Sermon for 9th Sunday after Pentecost
God’s Good Pleasure
By The Rev. Eric Christopher Shafer -
Jesus said, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
These are words from our Gospel lesson this 9th Sunday after Pentecost. And, especially this week, I am having a hard time believing them.
And you know why.
There were two mass shootings within hours last weekend, the worst of which apparently perpetrated by a domestic terrorist quoting language often used by our President about the “invasion” of Mexicans into our country as his justification for killing 22 and wounding 24 others. Then this week, a massive immigration raid in Mississippi, leaving young children separated from their parents and forced to fend for themselves. The televised images were heart-rending.
The Dayton shooting was on familiar ground for Kris and me since we both worked at the Dayton Pastoral Counseling Center while we were in college and seminary and I used to make the late evening run from Rike’s Department Store in Springfield, Ohio to their downtown Dayton store with the daily cash register tapes.
These shootings happened while the Senate refused to take up sensible gun regulations, regulations supported by more than 80% of the US population.
And, of course, those are just two major news stories this past week. Global warming, racial divides, trade wars, war and threats of war throughout the world. Lots to fear, made worse by so many people who appear eager to play upon our fears and social media which makes is so easy to do so.
And Jesus tells us “do not be afraid.”
Of course, that is not all that Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel lesson. Jesus also tells us to sell our possessions, give alms, store up treasure in heaven, be ready for anything.
This is just too much. Even overwhelming. How do I do all what Jesus is asking?
At best, this text leaves me feeling guilty and confused. Sell all my possessions! I cannot do that. Why even bother? Let’s just stay home, avoid the crowds and watch bad “reality” television!
At least, that is my temptation. And I suspect you are not that much different than I am.
But, if we do this, we miss perhaps the most important line in this Bible passage – “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
The most important line in this passage. And, it is not a “line,” but a promise. When you think about it, it is a quite incredible promise – God wants to give us the kingdom. God’s plan is to include us as God’s heirs – “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” as St. Paul says in Romans 8. God wants and works for all good things for us.
Think about that statement in these fearful times.
It is God’s good pleasure. God takes delight in giving God’s children good things. Any parent or aunt or uncle or grandparent, anyone who has given a special gift to someone they love, these people understand this. There is nothing, absolutely nothing better than doing a kindness for, giving a gift to, or taking care of someone you love. Nothing.
And what is amazing is that this is also what God is like to and for us all. God is not a rule-enforcer or power player or power-hungry ruler. No, God is parent who delights in giving gifts to God’s children.
Now, this is probably not the dominant image most people have of God, probably not even the image that most Christians have of God. But it is no less true. We have a God who is by nature loving, generous, and gift-giving. And God does this simply because loving all people gives God pleasure.
And, God gives the kingdom to us. We do not earn God’s kingdom. We cannot earn God’s kingdom. We can only receive it as a gift from God to us, to us all. Because of Jesus Christ, God has given us eternal life with God. And it is a free gift to us, just because it gives God pleasure to give it to us.
And that, I suggest, makes the commands in this text easier to take. Our inclusion in God’s kingdom is by gift and invitation, given by God’s good pleasure. So, what follows from Jesus - sell possessions, give alms, etc. - what follows from Jesus are not conditions for God’s love for us, but an invitation to set our priorities in line with what God has already given to us. We are invited to live into the identify and reality of what God has already promised and given to us.
In short, when we realize that it is God’s good pleasure to care of us, love us, take care of us and give us good things, even God’s own kingdom, then it is a lot easier to give to others, rather than to hoard, to live with a sense of courage rather than a sense of fear, to operate out of a sense of abundance rather than a sense of scarcity.
In other words, God gives us freedom. Freedom to reach out to others with God’s love.
And, if that is true, and I believe with all of my heart that it is, even in the midst of my own fears, if that is true then we, each of us, can move beyond our fears – name our fears, pray to overcome our fears and work to address our fears for the sake of ourselves and the entire world.
If God wants to give us the kingdom than we can acknowledge our fears, name our fears and, hopefully, begin to overcome our fears. We can throw ourselves into the challenges of these days, the challenges of loving others, of sharing God’s love with others.
We can be ready for action for love in this world, just as today’s Gospel text calls us to be, ready to take our treasure and put our hearts to work for good in this world.
There’s a wonderful little hymn known to many of you and based on this text, “Have No Fear, Little Flock.” Because God has chosen to give us the kingdom, this hymn suggests we can let go of our fears, we can be of good cheer, we can praise God and we can do it all with thankful hearts.
Thankful hearts raise to God, thankful hearts raise to God, for God stays close beside you in all things works with you, thankful hearts raise to God.
Do not fear. God has promised God’s kingdom to each of us. God will stay close to you and work with you always.
Thankful hearts raise to God.
Amen.
(With thanks to the Rev. Dr. David Lose)
The Rev. Eric Christopher Shafer
Senior Pastor - Mt. Olive Lutheran Church
Santa Monica, California
Sunday, August 10 & 11, 2019
