The grind and anxiety of modern life can make us as “What was it all for?” But our risen life in Christ leads us to contentment that leads to true joy.

Vicar Natalie Wussler
The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Lect. 18 C
Text: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23; Psalm 49:1-12; Colossians 3:1-11; Luke 12:13-21

Beloved in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

What was it all for?

Our readings today beg us to ask this question–a teacher at the end of their life, tired and regretting all their time working, spending time doing things they thought would make them safe and happy, calling it vexation and vanity, meaningless and painfully temporary.

And a rich man, so focused on himself that when he has an abundant harvest, he stores up for himself and plans on a life of luxury with no mention of anyone else to share it with. But his life ends that night and his plans go to waste.

And Jesus tells this parable in response to a man that wants Jesus to settle inheritance arguments with his brother, instead of restoring his relationship with his brother and loving him…

Where is the joy in that? Where is the hope?

What was it all for?

These are not the Scriptures we want to hear on a Sunday morning, they don’t immediately proclaim the good news that uplifts us and heals us. Instead, they confront us with our own anxieties in the grind of modern life, the endless pursuit of more, and the lie that if we work harder or have more, we’ll finally be safe and happy. 

But what was it all for?

Ecclesiastes calls it chasing the wind, Jesus calls it foolishness. And we know it all too well. We see how this endless pursuit of stuff, of success, of money digs its way into hearts and minds, and goes far beyond responsible planning for the future and turns into greed and self-centeredness. We’re horrified when we see our leaders make decisions out of greed that ends up hurting millions of people. Or when we realize just how much of our society rewards and perpetuates greed and grind culture.

But what hurts the most is when we, as children of God, fall into the same traps, when we catch ourselves believing the lie that more stuff, more money, or more influence will make us happy, or will provide us the safety and security that we crave. When we try to live a life of generosity, but we still stumble into greed. When we let fear and self preservation guide our decisions and priorities. This way of life is exhausting, and makes us feel empty and anxious, like we’re walking around with the cares of the world like a suit of armor, weighing us down.

And this way of life is so deeply woven into our world, it can feel impossible to break free.

But hear this.

We’ve already been freed. “You have been raised with Christ.” That’s past tense. As in already done, decided, finished. Christ has already freed you from that way of life and already took off the armor and clothed you in love. A different kind of life is accessible for you. Christ sealed this promise in your baptism and took away the things that lead you to sin, death, and greed, and gave you a new self, a new heart, and a new mind, one that helps you live into this simple truth: Life is a gift and love is the point.

Life is a gift, and love is the point. 

And when we live knowing this truth, everything changes. We realize that we were brought into existence by the love that created the universe. And we’ve been given this one life to live abundantly. And that abundance has nothing to do with anything that this world could give us. And now our life’s purpose is to live in God’s love that already abides within us, to be God’s reconciling and healing love embodied, to serve and to share with others, and to become fully aware of how interconnected we truly are.

Our hearts, our priorities, and our actions begin to change. And when we truly grasp that life is a gift and love is the point, the things that we once chased lose their grips on us. Success no longer looks like personal gain, it looks like lifting someone up. Security no longer comes from our things or our bank account, it comes from God’s ever-lasting presence in our lives. We start to make decisions not out of scarcity and fear, but out of compassion and trust in the Holy Spirit. 

We no longer see other people as obstacles or competitors, but as fellow image-bearers sharing in God’s reign with us. And the posture of our lives shifts from self-preserving to self-giving, from grasping to generosity. And God transforms our toil and work into opportunities for service and our possessions into gifts we use to bless others. Beloved, God’s spirit is always making you new and leading you into deeper trust and a renewed sense of purpose for this one life.

There will be days when this transformed life feels hard. Somedays you’ll stumble and fall back into old patterns. The love and the service you do, feels like too big a sacrifice. But Christ is with you and helps you set your mind on things above and reorients your thoughts, desires, and energy to God’s vision for your life. 

This transformation is not an overnight thing–it’s a daily process of renewal and growth. Ask anyone who’s picked up a new sport and they’ll tell you it’s hard at first. You make mistakes. You feel weak. But God is with you, molding you into the person you’ve been called to be, helping you wake up everyday and choose love, reminding you that you have everything you would ever need for this life in Christ, because you’re drawing from the overflowing well of God’s goodness. And over time, the things you thought were impossible for you become possible, and then they become instinct, because love becomes who you are.

And our love isn’t just dust in the wind and it doesn’t fade after we die. We pass our love along, from person to person, it’s nurtured by generations of spirit-led people and, like a mustard seed, blooms into an abundant garden that changes cultures and minds, and leads us into a more loving future.

And that, friends, is a good way to live a life.

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Trust in the goodness and mercy of God that you know, and live heart-to-heart with God, speaking your mind, listening, and expecting God to answer and change you and your life.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, Lect. 17 C
Texts: Genesis 18:20-32; Luke 11:1-13

Beloved in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Abraham trusted God. That’s the heart of this story.

There’s no question Sodom was a city of great sin and evil. Abraham likely agrees with God’s assessment of the city. And yet he stands face-to-face with God and begs for their lives, for mercy.

Abraham only knows goodness and mercy and justice because he knows God, because he learned them from God. And now, amazingly, he’s the one to remind God of God’s own values and goodness. Because he trusts in the very nature and truth about God.

The people of Israel’s understanding of God needed to catch up to Abraham.

When they looked back at their entry into the promised land, something archaeologists are pretty sure was a gradual event, they described it as a great conquest, whole cities burned to the ground in God’s name, every living thing killed. The Hebrews were like everyone else. If your god was worth anything, it would destroy your enemies.

But as they considered Abraham’s talk with God here, a crack appears in that understanding. In the end, they interpret the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as usual, that God destroyed the cities and their wickedness. Except they remember that their ancestor argued that God’s true nature, God’s true justice, was different. They start to think maybe it isn’t God’s justice to destroy, but to offer mercy.

By Jonah’s story, that crack is wide open. There’s another an evil city, but now God demands the right to mercy. Jonah wants God to be a proper god and wipe them out. But now Israel knows what Abraham did, God’s true nature is mercy and love, not vengeance.

And the God revealed in the face of Jesus embodies that love.

Everything Abraham knew, now Jesus reveals in his life, teaching, mercy, death, and resurrection.

A few chapters earlier in Luke’s Gospel, as Jesus and the disciples traveled, they weren’t welcomed in a Samaritan village because Jesus was a Jew. James and John wanted to call fire down from heaven on that poor little town. Jesus rebuked them. Abraham’s vision is reality: this isn’t God’s way.

At Gethsemane what Abraham understood becomes truly clear. God’s response to wickedness and evil is to take it on and bear it. God’s final answer to Abraham’s plea is revealed: I will not destroy, I will forgive by taking on death myself. In this, I will bring life. At the cross we see God is a just and loving God who shows mercy, not vengeance. A God you can trust.

And now you’re ready to hear Jesus teach you to pray. There are three things.

Ask, Jesus says, and you will receive. “Ask” can trap you, if you have a limited view of prayer, God as divine vending machine. It’s what most people think prayer is. Jesus says asking is good, he encourages it. But Jesus instantly refocuses by saying God’s answer to every ask is the Holy Spirit. Whether you pray for the health of others, the pain of the world, your own struggles, God’s answer is “I am with you.” And since God’s answer to your asking is giving you the Spirit, your answer will also likely include “go, with my strength, to be my grace in that situation you are praying for.”

“Search and you will find” is maybe the most important of the three. When was the last time you thought of prayer as “searching”? But Jesus is clear: search for God and you will find God. If your search is for meaning, purpose, guidance, hope, direction, you’ll find that. God’s Spirit is yours. If you’re searching for where God is in this broken, frightening world, you’ll find God, and hope. You’ll find God is never on the side of hate, or exclusion, or oppression, or violence. God is always on the side of love, and restoration, and mercy. And when you search, you’re on a journey, with the loving Spirit of God at your side, encouraging, strengthening, giving wisdom, comforting, laughing, crying.

And please “knock” on God’s door, Jesus says. It will always be opened to you, and you’ll rediscover that God is living inside you in love and grace. God’s door is the door into your own heart, where you join to the life of the Triune God through the grace of the Spirit.

It’s all about trust, Abraham shows.

Abraham models a beautiful way of living with God, trusting God to speak your mind, even to challenge or criticize, but also receiving God’s strength and grace and promise. Just remember to leave space in your prayer for your listening, too. God will have things to say!

Because God’s way is goodness and mercy and love. And when you trust that core nature of God, when you search for God constantly, the Spirit will change your heart fully, transform your understanding of God’s nature even more, and the world, and help you hear how you will bear God and God’s love in the world. And even be God’s answer to the prayer of someone else.

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen