Keep Awake, and Keep Going- a stewardship sermon based on Mark 13 for the Fifth Sunday in Lent
Outside of Spirit of Hope Lutheran, early on a beautiful and crisp mid-March morning.
I had the privilege to be with the good people of Spirit of Hope Lutheran Church in Lincoln, Nebraska on Sunday March 17, 2024. Thank you to Pastor Day Hefner and the congregation’s council who invited me to come and visit and preach on stewardship. In addition to preaching, I shared words of greeting from the Bishop and the whole synod, as well as words of gratitude for all that the congregation does, especially through its continued participation in mission share. What follows is the majority of the manuscript that I preached from, which was based on the appointed reading from the Narrative Lectionary (Year 2) for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, Mark 13:1-8, 24-37.
Grace and peace from God in Christ, who is with you, for you, and who loves you. Amen.
You know one of the great joys of my ministry is the ability to be out among the congregations who together are the Nebraska Synod, to say thank you, and to share God’s Word and wonder about what God might be inviting. But there are some weeks that I really should look at what the appointed readings are before saying “yes,” to visiting. I mean, Jesus teaching about signs and the End Times? Really, Pastor Day? Really? And you want me to preach on stewardship too. Okay. Well, let’s see what happens.
In case you would like to watch the service, or listen to the sermon, the livestream recording of the 9am worship service can be viewed here.
Situating the Context of this Week’s Story You have been journeying through the Gospel of Mark here in the Narrative Lectionary. During this Lenten season you have been hearing much from Jesus’ teaching about discipleship and stewardship. You have heard a passion prediction or two and about what it means to be a servant. What sacrifice means in following Jesus as the first will be last, and the last will be first. You have heard stories of Jesus healing and bringing life, and telling parables with stewardship lessons and pondering questions about taxes and how we live here and now as disciples, Children of God, and citizens. Last week you heard about the great commandment and pondered about a widow who gives all she has. And today Jesus talks about the end of the age and invites all who might listen to be watchful and pay attention.
The front of the sanctuary/worship space at Spirit of Hope.
He knows what is coming. He is already in Jerusalem. In Mark’s version of the story, we’re already in the events of Holy Week. Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem two chapters ago in Mark 11, and you’ll hear about that next week as you celebrate Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday. But for today, we find ourselves in Mark 13. Jesus knows time is short, and so he is going to take the time to teach about things that he knows are important and might well be weighing on the disciples’ minds.
Put yourself in their position. Imagine that you have seen what they have seen. Imagine that you have walked where they have walked with Jesus. Imagine that you have heard what he has said, taught, and preached. You have witnessed all of this. And now you can feel the story is about to come to its climax. You might well be wondering the good old Lutheran question, “What does this mean?” If I was one of those first disciples, I am sure that question would be somewhere in the back of my mind.
What is Happening Here? Today, Jesus teaches, preaches, points out, and asks questions. He asks those with him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”[1] Change is coming. Whether Jesus is making another passion prediction of his betrayal, death, and resurrection, which he is, or foretelling the destruction of the temple, which he is too, Jesus is making the point that change is coming. But what are they to do with this fact?
The congregation receiving the blessed sacrament of communion.
Jesus then warns, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray.”[2] It’s almost as if Jesus knew that amid times of anxiety, fear, change, and uncertainty, that people will try and make meaning out of it and certain people will claim to know what it all means at any given time. Whether it be the person with a sign on the street corner, the person shouting who kind of sounds like they might be related to John the Baptist, the televangelist sharing their “truth” about what this all means, the certain leader or politician claiming that they are God’s anointed… you get the idea. It’s a slippery slope.
Jesus isn’t done though. He keeps teaching to try and help make the point about what this all might look and feel like. And then he says, “Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”[3] Jesus again is making the point that change is coming, as all things are made new in Christ.[4] But even amid these changes, and the stress, anxiety, and worry that would inevitably come with them, Jesus reminds that God’s words will not go away. God’s Word will remain steadfast. God’s promises are true. God’s presence is sure. God’s love is real.
When your friend happens to be a Pastor who also takes pictures, you get sent quite a few like this one. I hope I was making sense at this point?
If it wasn’t clear yet though, Jesus keeps going. “But about that day or hour no one knows…”[5] Not even Jesus. Just God the Father seems to know this as Jesus says as much.[6] So what do we make about all these people who have ever since predicted the world will end on this date or that day or this date or that day… Well, their track record of predictions hasn’t been great, has it? We’re not called to live into those predictions. We are called to know that this life as disciples and followers of the way is life and death. Death is real but through Christ it’s not an end. That’s part of the truth of Lent as we begin with a reminder that we are beloved, and we are dust. But through the journey of this season we come to the cross. We know it’s not the last word. The cross is a beginning for God doing another new thing. Bringing life out of death. Turning the world on its head. For you and for me.
What Might this Mean for us, today? As the story wraps up for this week, Jesus says, “Keep Alert!”[7] And then “Keep Awake,” twice.[8] There’s words of wisdom and caution in this. To keep awake and keep paying attention. But also to keep going. The work of being of a disciple and steward doesn’t stop with the knowledge that someday everything will change and perhaps even fall away. No. It doesn’t because God’s promises don’t go away. Instead when confronted with this like the disciples, and in probably even asking ourselves, “So what are we to do with this?” We are called to lean into our identity and call as Children of God. To trust that God’s promises are true. That God is with you, for you, and loves you. And to keep showing up as God’s children for the sake of all of God’s beloved.
Sometimes we need to sit with mystery and uncertainty. If we’re being honest, there is a lot of that in our faith. We proclaim it every time we share this meal together. And sometimes too, we need to do that, knowing that we are not God, and only God is God. To which I would say thanks be to God for that. But all of this doesn’t change who we are, and whose we are. You, me, and all people are created in the Image of God. We are unique and beloved Children of God. And that is a constant and sure.
Mysteries? Wonders? God-sightings? Jesus sightings? Jesus like “Where’s Waldo” sightings? This kind of was a fun new one for me. Where have you seen God lately as you keep awake?
There’s a legend about Martin Luther, that he famously said when asked about stories like this that Jesus gives today, “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”[9] Whether Luther actually ever said it or not, it gets at a kernel of truth. We are called and created to be engaged in the world we live in. We’re not called to hide away. To ignore it. To not care for it. Quite the contrary in fact. And I think that’s where stewardship comes in.
Stewardship- what is it? Stewardship is a big part of discipleship. It’s part of our daily lives and walks with Jesus. The psalmist proclaims in Psalm 24, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.”[10] Hear that again, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.” The earth that may end as we know it as Jesus talks about today, is God’s. And all who are part of the earth, are God’s too. Simply, everything is God’s. You are God’s. I am God’s. And all that we have, and all that we are, are God’s too.
The “all” in this psalm carries a lot of weight. It’s not that God owns some, but God owns all. And all means all here. Everything that makes you the unique person and Child of God that you are, is God’s. Your time, talent, treasure, assets, and finances of all kinds. Your lives, health, bodies, hearts, souls, and minds. Your passions, strengths, vocations, gifts, ideas, dreams, stories, and even your questions. All that is yours, is really God’s. But wait there is more. All of creation, that we hear about back in the beginning of Genesis, back in the story you heard in September about the Garden of Eden,[11] this creation that God entrusts into your care just as God did into Adam and Eve’s care, is God’s. All of this and more then, is God’s. And God chooses to entrust some of it into our care. God does this because God wants life to go well for God’s people. Because God wants to be in relationship with us. And because God hopes that we might live lives of deep meaning and purpose, in part through caring for our neighbors through all that God entrusts.
Some of the ways the congregation keeps awake, keeps going, and steps up as generous stewards of God’s love.
God does this and so much more, for you. Like we hear in the sacrament. “The Body of Christ, given for you. The blood of Christ, shed for you.” God will go the point of death on a cross for us. We know this. We know it’s precisely why Jesus tells the stories he does today to the disciples, because in just two more chapters in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus himself will be on the cross. God does this for you, for me, and for all. Bringing life, hope, and salvation. This is pure gift and grace we could never earn or deserve. And that is Good News. News that is sure. News that calls us to keep awake and to keep going, because the big questions of life and death have already been settled by the One alone who can settle them for us.
All of this does invite a question though. How will we respond? That’s the stewardship question. How do we, or how will we respond? Do we respond by going about daily life seemingly unchanged? Or do we respond by saying thank you to God, and by being so moved with joy and gratitude for what God has done, will do, and promises to do for us, that we can’t help but give our thanks and praise? Do we respond through the Spirit moving in and with us, that we even join in with God in some of God’s on-going work here and now, the work of the Kingdom of God today? That work that is made real through our lives, vocations, and all that we are. This is what stewardship is all about. It’s the response of living life as a steward forever changed by God’s love, and forever growing as a disciple. It’s the response of being so moved, that we intentionally lean in, and step up, as part of God’s work, here and now today.
It’s the response of hearing Jesus’ harder words to hear today, and to commit to keep awake and keep going. Not to give up and throw our hands in the air and worry about what tomorrow might bring, but instead to commit to responding to the needs of God’s people and creation today and always. Trusting that the rest of those questions, God will figure out in God’s own good timing.
Keep Awake and Keep Going Spirit of Hope, you embody this, and you do respond. You are a people and a congregation that has been on the move throughout your history. Who took a leap of faith to create a new congregation, and who found a new place to worship here in Northwest Lincoln. You did this with intention, hope, and joy. Trusting that God is active and up to something. Responding to what God might be inviting, and stepping up and following where God is leading.
The People of Hope- stewards and disciples together.
Now Jesus calls us today to keep awake and to keep going. And you do this by responding in all the ways that you do. Through meeting your neighbor’s needs through serving with Matt Talbot, Fallbrook Assisted Living Center, Barnabas, the Lincoln Area Food Pantry. Through showing up with your neighborhood by participating in Trunk or Treat, and more. You do this by growing in and sharing the Good News through dwelling in the Word, and through all of the Faith Formation experiences you participate in. And of course through gathering for Worship and then being sent out into your neighborhoods and the larger world. Thank you for being the faithful disciples and generous stewards of God’s love that you are.
I wonder though, as Jesus invites us to keep awake today, what else God might be inviting us to see and notice. What else might God be inviting you to ponder, to join in, and be a part of? In what new ways might God be calling you to respond, to show up, and to keep awake and keep going? Friends, listen for God’s invitation. Especially as we move through these days towards Holy Week. Keep awake. Keep wondering. Keep showing up. And keep going. Do so knowing you are never alone. Trusting that God in Christ is with you, for you, and loves you. Always. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Citations and References: [1] Mark 13:2, NRSV. [2] Mark 13:5-6, NRSV. [3] Mark 13:30-31, NRSV. [4] As in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (NRSV). Or, as in Revelation 21:5, “See, I am making all things new” (NRSV). [5] Mark 13:32, NRSV. [6] Mark 13:32, NRSV. [7] Mark 13:33, NRSV. [8] Mark 13:35 and Mark 13:37, NRSV. [9]https://blog.reformedjournal.com/2015/04/30/plant-a-tree/ [10] Psalm 24:1, NRSV. [11] Such as Genesis 2:4b-25, which was the preaching text for September 10, 2023, the first Sunday of Year 2, the current year, of the Narrative Lectionary cycle.
Timothy Siburg 
Thanks again for coming out! It was great to have you with us. 😊