unfairly brought to trial                                                                                                and put in prisonAnd you thought the election                                                signaled the end of the world!Can you imagine touring DC with Jesus                                                and him saying that everything we see                                                                                                would one day be leveled, utterly destroyedThat puts things in perspective                                                everything we see and experience                                                                                                is temporary, it will passDon’t put your hopes on what you see                                                                or even in whom you electedIt will one day                 all come crashing downThat was Jesus’ message to the Disciplesand we know he was right about the temple, at leastIn 2000 I went on a study trip to Jerusalem                                                and I went to the temple mount                                                                                and walked where the disciples had walkedAnd there was no temple there                                                but instead we walked around these huge blocks                                                                                                that had once made up the temple wallThe romans destroyed the temple                                                just 40 years after Jesus predicted The impossible happened                                the world as they knew it changed foreverNo more sacrifices                                no more priests going to the holy of holies                                                                                                no more pilgrims traveling hundreds of miles                                                                                                                                to see the templeWhat once seemed to be permanent                                                suddenly wasn’tAnd when the temple was destroyed                                                Christians looked back at these words of Jesus                                                                                                                for wisdom And what they heard was                                                that this isn’t the endThe world isn’t over                just because these walls came tumbling downI don’t know if they found comfort                                                but they did hear Jesus giving them                                                                                                 words to live by in an age of uncertaintyFirst, Jesus says                Don’t be terrified when these things happenIt’s a reminder that our hope is in Jesus                                                                not in human institutionsOur president will not fulfill our hopes                                                                nor can he dash themBecause our hopes are in the one who sits on the throne of history                                                                only He can bring about what the world needs                                                                                                and He is the only leader who will never let us downJesus says don’t be terrified                                Then he says                                                don’t be led astrayI’ve seen people led astray already                                                                in the aftermath of this electionsThere’s been no end to name calling and labeling                                                                from both sides of the political aisleWe Christians cannot give into the way                                                                our country has divided itselfWe can’t play along                                We look at this election and this country                                                                not from the perspective of Left and Right                                                                                                but from the perspective of ChristianThe best way we can be patriots                                                is to be faithful to our God                                                                                 so we can be a blessing to our neighbor of every stripeThat’s means we don’t bear false witness against our neighbor                                                                we don’t label people racists or elitistInstead we love our neighbor as ourselves                                                we do good even to those who hate us                                                                                                and we treat everyone the way we want to be treatedWe listen to each other in order to learn and understandChristians should be curious as tow why                                                                some are so upset with the electionChristians should be curious                                                as why people voted the way they didAs we engage in listeningChristians decide ahead of time to love the person with whom you disagreeDon’t be terrified Jesus says                                don’t be led astrayAnd finally Jesus                tells us  to look for opportunities to testify to the truthJesus predicts things will get bad before they get better                                                                and there is coming a time when Christians will be the targetI don’t think that time is now                                I hope notbut it might beIn any case we shouldn’t be surprised when trouble comes                                                                                instead we should be ready to make our case for Christ’s truthI think that’s our job in politics too                                                to be ready to share with what Jesus stood for and wanted for all peopleWe need to testify to Christ                                and put our trust in him aloneBoth republicans and democrats                                                have as part of their platforms and plans                                                                                                                items that align with our Christian faithAnd they both have values and actions                                                                that are opposed to our Christian faithWe don’t give any party a pass                                                as more or less Christian than any otherBut as Christians we stand for Christ                                                and we work for Christ                                                                and we look for opportunities to share Jesus’ way with those in powerWe are not to be afraid                                we are not to be led astray                                                                and we are to look for opportunities to testifyBecause our hope is in One                                                 who is larger that this world                                                                                and more powerful than anything within itOur allegiance is not to party                                                but to JesusSo we are free to celebrate                                                when our elected officials do what is good and rightand we are free to call them to account                                                                when they do what is wrong and harmfulIn this new season of American history                                                we pray for our president                                                                                 we support all who were electedWe listen to the voices of those                                                                who put these leaders in powerWe listen to the voices of those                                                                who are fearful about the futureAnd we love them bothAnd offer both the hope                                that comes from the one who gave his life                                                                                                to bring us togetherTo those who celebrateand those who mournlet us tell about the One who has outlasted both emperor and empireThe King is Jesus                and he is still on his throneJesus is the one we follow                                and he calls us to love and serve our neighborHe calls us to celebrate the birth of a child                                                and mourn the death of the loved oneHe calls us to serve                                and love                                                and offer hopeWe follow Jesuswhich in my view is exactly what this country needs, now more than ever. Amen.