Don’t be afraid: God is pleased to give you the reign of God, here and in the world to come, for you and for all creatures and the creation.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, Lect. 19 C
Texts: Luke 12:32-40; Genesis 15:1-6; Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

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

Don’t be afraid, Jesus says.

God-with-us says it is God’s good pleasure to give you the reign of God.

Trust that, Jesus says. Trust that no matter what you think about the world, what you fear, despair about, all will be made new in God’s reign. Trust that no matter what you think about yourself or whether you’re worthy, God loves you unconditionally and says you are welcome, forgiven, beloved, enough. So you don’t have to be afraid.

For the second time in a couple weeks, you’re invited to trust God. And once again, Abraham’s trust is your model.

Two weeks ago Abraham trusted God’s nature, God’s goodness and mercy and spoke his heart to God. Today, he learns to trust God’s promises.

This is such a powerful moment in the history of God’s people that Paul builds a whole theology of grace out of it, and the writer of Hebrews spends a lot of time considering it. Abraham and Sarah are very old, and the promises God made seem impossible to Abraham. How can they have a child? Where will this promised land be? How will his descendants bless the whole world? Nothing has come of these promises. He’s leaving his goods to a slave since he has no heirs.

But God speaks to him, again, and says, again, “no, it will be your own children that will continue this promise.” And God shows him the stars and says, “that’s how uncountable your family will be.” And once again Abraham trusts. That’s what amazes Paul and the writer of Hebrews. With little evidence, Abraham continues to walk in faith, to serve God, to await the fulfilling of God’s promises. Look at him, they say. You could trust in that way, too.

But what promises are we talking about here?

Not Abraham’s list, so what is this reign of God? Hebrews here focuses on the heavenly city yet to come. There’s also a lot in this letter about our earthly pilgrimage, but here the writer says the ultimate promise of a life to come is what these faithful followers of old trusted from God.

And this is the reign of God Jesus promises: you can trust you have life to come after you die, a home in God’s heavenly reign. Even if you can’t see it, it’s there. But since no one can see this promise fulfilled unless they die, trust is your only option with this.

And yet, Jesus says God’s reign is also here now, in this life.

Jesus, the face of the Triune God for us, lived and proclaimed a reign of God here – on earth as in heaven, as he taught us to pray – where no one goes hungry. Where all who are thirsty are filled. Where strangers and aliens are welcomed and loved, where people imprisoned are cared for, and the sick and destitute are brought healing. Where the naked and homeless are clothed and sheltered. All that is promised for here.

And yet, this world doesn’t look at all like that. We live in a country that despises and abuses strangers and aliens, that burns 500 tons of food meant for starving children rather than give it to them, that targets vulnerable children and adults for abuse and hatred and exclusion under law. And the same is happening all over the world. There are few signs that God’s promised reign is here.

But, like Abraham, you’re asked to trust this promise anyway. Because what else Jesus says today.

The problem isn’t the promise. It’s how the promise is meant to happen.

Jesus’ coming as God in our flesh was to enlist God’s children, enlist you, enlist me, in making God’s reign happen here.

So Jesus says “don’t be afraid, God’s reign is yours” and then immediately says how you’ll be a part of this reign. Sell your possessions and give to those who lack, he says. Always be dressed for action, lamps lit, ready to serve God wherever needed. This is how God’s reign will happen. When you and I keep at it, doing our work, being God’s love.

Didn’t Christ say “you will serve me when you serve someone who is starving, or thirsty, or naked, or sick, or in prison, or a stranger”? When you serve the world in love, you’re in God’s reign. When you see God’s face in all people, you’re in God’s reign. When you realize God’s Spirit is in you and in all, you’re in God’s reign. When you see God in your enemy and are drawn to love them, you’re in God’s reign.

And remember, this is all God’s idea, God’s passion.

We didn’t come up with the idea of this reign of God that you and I so desperately want to see happen here. Everything we care about – justice, ending oppression, welcoming all, making peace and shelter and food and safety for all, building a world of hope and healing – all this is the Triune God’s idea first. God’s reign. God’s plan.

We sometimes forget that. We despair because we see so much wrong and think we can only do a little. But this is the Triune God’s dream, that all live in God’s reign. You can’t see how your little part, your love, your kindness, your activism, your devotion, your prayer, your work, is going to affect the whole thing. But you don’t have to. Let God see the big picture. Trust God is bringing this reign about, and do what you find yourself called to do. That’s how it will happen.

Don’t be afraid. The Triune God is pleased to do this, Jesus says.

Even if you die – and you will – there is life in God’s reign waiting for you. Trust that, and don’t be afraid of death.

And since God is also bringing this reign here, you get to be a part of that, too. If you can’t see how that could be, look at Abraham and remember he trusted with very little evidence. Ask the Spirit to help you find that trust, too.

And even if you and I don’t live long enough to see this all come to be, that’s OK, too. God’s got the big picture. As you serve and love as Christ, you’ll see parts emerge that bring joy.

So don’t be afraid. God has promised this and will do it. You can trust your life to it. And the life of the world.

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

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.