The Time will Come

The follow-up to the classic story of the widow’s gift (Luke 21:1-4), which Jesus tells to illustrate the religious leaders “devouring” the marginalized and taking more from them than they could afford, goes like this:

vv. 5-6, Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.

Though the disciples are impressed with the temple’s beauty, built on the backs of the poor, Jesus reminds them that it wasn’t built to last. No human building or human institution is - including City Church! (That’s actually a freeing realization, freeing us from feeling like we must build and protect the institution at all costs…)

Pray over these words from 1 Cor. 3:9-15 about the kind of building God is interested in:

You are God's field, God's building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done...

How are you experiencing Jesus as “foundation” these days? If your life or the community you’re part of (like City Church) is a building, what does it look like - what is it made out of, and how are you feeling about that? Talk with Jesus about these things.