The gospel for Friday of the 32nd week in ordinary time is taken from Luke 17:26 to the 37th verse. Jesus said to his disciples, as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot, they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building. On the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

On that day, someone is on the housetop. And whose belongings are in the house must not go down and get them. And likewise, one in the field must not return to what was left behind. Remember the wife of Lot. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it. But whoever loses it will save it.

I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed. One will be taken, the other left. There will be two women grinding meal together. One will be taken, the other left. They said to him in reply, where, Lord? He said to them, where the body is, There also the vultures will gather.

It is confusing to many people to see the God of the Old Testament being so destructive, destroying people. And we have to be careful because there is a metaphor involved in this that is crucial. The destruction of that which is, and then no longer is a sign of the growth of the kingdom. The destruction is everything that is not in touch with what is real. What is true is destroyed. And it’s more emphasized to me when you look at the way the ending is.

When the disciples are saying, well, where will we know this is happening? Why do you do this? When do you do it? He said, I do it when there is already death there and it’s spreading. That’s why he says, at the end where destruction is, the vultures have pointed it out because there is no life there. There is only death.

And he came to destroy death and bring life. After the music, I will close with a prayer. Foreign closing prayer. Father, bless us with the insight to know that when you are engaged in the work of making your kingdom present, it involves death and resurrection, losing and gaining. It’s a key to the way in which we are asked to see the world. It’s in a process.

And before it can become the kingdom of God, so much has to be revealed, shown to be what it is and destroyed. That’s the grace of the kingdom. And we ask this In Jesus name, amen.