Audio recording is here.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
Fear. It’s in the
air.
Fear that the economy will fall back into recession. Fear that you’ll lose your job. For the unmarried person, fear that the
person you ask out on a date will say no.
Fear that the Royals will lose! Fear that the politician you hate the
most will be elected President of the United States. Fear that you can’t pay next month’s
bills. For me, in the weeks before I
arrived at St. Luke’s, fear that the new parish might be slow to accept me. Fear that you won’t finish an important
project at work by the deadline. Fear
that God isn’t here beside you as you struggle through this life. Fear that you will die alone and unloved.
Fear. It’s in the air.
Our Gospel passage from Luke begins with Jesus saying to his
disciples, “Do not be afraid.”
This isn’t the first time that Luke uses these words. This is the same message given to Zechariah
when the angel told him his wife Elizabeth was pregnant with Jesus’s cousin
John the Baptist. It’s the same thing
the angel said to Mary at the Annunciation when she was told she was pregnant
with God’s son. It’s the same thing that Jesus proclaims to Saint Peter before
he tells him that he will be a fisher of men.[1]
“Do not be afraid.”
In the previous cases in Luke, “Do not be afraid” comes
before the announcement of a significant event.
Something daunting, something life-changing.
In this case, Jesus says “Do not be afraid, little flock, for
it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” This is no small
matter, it is just as daunting of a message as the angel telling Mary that she
is pregnant with God’s son.
Out of his own delight, God gives us the kingdom. The
word kingdom is hard for us to relate to.
The last time we had a king in this country, we rejected his authority
and declared our independence! The
kingdom of God refers to an inbreaking of God’s love, peace, freedom and
justice into the world. We will never see the kingdom of God fully realized in
this life, but only in the life to come.
We see inbreakings of the kingdom of God in this life in what
is often referred to as “thin places.”
Thin places are moments in which time itself seems to stand still and
the divide between this world and the next is very thin indeed. In these thin
places, God’s love becomes tangible to us and we get a glimpse of heaven itself. The sacraments are thin places, and particularly
the Holy Eucharist, where we are transported in time to the hill upon which
Jesus died and we are fed the bread of heaven and the cup of salvation. In these thin places, heaven kisses earth.
But thin places are not only to be found in the
sacraments. They are also found in the
face of the homeless person you see on the street corner. In the cries of the sick person you are
nursing and taking care of. And in
subtle things like hugging a child. Hearing those repetitive words “I love you”
from a family member.
The thin places happen all around us, whether we’re aware of
them or not. How do we predispose
ourselves to be aware of them? Through consistent
prayer, Bible study, silence, contemplation, selflessly serving others, and regular
reception of the sacraments of the Church.
Without these things, we aren’t able to put aside our fear and be aware
of the inbreaking of God’s kingdom around us.
Do not be afraid, for God is giving you his kingdom of love,
peace, freedom and justice.
It is in this context that Jesus tells his disciples to sell
their possessions and give alms, and make purses for themselves that do not
wear out, an unfailing treasure, where no thief comes near and no moth
destroys.
When we graciously accept God’s loving kindness towards us, when
we are intentionally aware of the thin places that we encounter throughout our
lives, it is then that we are led to share that love and compassion with
others. Jesus is telling us to put first
things first! To be concerned about the
things that truly matter in life.
In the past couple of weeks, one of my employees at the bank
had to miss a few days of work due to a very sick parent. We have been under deadline for a few
important projects, and the timing couldn’t have been worse. I was planning on having a serious talk with
her on her first day back in the office, about the importance of finishing
these projects on time as we had committed to do, but ironically, before I
could schedule the meeting, I started reading through our gospel passage today
and became convicted that in this case, I needed to put first things first. I almost overlooked a thin place that was
right in front of me. God was using her
to extend compassion, healing, and love to her extremely sick mother. I was being driven by fear about finishing the
projects late, but God said to me, “Do not be afraid, for I am giving you the kingdom.”
What gives you anxiety in your life? What are you most afraid of? What is keeping you from recognizing the thin
places in your everyday life?
Jesus then goes on and tells his disciples to be ready! Be dressed for action and have your lamps
lit! Be ready, for the Son of Man is
coming at an unexpected hour!
In the same way that the kingdom of God is seen partially in
this life and fully in the next, so too is the command to be ready for both now
and eternity! Jesus comes to us at
unexpected times throughout our ordinary lives.
In the face of the poor person we see at the street corner. In the hug given to us by a friend. In the simple words, “I love you”. In the bread and the wine at communion. But he will also return at the last day. We aren’t being called to “be ready” out of
fear of punishment, but in anticipation of blessing. The certainty of Christ’s coming is not a
cause for panic, but a cause for watchful anticipation for blessing.[2] This call to be ready isn’t a cause to be overly
critical of our own sins and failings, but rather to be ready to receive
blessings like we could never imagine. To
be watchful and ready for thin places in this world, to be watchful and ready
for the whole shebang in eternity. To be
ready for the foretaste of the heavenly banquet when we receive communion in a
moment, and to be ready for the heavenly banquet itself in eternity with God.
Do not be afraid! For
God, out of his own delight, gives you his kingdom of love, peace, freedom and
justice. When the world around you
brings about fear and anxiety, do not be
afraid! Be watchful for the
inbreaking of God’s kingdom in the thin places.
And be ready in anticipation of Christ’s coming, both now and for all
eternity.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen.
[1] David
Lyon Bartlett and Barbara Brown. Taylor, eds., Feasting on the Word:
Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox
Press, 2008), 335.
[2]
Ibid 338.
No comments:
Post a Comment