Sermon 8-4-13 Trust in God's Way

Scripture:  Luke 12:13-34
      It was customary for people in Palestine to take their disputes to respected Rabbis; but Jesus refused to judge this property dispute. Instead he used the request to teach what his followers’ attitude to material things ought to be. Jesus spoke both to those who had an abundant supply of material possessions and to those who had not.

     To those lucky enough to have financial resources beyond what’s required for daily necessities, Jesus told a story about a man who wanted the security of enough possessions to last him a long time.  It reminds me of the ad on TV, will you outlive your financial resources? Let us tell you whether retirement is possible and how much money you will need. This man never saw beyond himself. There is no parable which is so full of the words, I, me, my and mine. Despite his over-abundance of goods, the one thing that never entered his head was to give any away. His whole attitude was the very reverse of Christianity. Instead of denying himself he aggressively affirmed himself; instead of finding his happiness in giving he tried to preserve it by keeping.

     BUT, many of Jesus’ hearers only had just enough to live on and there was always the prospect that one day they wouldn’t have even that.  Most of them would have perhaps one spare garment, but not more. As with many in today’s world, both in the non-Western world and in this country, one disaster—a family member being sick or injured, for example—could mean hunger or homelessness. It was to these followers that Jesus gave his clear and striking commands about not worrying over food and clothing.

     Jesus knew how afraid people in his day were. And Jesus knows how afraid people are today.  And so he offers us words of comfort. There’s nothing to be afraid of, he says. God is with us and wants the best for us. God wants the kingdom to be ours both in the here and now and forevermore!

     All of Jesus’ examples have to do with building our lives around things that can’t be stolen away easily. If we center our lives on our possessions, then our whole lives will be about protecting and keeping those possessions -- so much so that we may live in constant fear that they will be taken from us. Even our neighbors become suspect and unworthy of our trust. Will they keep a neighborhood watch out for us? Or might they be the ones who will break in and rob us of our precious possessions?

     As we accumulate stuff, we find we must lock our doors, protect our neighborhoods, circle our wagons, form our tribes, all in an effort to keep that which is most sacred to us safeguarded against potential thieves who might come in the night and try to steal the things that make us happy: our giant screen televisions, our computers and gaming systems, our stereos and cars and boats and jewels.

     The problem is not money, but making money our god.  The question is: Do you count on money to guarantee your security or God? Unfortunately, if we believe that money can satisfy our deepest needs, we discover we never have enough. If we look to money for security, then we end up counting, tracking, and stock piling money. Just think about how much of the news today relates to what’s happening with the stock market. Doesn’t that show how obsessed we are with money?

     Jesus invites us to serve the God who is infinite and whose love for us and all creation is infinite as well. Love operates differently than money. I’m sure you’ve all noticed that when your second child came along, you didn’t divide your love for your first child between the two children. Suddenly you had more love, more than you could possibly have imagined before. The more love you give away, the more you have. Love – and especially God's love – cannot be counted, kept track of or stockpiled. When you serve God, you live in a world of abundance, of possibility, of contentment. In God’s world – Jesus calls it the "kingdom of God" – not worrying actually becomes possible.
     When Jesus speaks of “treasure in heaven,” this doesn’t mean treasure that you will only possess after death. “Heaven” is God’s sphere of reality, which, as the Lord’s Prayer suggests, will one day spread over the entire earth. The kingdom of God is bringing the values and priorities of God to this world. Those who welcome Jesus and his kingdom-message must abandon the greed and anxiety of the world and live by the values and priorities of God.

     The grace of God means something like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you.

     We can decide to center ourselves in the God who generously gives and not in our own egos which greedily grab. One of the consequences of such a life is joy.   Christian joy is not an escape from sorrow.  Pain and hardship still come. So often when they come we realize that there is no way we can protect ourselves from the events that really change our lives. There is nothing we can do to guarantee our well-being. The really important events in our lives are beyond our control: a sick or injured spouse or child, the death of a spouse or child. We can only live confidently leaving our needs in the hands of an all-knowing, steadfastly caring God. The kingdom of God is about living a life turned toward God, turning, facing, yearning, reaching out to God with trust and hope.

     Can we believe the words of our Lord? Can we let his love and his promises take away our fears? Can he free us to live with courage and conviction, hope and trust? Can he inspire us to store up treasures in heaven rather than on earth? Jesus urges us to center our lives on the God who created us and who wants us to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven! God, the creator, loves to give good gifts, loves to bring you his care and rescue.

     I know, I know, it's hard to believe in God’s world of abundance -- this world that invites us to trust God's faithfulness like a flower does spring or to sail upon the currents of God's love like a bird does the air. This is the world Jesus invites us into: a world of abundance, generosity, and new life. But it is also a world of fragility, trust, and vulnerability. Which is why we have to choose. We can’t worship both God and money. The most powerful Lord in the universe, the creator of all things, wants to hear our voices, and speak to us. How we respond to God’s request for our time and attention is a good measurement of whether Jesus is our Lord. Those who live lives turned toward God may confidently leave their needs in the hands of an all-knowing, steadfastly caring God.