Mark 13:1-4 & 30-33

William F. Schnell

September 7, 2008

When my family moved back to Ohio in 1995, it was amazing how many of our family and friends from Columbus and beyond were familiar with The Church in Aurora.  It seems that at one time or another they had all waited in that long summertime cue that used to pass by this church on the way to Sea World and Geauga Lake.  They would exclaim with amazement, “Are you at that pretty white church on the hill with the big steeple.”  “That’s the one,” I would proudly answer.  They always seemed so impressed.

Ours is a very recognizable church, which is why its image finds its way into so many publications promoting the Western Reserve in general and the City of Aurora in particular.  There have been times when the church has actually declined opportunities to advertise in some of these publications only to find its image on their covers anyway.  One time our church was featured on the front cover of not one, but two telephone books at the same time.  Many artists have painted renditions of our house of worship, several of which have been displayed in my office over the years (the current one is by Inge Sussman).

The church’s image can be found on Christmas ornaments, history books, greeting cards, throw blankets, tapestries, serving trays, knick-knacks of many kinds and Lord knows what else—none of which the church has commissioned or profited by.  But that’s okay, because it is kind of fun being a part of such a significant landmark.  The interesting thing is that I had no idea how significant a landmark it was when I first came here.  As a candidate I thought it was an attractive church, but I am not exactly the most style-conscious person in the world.

Coincidentally, when I was preaching a trial sermon for our search committee at an off-sight location in one of the metropolitan areas nearby, it was, unbeknownst to anyone but me, actually within view of another church I had interviewed with but decided against.  This church is a huge stone edifice maintained by an equally huge endowment, but it now serves a very small downtown congregation.  Don’t get me wrong, I think there is a place for preserving historic religious edifices.  But I do not think it is a place for me.  I need something more, and I found that something more at The Church in Aurora.

The title of our message for this morning, and the theme of our Congregation as we approach the bicentennial of its founding, is: “More Than a Landmark.”  As you depart worship today you will not only get a chance to hand off your Time & Talent survey to a member of our Stewardship Committee, you will receive a snazzy magnet depicting our theme and an image of the church (that we have commissioned).  In fact if you attach two magnets together, punch a hole and add a ribbon you get an ornament for your Christmas tree according to our Associate Minister.

You may have noticed our theme on the banners displayed in the entryway this morning.  The Church in Aurora may be a fine landmark, but it is “More Than a Landmark”—much more.  Today we are going to discover that Jesus expects God’s house to be much more than a landmark as we turn our attention to a portion of Mark’s Gospel known as the Olivet Discourse.  The Olivet Discourse is a bridge between Jesus’ controversies with the religious authorities and the Passion Narrative about his arrest and crucifixion.

Jesus has made his triumphal entry into the capital city of Jerusalem, he has cleared the temple area of moneychangers and he has thoroughly rebuked the chief priests and teachers of the law much to the delight of large crowds in the temple courts.  Now, after a long day, it is time to leave the temple area and head for the Mount of Olives just across the Kidron valley from Jerusalem where he may find a place to rest with his disciples.

As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher!  What massive stones!  What magnificent buildings!” (Verse 1).  The temple area, including the temple building itself, had been rebuilt by Herod the Great about 20 years before the birth of Christ.  The courtyard around the temple was about 400 by 500 yards.  To build a level platform on top of Mt. Zion that was 4 football fields by 5 football fields required enormous retaining walls for its support.

The massive stones used in the construction of this wall may still be seen today, and their size confirms measurements by the ancient historian Josephus who recorded them as 37 feet long, 12 feet high and 18 feet wide (converted into modern measurements).  The sanctuary itself with its various courts, balconies, colonnades and porches was made of large white stones that were polished and generously decorated with gold.  In short, the temple and area surrounding it were huge, magnificent and an architectural wonder of the world at that time.

Jesus’ disciples were awestruck.  “Look, Teacher!  What massive stones!  What magnificent buildings!”  But Jesus was not impressed.  “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus.  “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down” (Verse 2).  To get the effect of what Jesus is saying, you would have to imagine me going into a board meeting with a proposal to tear this church down so we could replace it with a more modern structure like, say, a geodesic dome.

When I first walked into this sanctuary as a candidate, the wall in front of the choir struck me as odd.  It seemed not only an unnecessary visual block from the congregation’s perspective, but an audible one as well.  I said to my search committee hosts, “You ought to cut that wall down to about here.”  Several people let out gasps, and I thought one was close to fainting dead away.  And then in a brilliant stroke of political deftness I said, “Just kidding,” to much nervous laughter.  And that is how I saved my candidacy from sudden ruin.

But Jesus was not kidding when he said that all the stones making up the temple area would be thrown down.  As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen?  And what will be the sign that they are about to be fulfilled?” (Verses 3-4).  Jesus does not give the disciples a precise date in answer to their inquiries, but he does say: “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened” (Verse 30).

As it happened, Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled approximately 35 years later in A.D. 70 when the Roman General Titus sacked Jerusalem after the Jews rebelled against their Roman occupiers.  Contrary to Titus’ initial directives, his soldiers set fire to the temple area.  Titus then acquiesced to the frenzy and ordered his troops to demolish the whole city and level its buildings to the ground.  And from that time forward to this present day the Jews have been without a temple on the temple mount in Jerusalem.

But just as the temple was being torn down, the church that took Jesus’ name was being built up.  Contrary to certain accusations, Jesus was never interested in destroying the faith of his fathers and mothers.  He said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17).  Given Jesus’ controversies with the religious authorities over biblical interpretation, it is easy to see how he was viewed as one out to wreck religion.

Sometimes when people take a contrary political view from our own, we write them off as being unpatriotic or out to destroy our country.  But that is not what our founding fathers had in mind when they secured for us the freedoms of speech, assembly and press (to mention a few).  The right to protest was seen as essential for preserving a government of the people, by the people and for the people.  Jesus was a protester not out to destroy faith but to restore, rebuild and preserve a living and vital faith where only the superficial outward adornments of faith could be found.  And so it was that the building blocks of a new faith were being built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ just as the blocks of Herod’s temple were being pulled down.

And so it is that the Christian Church is now housed in fine edifices around the world—from magnificent European cathedrals to beautiful landmarks like this one today.  Insofar as housing a living and vital faith, some are empty shells to be quite honest.  Our congregation’s theme proclaims quite the opposite.  The Church in Aurora is a landmark to be sure, but it is more than a landmark.  After 199 continuous years of ministry as a congregationally governed church, faith is alive and well at The Church in Aurora.

I could support that contention with a litany of facts and figures about missions giving, Christian education programming, care-giving ministries, volunteer opportunities and on and on.  But I would rather offer an illustration that may at first require us to move beyond out comfort zones a bit.  It is part of the pastor’s calling to move beyond normal comfort zones—for example, to confront death when the prevailing norm is to avoid it at all costs.

I want you to consider with me the death of this landmark.  We do everything we can to preserve it.  We had a fire alarm company in just this past week installing additional state-of-the art alert mechanisms in case of fire (we already have an automatic system in place that notifies the fire department in case smoke is detected).  Eventually I would like for our trustees to have our wiring inspected, as it is a tangled web that has evolved over two centuries and surely needs to be brought up to code.

But this is not the first church built upon this land.  That church was made of brick fashioned from clay found over by where the police station is now.  Where the congregation worshiped the 13 years prior to the brick church being built is information I do not currently have (but would like to have).  So the prospect that this landmark might not always be here is one that a pastor and people must be prepared to face.  We have had a fire drill to prepare us and our children to exit this facility in an orderly fashion if need be.  Would we be as emotionally prepared to view a smoldering ruin where an inspiring landmark used to be?

I am going to tell you exactly what would happen in that unfortunate circumstance.  Our family of faith would immediately gather just as you would expect any family to gather under such circumstances.  Maybe it would be at the High School auditorium, or at any of the churches in the surrounding area that would offer us their facilities, or on the lawn by the escape where we gathered for worship last Sunday.  We would allow ourselves the charity of grieving our loss, but only so that God could transform our grief with the resurrection hope.  And by his resurrecting power we would set about to provide for the immediate continuity of our worship and programs, and to develop plans for rebuilding a temple to the Almighty on Mt. Zion.

We would do this because we are “More Than a Landmark.”  We would do this because we are a family of faith—a living and vital faith that we hold very dear.  We would do this because we could not conceive of doing otherwise.  And further, I am very confident; we would do it very well by the grace of God working through us.  And finally, we would immediately become very special members who became more special with each passing year—members who could say, “I was around when the old church was here.  I remember its tall steeple and big bell.  I remember its sanctuary and pipe organ.  I remember that funny wall in front of the choir.”

Do you know how fortunate we are to be here right now in this sacred space—this place made sacred by years and years of Sabbath day worship and Church School classes, and youth meetings and Christmas Vespers and baptisms and marriages and memorial services?  Do you know how fortunate we are to be members of a landmark church that is valued far and wide as much more than a landmark?

Ask the Portage County Community Action Council or Habitat for Humanity or Volunteers of America or numerous other social service agencies in our area.  Ask the International Council of Community Churches.  Ask yourself, “Is my faith superficial outward adornment only, or is it vital and living in me?”  St. Paul tells us how it is supposed to be when he writes: Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? (I Corinthians 3:16).