Get ready for a shake-up

by Linda Macqueen

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… The time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down (Luke 21:6).

Read Luke 21:5–19

Imagine that Jesus is looking at you right in the eye and telling you that everything you’ve built your hope on is about to crumble, that even what you believe about God and his promises is sinking sand. That’s pretty much what Jesus is telling his disciples in today’s text.

For the disciples and all devout Jews, the temple was much more than a building. It was the very heart of their worship, the place where heaven and earth met, and the dwelling place of God among his people. Its grandeur was a visible sign of God’s presence and his promise of enduring faithfulness. So, what Jesus was saying, that ‘not one stone will be left on another’, was utterly shocking – and this, coming from a rabbi!

Jesus was preparing the disciples for the day when everything they thought they knew about God and how he works would shatter. The temple had reached its use-by date; God was about to create a radically new way of living among his people. Jesus’ declaration to his disciples – about the fall of the temple and the awful hardships ahead – was a harsh one. But the disciples’ religious foundations had to shatter, so they could build a faith on the Rock that would last forever.

Still today, God, in his great love for us, will not allow us to build our lives on anything less than Christ himself. From time to time, he will rattle us, causing the foundations of our self-made security to tremble. If necessary, he will even shake us free of our religious rules and rituals, if they are what we are building our hope on. God will do whatever it takes to make us cling to Christ alone.

Jesus, my Rock and my Redeemer, what is it that you are asking me to let go of today? Help me to place my trust not in what can be lost (no matter how noble it might be), but in you alone, my eternal Saviour who holds me safe, no matter what is crumbling beneath my feet. Amen.

Linda Macqueen retired in September 2025, having served 26 years as editor of The Lutheran and Communications Manager for the LCANZ. She has rapidly adapted to retirement, happily and energetically bringing her long-neglected home and garden back to life. She lives in the beautiful Adelaide Hills with her husband, Mark, and with their household’s lord and master, Nelson the rescued galah.

The power of song

by Tim Klein

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Sing to the Lord a new song (Psalm 98:1a).

Read Psalm 98

Sometimes, we can feel totally powerless and out of control. We don’t always understand what God is doing, and things are happening around us that distress and wound us. The world is in turmoil, and even Australia, which has known relative peace, experiences unrest. God’s word has gone out into all the world, yet so many reject and oppose him. Many people loved by God – even some in our own families – have rejected his love and salvation.

All these things can distress our hearts. They can unsettle our faith and call into question God’s faithfulness. We can feel powerless in the face of such distress. But there is a power greater than all of us. God is still God! He rules. Nothing can change that.

What a privilege that we can connect with the Lord’s power in many ways. That happens when he feeds us with his own body and blood in holy communion. It also occurs through the direct power of God’s word, present and at work in our lives.

There is another significant power that God gives us: the power of song. In the face of our struggles, he tells us to sing: ‘Sing to the Lord a new song!’

Tell the Lord’s story in song. Be reminded of all he has done, is doing and will continue to do for his people. Sing of hope. Sing of past and present mercies. Sing of miracles and mighty acts. Join with his creation – with rivers and trees, seas and mountains. With them, we praise and honour our God.

Not only does this honour and praise the Lord, but it gives us power and courage in the face of darkness, and brings light and hope into our lives. It empowers our lives with hope and the promise of God’s continuing lordship over all creation.

Lord of all: open our eyes to see your presence and what you are doing in the world. Open our ears to hear your voice all around us. Open our hearts and minds to acknowledge and praise your wonderful name. Open our voices to sing a new song to you every day. Empower us to live with boldness and hope as your living and active presence in the world. In the name of Christ. Amen.

Tim is a recently retired LCANZ pastor. He enjoys spending time with family, connecting with neighbours and gardening. This is the season of flowers: beautiful irises, anemones, proteas, leucodendrons and leucospermums – and roses! They all give witness to God’s glory and grace.

Betrayal and grief

by Tim Klein

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The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: ‘O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you – O Absalom, my son, my son!’ (2 Samuel 18:33).

Read 2 Samuel 18:19–33

The saga of Absalom is over. Absalom and his lustrous locks lie in a stone-covered pit. The king, his father David, mourns for his death. ‘O Absalom, my son, my son.’

Given Absalom’s betrayal, why did David mourn with such grief? This son, a son whom he loved greatly, had conspired against him, attacked him and caused grief in the households of thousands of soldiers. Does he deserve the grief of his father?

Contrast this with the death of David’s son from Uriah, which we read in Monday’s devotion. The boy is dying, David is fasting and weeping, pleading with God to heal him. When the boy dies, David simply gets on with life. We don’t hear about any significant grief – nothing at all like his grief over the death of Absalom.

I am wondering if there is some crossover with Jesus’ thoughts when he said, ‘I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance’ (Luke 15:7).

It’s as if the boy, who was young and had done no evil against David, is not mourned because he is safe and saved. Whereas Absalom, on the other hand, has committed so much betrayal and violence that David is mourning his eternal loss.

There’s no easy way to explain this double-sided dealing from a human perspective. But what about from the Lord’s perspective? I’m still reflecting on this.

I’m caring for a dying man as I write this. He’s a man of faith. Yes, his family and I will mourn his death, but we will also celebrate and give thanks to God for his life – here and into eternity. God will welcome him safely home: Well done, good and faithful servant – enter!

God grant that our families and loved ones will mourn us, not with deep, explosive grief, but with certainty that we are safe and saved.

Father, we ask in Jesus’ name for a sure and certain faith and trust in you as we commit our loved ones into your keeping. Keep them in faith. Let their hope and ours rest in you. Amen.

Tim is a recently retired LCANZ pastor. He enjoys spending time with family, connecting with neighbours and gardening. This is the season of flowers: beautiful irises, anemones, proteas, leucodendrons and leucospermums – and roses! They all give witness to God’s glory and grace.