Video and written sermon for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
Genesis 15:1-6 Hebrews 11:1-16 Luke 12:22-40
O Lord, your words are a lamp to our feet and a light unto our path. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.
These words of Jesus about anxiety, selling possessions, and being ready for the coming Son of Man, are not isolated sayings. At this moment he is standing before thousands of people. The words we hear today are a continuation of last Sunday’s reading that focused on the Parable of the Rich Fool. We recall that Jesus introduced this Parable because of a request from someone in the crowd. “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
The Parable is for everyone who is there. It serves as a word of law that convicts those listening who have intentionally or inadvertently placed their trust, their faith, in the security of the material possessions and wealth at the expense of faith in the Lord. Additionally, there is no thought for what comes after one passes through the gate of death unto eternal life. They think that life only consists of the here and now.
Today, we hear what immediately follows the Parable. The Gospel reading begins, “And he said to his disciples.” There is no reason that we should interpret what Jesus says here as applying specifically to the twelve apostles. Luke carefully makes distinctions between the twelve Apostles and Jesus’ additional disciples. In Luke 6, Jesus designates twelve men as Apostles. They are the inner circle. In Luke 9, Jesus sends the twelve apostles out with authority to preach and heal in Jesus’ name. In Luke 10, Jesus sends out 72 disciples to preach and to heal in His name. Already, there are a large number of people who have placed their faith in Jesus. They do not yet know the full story of his crucifixion and resurrection, but the Holy Spirit has created faith in them and they are following him. This is a Rabbi of God who is worth listening to and imitating!
We can safely assume that as Jesus speaks so that everyone can hear him, he intends his encouraging words about living faithfully in this world to lay hold of the hearts and imagination of his disciples. What Jesus calls his disciples to do naturally creates anxiety. Questions arise.
So, if they do not put their faith and sense of security in their material wealth and possessions as Jesus says, what are they to do? If they do as Jesus says, to live lightly in this world, sell their stuff and give it away so that others benefit, what are they to do in case of an emergency? What if the rains don’t come or the floods persist? Where are they to lay their heads at night? What are they to do in their old age? What about leaving a legacy for the grandchildren? We are all responsible people, thinking of the present and the future, we can easily imagine the myriad questions going through the original disciples’ heads as well as the rising anxiety within them. We can all agree that living by faith is not easy!
It is no easier for us in 2025 America. Knowing that Jesus’ request to sell your possessions and give to the needy in its radical form is intended for that group of disciples does not let us off the hook. Because we have to constantly examine our lives, engage in introspection and make sure that our physical stuff has not taken the place of God in our lives. Jesus says, “For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.”
We, the baptized, understand that we are alive by God’s grace. Because the Holy Spirit has instilled faith within us, we believe that this life is not everything and that there is a life to come. We confess this in the third article of the creed every Sunday. We want to make sure that our Old Adam and Eve has not pulled the wool over our eyes. We do not want to suddenly discover that our true treasure is possessions and investments and not Christ. So, Jesus speaks to us too.
Jesus calls us to live with faith in Him and to keep our eye toward the future. Jesus, the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected time. We want to be ready for when Jesus comes. We do not want to be caught unawares when our life is unexpectedly demanded of us. We do not want to be filled with the wrong kind of belief like the Rich Fool.
And who of us, regardless of how secure our relationships, how solid our financial portfolios may be, have not been caught up from time to time in excessive worry or outright anxiety?
We hear Jesus’ words to us. They strengthen our faith. We desire to trust Him above all things. Jesus died for us on a cross. He forgives us of all our sins. We give Him our worries. We give Him our anxieties. We give Him ownership of all aspects of our lives. We trust Him for our future. Our ultimate future lays in His resurrection.
Our faith is further strengthened by the testimony of the accompanying texts. Abraham received God’s call with faith. It was accounted to him as righteousness. He followed God, leaving all that was familiar, to go wherever that the Lord leads. Despite the fact that he and Sarah did not have children of their own, they trusted the Lord’s promise that they would have a son. Scripture bears witness that God fulfilled all of his promises.
Chapter eleven of the Letter to the Hebrews is rightly called the Faith Chapter. By faith, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, lived. They are with the Lord. They are at peace. As we continue on in faith, we heed the counsel and testimony of God’s Word. We love and trust Him above everything else.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment