But juxtaposed against that is a life of great uncertainty for all of us, a time when our institutions, those entities in society upon which we have depended, our temples, are crashing down around us - not one stone left on another. We are left with rubble and trouble. In Luke 21, the last scene of Jesus' public ministry, he stands at the temple entrance and paints this stark picture of misery. The holiest ground you know, he says, will tumble down around you. Where you stand in awe today will one day be ruins.
Every temple is a doomed house.
They may die of natural causes as we who inhabit them die or move on. Or they may die by the violent assault of outside forces. In the beginning the temple is a tent, simple and supple with room for a Spirit to billow through. Our values are wrecked. Every day we read or hear something to make us cringe.