Readings

2 Thessalonians 3.6–13 – 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. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it; but with toil and labour we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.

Luke 21.5–19 – When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he 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.’ They asked him, ‘Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?’ And he said, ‘Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and, “The time is near!” Do not go after them. ‘When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.’ Then he said to 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. ‘But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defence in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.

Sermon

In our Gospel reading this morning, the disciples are admiring the splendour of the Temple in Jerusalem — the heart of their worship, the visible sign of God’s dwelling among his people. “How it is adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God,” they say. And Jesus’ response must have shocked them: “The days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.”

For the Jewish people, the Temple was the holiest place on earth. It was where heaven and earth met — the dwelling place of God’s presence. To suggest that it would be destroyed was not only distressing; it was almost unthinkable. How could God’s people live without the Temple?

Anyone ever been to Jerusalem? Only the base of the Temple remains – the Temple Mount on a part of which the “Dome of the Rock” is built. But that base of the Temple itself is awe-inspiring. The smallest stones in the structure weighed 2 to 3 tons. Many of them weighed 50 tons or more. The largest existing stone is 12 meters in length and 3 meters high, and it weighs hundreds of tons! The walls towered over Jerusalem, over 400 feet in one area. Inside the four walls was 45 acres of bedrock mountain shaved flat, and during Jesus’ day a quarter of a million people could fit comfortably within the structure. Imagine that.

But of course, we know now that 40 years later Jesus’ prediction came true. In 70 AD the Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed by Titus as the Romans took the city.

But also, Jesus knew something his disciples did not yet understand — that God’s presence would no longer be tied to one building, one place, or one city. Through his death and resurrection, the dwelling of God would move from stone walls to living hearts. The new temple would not be built of marble or gold, but of faith, and love, and the Holy Spirit.

The old Temple was indeed magnificent — but it was also limited in some ways. You had to travel to Jerusalem to draw near to God. Only priests could enter certain areas. And even then, the presence of God was veiled and separated. But Jesus came to tear down that veil. He came to open the way for all of us to become the dwelling places of God.

Saint Paul writes elsewhere, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” This is the astonishing truth of the New Covenant: that the same God who once filled the Temple with his glory now chooses to make his home in our hearts.

And this brings us to Paul’s words in 2 Thessalonians. He reminds the church not to become idle, but to live faithfully, working quietly and persistently for good. Why? Because being God’s temple is not a passive calling. It is a living, breathing, daily commitment. The Spirit of God within us moves us to serve, to love, to persevere — especially in difficult times.

In the Gospel, Jesus warns that hard days will come — persecution, confusion, fear. Yet he tells his followers, “By your endurance you will gain your souls.” In other words, the true strength of faith is not shown in the splendour of buildings, but in the steadfast hearts of believers who trust that God is with them, even when everything around them falls apart.

And perhaps that is a word we need to hear in our own time. Many of our churches are beautiful — and rightly so. They are places of prayer, history, and hope. But the church’s true glory is not its stonework; it is its people, filled with the presence of God. The church is not the building — it is the Body of Christ, living and active in the world.

When Jesus spoke of the Temple’s destruction, he wasn’t dismissing the value of sacred space. He was pointing to something greater: that God’s dwelling is no longer limited to a single place. Wherever a believer stands in faith, wherever love is shown, wherever truth is spoken — there God is present.

So, whether we gather in a great cathedral or a small village church, whether we pray at home, at work, or on a quiet walk — the same Spirit fills us. We are the living temples of the living God.

Our calling, then, is to live as people in whom God truly dwells. To be patient in doing good, as Paul says. To be steadfast in faith, even when the world seems to shake around us. To show, by our lives, that the light of Christ still shines — not in gold or stone, but in human hearts made new by grace.

May we, then, cherish our churches, but never confuse them with the Church. May we give thanks for the beauty of our buildings, but even more for the beauty of holiness in our lives. And may we, the living temples of God, go out into the world bearing his presence, his peace, and his love.

Amen.