Passage for Sunday: Luke 12: 22-40
Note: The lectionary passage is Luke 12: 32-40, but that feels like a passage sundered. The longer piece feels more intact as ‘one'.
22 He said to his
disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will
eat, or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For
life is more than food and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider
the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn,
and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And
which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life? 26 If
then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about
the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow:
they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory
was not clothed like one of these. 28 But if God so
clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown
into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith! 29 And
do not keep seeking what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not
keep worrying. 30 For it is the nations of the
world that seek all these things, and your Father knows that you need
them. 31 Instead, seek his kingdom, and these
things will be given to you as well.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for
it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell
your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear
out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth
destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also.
35 “Be dressed for action and have your
lamps lit; 36 be like those who are waiting for their
master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for
him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those
slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will
fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve
them. 38 If he comes during the middle of the night or
near dawn and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39 “But know this: if the owner of the
house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have
let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready,
for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Luke 12: 22-40 “in other words.” (It's a way of reflection, of 'getting at' what the passage speaks to me).
Do not let your worries be about what you eat, about body
image, about your wardrobe. Consider the
ravens, they eat, they don’t have barns, but God cares for them. You are worth so much more in the eyes
of heaven. And worrying, does that add
an hour to your life, does it improve any part of your body image? If you cannot control the small stuff, why
worry about the stuff that is out of your control? Consider the lilies, God gives them a better wardrobe
than Solomon’s finest, but here today, gone tomorrow…
God takes care of the ravens, takes care of the flowers, how
much more will God do for you? Don’t
worry about this stuff. Nations worry
about this stuff, and God knows what we need.
Aim for God’s kingdom instead. It
is God’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom.
So, instead of collecting possessions, sell them, give alms
to support the less fortunate. Make a
wallet for the treasure of heaven, which does not wear out, which is unfailing,
which is guaranteed 'theft-proof', where no moth or critter can infest and destroy.
Put your treasure there, because where your treasure is,
your heart will surely follow.
You want to be ready for something? Want something to work toward? Be prepared for action like servants expecting
their master after a wedding reception. Be
prepared for whenever he gets home, whether midnight, later…or earlier into the
morning. Because if you are ready, instead
of serving, you will be seated and waited upon by the master for your alertness.
If a homeowner knows when the thief is coming, he will be
ready to prevent anything from being stolen. But the Son
of Man, after He has ascended, is coming back at an unexpected hour.
And some first thoughts…
On first
reading, our passage looks like Jesus is laying out a contrast. Where should people of faith invest their
energies, personal, emotional, psychological; and where should they not? Although, its actually flipped, first where
not to invest these energies and then where to invest these energies.
Don’t
worry, because God is in control. Be
prepared for Jesus’ return, because God is in control. In Jesus lies our treasure, in this life and
in the life to come.
An observation...
It felt a little awkward as a reader to be talking about the return of Jesus so 'early' in the gospel narrative, well before Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension. This is where Gospel differs from Fiction, for example. In a Novel, chapters build toward a climax and a resolution. In the Gospel, each segment is written against the background of the whole story of Christ.
Peace,
pastor pete
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