‘There will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven’ (Luke 21: 11) … sunset in Corfu (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Patrick Comerford
We are in the Kingdom Season, the time between All Saints and Advent, and today is the Second Sunday before Advent. Later this morning I hope to be involved in the Parish Eucharist in Saint Mary and Saint Giles Church, Stony Stratford, including leading the intercessions.
Before today begins, I am taking some quiet time early this morning to give thanks, and for reflection, prayer and reading in these ways:
1, today’s Gospel reading;
2, a short reflection;
3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;
4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.
‘When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified’ (Luke 21: 9) … the Battle of Britain Monument memorial on the Victoria Embankment in London (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Luke 21: 5-19 (NRSVA):
5 When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, 6 ‘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.’
7 They asked him, ‘Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?’ 8 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.
9 ‘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.’ 10 Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
12 ‘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. 13 This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14 So make up your minds not to prepare your defence in advance; 15 for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17 You will be hated by all because of my name. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your souls.’
‘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’ (Luke 21: 6) … the ruins of a classical temple in Córdoba (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Today’s Reflections:
The Gospel readings in the
Revised Common Lectionary for the closing Sundays after Pentecost and the Kingdom Season read like readings for Lent and preparation for Holy Week rather than readings for the weeks leading up to Advent. But Advent is a season of preparation for Christ coming among us as God incarnate, as our king, which we mark next Sunday with the Kingship of Christ (the Sunday before Advent, 23 November 2025).
This Gospel reading is a portion of the ‘little apocalypse,’ the last story about Christ teaching in the Temple (see Matthew 24 and 25, Mark 13 and Luke 21). He foretells the destruction of the Temple, an episode that took place 40 years later.
It is also known as the ‘Little Apocalypse’ because it includes the use of apocalyptic language, and it includes Christ’s warning to his followers that they will suffer tribulation and persecution before the ultimate triumph of the Kingdom of God.
In the Gospels according to Saint Matthew and Saint Mark, Christ delivers this discourse to his disciples privately on the Mount of Olives, opposite the Temple. In Saint Luke’s Gospel, he teaches over a period of time in the Temple and stays at night on the Mount of Olives.
In Christ’s time, people worried when the world would end, and wondered what signs would indicate ‘this is about to take place.’
Christ begins to answer these questions by drawing on the Prophets (Micah, Jeremiah, Hosea and Joel) and Jewish apocalyptic literature of the time (such as 2 Esdras). However, he tells them that ‘the end will not follow immediately’ (v. 9), and then diverts to issues that matter then and now: wars, earthquakes, famines, global health, the betrayal and persecution of people who suffer because of their religious beliefs, and how people should respond to these happenings (verse 12-19).
He encourages his followers to endure, for it is not the calamitous events of the future that future but the faith and values we hold on to, no matter what the cost may be.
The Revd Dr Charles Eric Funston is a Facebook friend and retired priest in the Episcopal Church who was the Rector of Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, Medina, Ohio, until 2018. Some years ago, as he was preparing to preach on the ‘little apocalypse’ in today’s reading, he thought, ‘What if Jesus was being sarcastic in that first part?’
This passage is always read as if Christ is predicting wars and earthquakes, and saying those precursors of the end must be preceded by tribulation, persecution and martyrdom. This approach provides a basis for the nonsense that has become known as ‘Rapture Theology.’
But Dr Funston wonders whether ‘we are missing a change of tone of voice in this passage.’ He asks, ‘What if that first part is not a prediction, but a snarky, sarcastic ‘Yeah. Right,’ about his contemporaries’ apocalyptic predictions, which is then followed up with a ‘Get real!’ instruction?’
He points out in the original Greek of this Gospel, the first part of the reading is written in the aorist, while the second part is written in the imperative. Greek playwrights often used the aorist when writing sarcastic dialogue.
It is difficult to convey emotion through the printed page and even more difficult in translations. We often fail to identify sarcasm or irony in Scripture. But they are found throughout the Gospels, including the story of Christ’s dialogue with the Syro-Phoenician woman.
So, Eric Funstone asks, ‘in all seriousness,’ what if Christ is being sarcastic in this reading? ‘What if he is not predicting, but rather ridiculing, notions of catastrophic end-times events and saying, ‘There’s more important stuff to do than worry about that nonsense’?’
Things to worry about today, of course, include wars between nations, earthquakes, climate change, famines, global sickness, poverty, the rising expressions of racism on the streets of Britain and Ireland, the rise of the far-right across Europe, the spiralling descent into authoritarianism in Trump’s America … and how we respond to those events in action that reflects our faith and prayer life.
We have read in recent weeks how Christ, like Isaiah (50: 7) and Ezekiel (21: 1-2) among the prophets, has ‘set his face to go to Jerusalem’ (Luke 9: 51), while his disciples, first in awe, then in shock, follow him on that road to Jerusalem and the Temple. Today’s reading is from the last story about Christ teaching in the Temple.
In between our Gospel readings for the Fourth Sunday before Advent, 2 November (Luke 19: 1-10) and for the Third Sunday before Advent, 9 November (Luke 20: 27-38), the
Lectionary readings have skipped past Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, when the ‘whole multitude … began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power they had seen, saying ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” ’ (Luke 19: 38).
On his arrival in Jerusalem, Christ weeps, invokes sayings from Jeremiah against a city that ‘did not recognise the time of your visitation from God’ (Luke 19: 41-44), and then faces up to three attempts by the authorities to entrap him, each concluding with Christ silencing his opponents (Luke 20: 1-19; 20: 20-26; and 20: 27-38), the third of was the Gospel reading last Sunday.
The scene has been set in the verses in this chapter that immediately precede today’s reading. Christ is sitting by the Temple Treasury, where he watches the poor widow offer the smallest of coins (verses 1-4).
The scene does not change as he goes on to speak about the Temple, the Nation, and the looming future. But, instead of questioning him about what he has just said about this widow, which might have offered a focus for how the politics of God work, those around him, probably a wider group than just his own disciples, cannot get past the physical presence and appearance of Herod’s Temple in Jerusalem, then revered as a sign of God’s presence, even as the dwelling place of God’s sheltering protection for Israel (see Luke 13:34-35).
Christ is no longer facing attacks from others. Instead, he alerts his followers to the hardships they face ahead, beyond the time of his journey. But as he approached Jerusalem, Christ had declared that God’s ‘visitation’ had come with his reign, that the very stones of the Temple would testify against those who rejected him (19: 41-44).
Now he again predicts that all the stones will be thrown down (21: 6), as one scene in the divine drama.
A web of prophetic citations is woven through these verses. These include words and phrases from Jeremiah 4, 7, 14, and 21; Isaiah 19; and Ezekiel 14 and 38. Maybe we could say that Christ, like the prophets before him, was not very original in what he said. There is still the question, though: how faithfully did these prophetic words and warnings of destruction speak to the people of the time, to the people who heard Christ speak?
But Christ also differentiates his teaching from the teaching of the false prophets, who also quoted the ancient words of God. While announcing the coming judgment, Christ cautions against following prophets who claim to know God’s timetable, even invoking Christ’s own name.
The account in this chapter of Christ’s words could be compared with Mark 13, and its intensity of the coming ‘tribulation.’ Or we might go back to Luke 17: 22-37, which also reminds us that Christ’s death is an integral part of God’s timetable: ‘But first he must endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation’ (17: 25). Saint Luke’s longer account of Christ’s discourse (21: 5-36) assures his readers they are experiencing not ‘the end’ … but the period of ‘tribulations’ or ‘persecutions’ through which believers will enter the kingdom (see Acts 14: 22).
And so, Saint Luke’s account of Christ’s speech does not provide yet another programme or timetable to predict the working out of God’s plan, down to the last second. The prophets and Christ teach us that the struggles in history and in disturbances in nature are more than accidental. They remind us that God triumphed over chaos in creating the natural world, and yet both human and supra-historical forces are still contending for the earth. Christ’s followers are aware, therefore, that his death and resurrection is God’s ultimate act in a struggle of cosmic proportions. Only the final outcome is sure.
As the Apostle Paul testifies: ‘We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, be we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies’ (Romans 8: 22-23).
The hope to which Christ testifies in this passage, therefore, is no trivial denial of the struggles, the pain and agony of human life, or the catastrophic forces of nature. These are real, and the prophets of old have interpreted such devastations as the context of God’s saving work. Christ joins this chorus, bringing it close to the concrete realities of early Christians. But he says: ‘This will give you an opportunity to testify’ (verse 13) and ‘By your endurance you will gain your souls’ (verse 19).
The ‘opportunity to testify’ does not require Christ’s followers to know every answer to the question: ‘Why do bad things happen to good people.’
Christ is promising that he will give us ‘words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict.’ His earlier promise of the Holy Spirit’s wisdom in times of testimony (see Luke 12: 11-12) now becomes his own promise. When he commissions them as ‘my witnesses’ (Acts 1: 8), he assures them of the power and the presence of his Holy Spirit, and the stories in Acts will display the fulfilment of this promise of God’s ‘mouth and wisdom’ (see Acts 4: 13-14; 16: 6-7). And so, even these harsh prophecies in Luke 21 are filled with the confidence of Christ’s enduring presence.
And the ‘endurance’ that ‘will gain your soul’ (verse 19) is also not mere heroic persistence. Saving endurance is a gift of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
But let me ask some questions:
A problem that continues to dominate parish priorities is the emphasis on buildings rather than people. Are there ‘building blocks’ we need to knock down so we can start again and care for little people like the poor widow who is passed over in this reading?
Is it time to rebuild, to become the kind of temples God really wants?
Should we change church politics and priorities for God’s politics and priorities?
In pursuing God’s vision for the future of the Church and the Kingdom, are we relying on our own knowledge and strengths?
What risks are we willing to take for our core values?
How would you be prophetic and offer hope in the face of the current ‘earthquake’ we are facing with the rise of racism on the streets of Britain and Ireland, or the increasing downward spiral into authoritarianism in Trump’s America?
How do you read the signs of the times when it comes to global events?
Have you a vision for a new heaven and a new earth (see Isaiah 65: 17-25)?
How do you balance concerns for the wider world with those for the widow and her small coin in your parish?
‘The days will come when not one stone will be left upon another’ (Luke 21: 6) … the ruins of the Parthenon on the Acropolis in Athens (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Today’s Prayers (Sunday 16 November 2025):
The theme this week (16 to 22 November) in
Pray with the World Church, the prayer diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), is ‘In the Shadow of the Carneddau’ (pp 56-57). This theme is introduced today with Reflections from Bishop Andrew John, who stepped down as Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Bangor on 27 June:
‘As I write, I’m gazing at the snow-capped peaks of the Carneddau range in North Wales. Carnedd Dafydd and Llewelyn rise sharply to nearly 3,500 feet, offering both beauty and challenge, even if less dramatic than Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). These vast outcrops represent some of the most stunning terrain in the country. However, climate change is making snow less predictable. Weather patterns are clearly shifting, with human activity being the major driver of these changes.
‘The Psalmist understood the world’s dynamic nature: “He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. But at your rebuke the waters fled” (Psalm 104: 5-7). Could the writer have foreseen a time when the earth would change in ways that harm life?
‘While Christians recognise the earth’s distinction from the Creator, Scriptures show the intimate relationship between God and all creation. The earth praises God through its beauty, energy, and lifegiving force.
‘This understanding makes us resolute to protect the earth’s integrity. As the COP gathering takes place, let us make decisions that reflect our responsibility to sustain life and preserve the environment, using the knowledge we have to shape a healthier future for all.’
The USPG Prayer Diary today (Sunday 16 November 2025, II Sunday before Advent) invites us to pray by reading and meditating on Luke 21: 5-19.
The Collect:
Heavenly Father,
whose blessed Son was revealed
to destroy the works of the devil
and to make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life:
grant that we, having this hope,
may purify ourselves even as he is pure;
that when he shall appear in power and great glory
we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom;
where he is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
The Post-Communion Prayer:
Gracious Lord,
in this holy sacrament
you give substance to our hope:
bring us at the last
to that fullness of life for which we long;
through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Additional Collect:
Heavenly Lord,
you long for the world’s salvation:
stir us from apathy,
restrain us from excess
and revive in us new hope
that all creation will one day be healed
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Yesterday’s Reflections
Continued Tomorrow
‘When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified’ (Luke 21: 9) … ‘Humanity’s Contempt for Humanity,’ Peter Walker (2015) in an exhibition in Lichfield Cathedral marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)
Scripture quotations are from the
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
http://nrsvbibles.org
‘War’ by Richard Klingbeil (2009), original acrylic on canvas, 22 x 28 … along with Titanium White, the artist used only two colours, Prussian Blue and Burnt Sienna
