When your security gets trashed hold on to Christ.

By mmayer

Luke 21:5-19

⁵Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, ⁶‘As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.’

⁷‘Teacher,’ they asked, ‘when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?’

⁸He replied: ‘Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, “I am he,” and, “The time is near.” Do not follow them. ⁹When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.’

¹⁰Then he said to them: ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

¹²‘But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. ¹³And so you will bear testimony to me. ¹⁴But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. ¹⁵For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. ¹⁶You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. ¹⁷Everyone will hate you because of me. ¹⁸But not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹Stand firm, and you will win life.

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Stand firm. You will be given the wisdom you need at the right time.

The disciples were excited about how grand and wonderful the temple was. They thought it was rock solid and would always be there. Jesus, looking 30 years into the future, knew that the Jewish people would get it wrong in thinking God was backing them in a rebellion against the Romans. He knew it would end badly, and the temple would be pulled down, so that not one stand was left standing. When these things started to happen, the Christian community remembered Jesus’ words, and quietly packed up and left. They all lived. Many of the ones who stayed didn’t.

What are the things that you get excited about, that you think are so strong and secure, that will always be there for you? The world has become a lot less secure place in the last 2 years. We’ve all had experiences of unexpected things impacting in ways we never wanted.

If God is with us in the good times, then God is certainly with us in the tough times. The challenge is not to react, lash out or withdraw, but to drop down inside us to consciously connect to that strong Christ centre inside each one of us. Then, out of that place, perhaps with the help and support of others, trust that Christ will guide you through. Trust that you will be given the wisdom you need – to work through the situation and not be a total mess; to ask for help from the right people; to have the difficult conversations that might be needed; to step out and be brave.