Year C Proper 28 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 Luke 21:5-19

Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us.

The new Christians in Thessalonica were caught up the spirit of believing the Second Coming of Christ would occur immediately. Assuming that was the case and that all would be fulfilled very soon, some of them appear to have decided not to do anything except wait and watch for Jesus to return and bring in the fullness of God’s realm. What angered Paul was that the idle were taking advantage of the loving, outreaching and giving nature of the local Christian community.

In our modern times, it is important to remember that what is being called into question here is a refusal to work – an unwillingness to contribute. This, of course, does not to apply to those who have lost their jobs, or are disabled, or to retirees reaping the fruits of a lifetime of work.

The refusal of some Thessalonians to work was bad enough, but what Paul seemed to dislike most was what the idleness was causing. These people weren’t just lying back and happily doing nothing. Their idleness had led them also to become busybodies. Paul is alert to the fact that there are few sins more damaging than gossip, especially in the life of the church. Malicious interest in the business of others is harmful and hateful.

The point here is, as the old saying goes, “Idle hands are the devil’s playground.” Many in the Church at Thessalonica had managed to take the Good News of Christ, and convinced the end time was near, had turned the Gospel into an excuse for doing nothing. They were diverted by the idea of the second coming, and finding themselves with time on their hands, had filled that time with sin. Despite their conversion, their spiritual lives lay in ruins.

When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, Jesus said, "As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down."

The disciples and Jesus have just come to Jerusalem and to the glorious temple there. It is an awe-inspiring sight, the sort of gigantic monument that one would expect would stand for all ages to come. But in today’s Gospel Jesus begins speaking to the disciples about a future calamity, the destruction of the Temple (which does, in fact, occur some 40 years later).

It must have been a jolt for the disciples, to hear this sort of apocalyptic talk from Jesus, who was so often encouraging and strengthening in His words. No one likes to hear that the future is bleak and filled with danger.

Today’s readings foreshadow Advent, which begins in two weeks, where all our Bible readings will be dealing with the last things, the end time. So, in today’s reading, preparatory to our Advent journey, we hear some terrifying things from Jesus. And quite naturally, the disciples are concerned by what they hear. Thus, they ask Jesus for some reassurance, some idea of how to tell when the worst will come, but Jesus, though He first reassures them to not be terrified, doesn’t give them comforting encouragement. Instead He tells them:

"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

These are things over which the disciples, and people like us, had/have no control. Events we see all around us today. Feeling powerless makes such situations all the more terrifying – so, we attempt to find ways to deal with them, to find ways to deal with what may happen in the future.

In our world today, indicators point to disaster after disaster. The news media, which brings us information about all the dreadful things happening in our world, can’t wait to report them – the more horrible the better. We call it sensationalism! And we who hear the news react in various ways. Predicting the terrible things that are still to come we embrace any number of reactions from anger, to panic, to doom saying. Sometimes we choose to look backward – preferring nostalgia.

Like the Thessalonians, such reactions from us show that we’ve found a way to focus on something other than the present. By concentrating on the future, be it hopeful or terrifying, we have turned our focus away from the present, from this day, and in so doing, we have turned away from the work Jesus has commanded us to do.

Like the Thessalonians, we have slacked off from the work of being Jesus followers. Others, can dedicate their lives to Christ; while we just muddle along relying on their prayers. Life and current horrors are too distracting, so while our spiritual lives lie in ruins, we, like the Thessalonians, find time for distraction, for gossip, worrying, worldly pleasures and concerns, and other useless or sinful activities. Unlike the disciples who heard of the terrors to come, and worked all the harder for the Lord, we don’t do the work Jesus sets before us.

What’s the worst that can happen? We aren’t going to be thrown out of the synagogue or thrown to the lions. Our family members aren’t likely to betray us to anyone. No one we know will hate us because of Jesus’ Name. The dangers today come from an entirely different source, they come from us, from our relaxing in the face of worldly indifference to our lives of faith, believing less is expected of us now than in the past. Who cares if we skip the work of the Spirit if there’s something more distracting, be it pleasurable or terrifying, going on in the world?

What is it like to have made a real commitment to Jesus? I have a close friend, a warm, loving, devout, slightly eccentric woman who’s a Roman Catholic worker. Her son and his wife have several children and my friend lives nearby. Recently, her son wanted to know if she’d watch the grandchildren on a Sunday while he and his wife went shopping. Like any grandmother, she wanted to say, “Yes!” Perfectly reasonable request! Why would a doting grandmother hesitate?

My friend responded, “No! Mommy is a Catholic worker and she attends Mass at 9 AM, 11 AM and 5 PM on Sunday. Mommy is in church on Sunday.” My friend has a real sense of where her priorities lie. Sometimes it hurts when you choose Jesus, only to be denounced by the local school system (for all those sporting events you don’t attend), and mocked not only by the world at large, but by friends and family members. But when your heart is truly centered on Jesus, worldly commitments, no matter how pleasurable, no matter how distracting, take a back seat to spiritual ones.

In our modern world there are disasters and ruins of all kinds, and within us, temptation and sin. Surrounding us there are well meaning people who because they think they are “enlightened” will encourage us to go astray. But we are the people called to actively seek and serve the Lord. On bad days, I often remind myself that I am walking in rooms filled with angles. That all around me unseen, wherever I go, I am surrounded by them. It helps me to stay focused on what is happening now, this day, this moment.

We can sit back like the Thessalonians and let the world roll over us, never focusing in on what we are called to do - or we can live, and love, and work, and die for Jesus. Paul died for Jesus. The disciples and saints died for Jesus. What we must ask ourselves is, are we willing to live for Him?

Jesus tells us, By your endurance you will gain your souls."

Let us Pray:

Dear Jesus, it is with humble hearts we come to You, seeking Your strength to be ours, for we have none of our own. You have called us on this journey to be faithful, to follow obediently, to trust You fully. There are things in this world that we do not understand; the cruelty of people to each other and to your creation, the uncertainties of life and of nature. And we are tempted to turn away from you. Lord Jesus, we ask for all contentment in You, for full submission to Your will, for full trust in Your plans for our life, and for peace in falling into Your sovereignty. May our words and prayers ever be true and may our hearts ever rest secure in You. All this we ask for your love and mercy’s sake. Amen.