Daily Readings - Tue Nov 23 2021

³And the king said to them, "I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream."⁹if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation."¹⁰The Chaldeans answered the king and said, "There is not a man on earth who can meet the king's demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean.²⁷Daniel answered the king and said, "No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked,³¹"You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening.³²The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze,³³its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.³⁴As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces.³⁵Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.³⁶"This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation.³⁷You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory,³⁸and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all--you are the head of gold.³⁹Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.⁴⁰And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these.⁴¹And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter's clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay.⁴²And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.⁴³As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay.⁴⁴And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever,⁴⁵just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure."

Luke

Chapter 21

⁵And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said,⁶"As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."⁷And they asked him, "Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?"⁸And he said, "See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he!' and, 'The time is at hand!' Do not go after them.⁹And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once."¹⁰Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.¹¹There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter profound messages about the transient nature of human empires and the enduring promise of God's kingdom. The first reading from Daniel recounts the interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, where a magnificent statue, representing successive empires, is toppled by a stone symbolizing God's eternal kingdom. This stone, hewn without human hands, signifies the divine origin and indestructible nature of God's reign. The dream not only forecasts the rise and fall of earthly powers but also assures us of God's ultimate triumph. The Gospel reading from Luke presents Jesus discussing the destruction of the Temple and warning against false messiahs. He cautions His disciples to remain vigilant amidst turmoil and deception, emphasizing that such events, though unsettling, are not immediate signs of the end. Jesus' words remind us that earthly structures, no matter how grand, are impermanent. True security lies not in physical edifices but in unwavering faith in God's plan. These readings converge in their reminder of the impermanence of human achievements and the eternal nature of God's kingdom. They urge us to remain steadfast in our faith, avoiding the allure of false promises and enduring life's challenges with trust in God. As we navigate our own trials, let us build our spiritual foundations on the rock of faith, knowing that while earthly kingdoms may crumble, God's kingdom endures forever. In this, we find our true and lasting hope.