Our Gospel question: What lasts?
A teen calls his dad in the middle of the afternoon. He says, “Dad, I’ve got some good news and some bad news.” Dad says hurriedly, “Son, I’m in the middle of a meeting. Just quickly give me the good news.” His son says, “Well, the air bag works . . .”
In most “good news/bad news” jokes, we get the good news first. Today, Jesus gives the bad news first. And the news IS bad.
“This way of life? It will go away. This temple, this place of security? It will be destroyed. You personally? You will unjustly suffer.”
Today, I think Jesus means that bad news for you and for me as well. “It won’t always be this way. Don’t kid yourself. Life as you know it will end. People you love will die. Things will fall apart. You will suffer. The bad news is bad, indeed.
The good news? At first it sounds as minimal as that teen’s: “Well, the airbag works.” It isn’t all that initially comforting. But it IS profound.
How would you summarize the good news of Jesus’ words today? I summarize it this way: There is in you that which lasts; which you can count on. Stay true; hang on. It’s in there. When you get that call at work about your job ending; when your kid’s just been busted; when your girlfriend chooses another; what you most deeply need is IN you. It is.
Jesus seems to say: Yes, things around you will swirl, even crumble sometimes. But you have what it takes in you. There is this place in you where you are you – and more than you. It’s this place where you are safe; loved; seen; empowered; connected; wanted. Nothing and no one can take that from you.
That’s the promise even when the bad news is about our own health. I chuckled at the story of the owner of an art gallery who calls one of the artists whose work is on display and says, “I have some good news and some bad news.” The artist asks, “What’s the good news?” The gallery owner says, “The good news is that a woman came in here today asking if the price of your paintings would go up after you die. When I told her they would, she bought every one of your paintings.” Artist says, “That’s great! What’s the bad news?” The gallery owner says, “The bad news is that woman was your doctor!”
When the bad news is about our own health or the health of a loved one, how would you describe the good news? What lasts at a time like that? Years ago, I saw a poem which gives an answer. While directed to those who struggle with cancer, it is for all with a grim diagnosis. Yes, there are so many diminishments and heartaches. But the poem, entitled “What Cancer Can’t Do”, also adds this perspective. It says:
Cancer is so limited …
It cannot kill friendship.
It cannot shut out memories.
It cannot silence courage.
It cannot invade the soul or reduce eternal life.
It cannot cripple love.
Our goodness, our worth, is an intrinsic part of who we are. It does not end when we lose our job; when we fail publicly; when we lose our health. It does not end even if we are dying.
All of this, my friends, is one of the most profound reasons we need each other as church. I can’t take away your suffering and you can’t take away mine. But by how we hang in there with each other, we help make real the good news. We help each other be able to trust what lasts. And love DOES last.
Personally, my family and I were deeply touched by the love that surrounded us when my Mom died. My goodness: Thank you. Mom’s was a timely death. But there are still the letting goes. Your goodness made a difference to me and to us.
That’s what we can do for one another; that’s what we are CALLED to do for one another.
Now? Who knows what all the future holds? We know the bad news. Jesus tells us today that it will hold loss and letting go; hurt and heartache; suffering and sadness.
But it will also hold ALL that we most deeply need. It will hold love. It’s in us and around us. When the bad news comes, may God help us cling to the good news. What we most deeply need is with us now … and ever shall be.