PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION

“When he awakened from sleep, he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it…. This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:16–17). In the Celtic world that gateway is present everywhere. In every place is the immediacy of heaven. In every moment we can glimpse the Light that was in the beginning and from which all things have come. As Oliver says, “The threshold is always near.” We can step over this threshold and back again in the fleeting span of a second. In a single step we can find ourselves momentarily in that other world, the world of eternal Light, which is woven inseparably through this world—the world of matter that is forever unfolding like a river in flow.”

―John Philip Newell, The Rebirthing of God: Christianity’s Struggle for New Beginnings

Old Testament Readings

Psalm 50:1-18; 22-23

The Acceptable Sacrifice

A Psalm of Asaph.

1 

The mighty one, God the Lord,
    speaks and summons the earth
    from the rising of the sun to its setting.

2 

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
    God shines forth.

3 

Our God comes and does not keep silent;
    before him is a devouring fire
    and a mighty tempest all around him.

4 

He calls to the heavens above
    and to the earth, that he may judge his people:

5 

“Gather to me my faithful ones,
    who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”

6 

The heavens declare his righteousness,
    for God himself is judge. Selah

7 

“Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
    O Israel, I will testify against you.
    I am God, your God.

8 

Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
    your burnt offerings are continually before me.

22 

“Mark this, then, you who forget God,

    or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver.

23 

Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me;

    to those who go the right way[a]

    I will show the salvation of God.”

Footnotes:

a Psalm 50:23 Heb who set a way

Let those who are wise give heed to these things,
    and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

New Testament Reading

Luke 12:32-40

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 servants 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[a] would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

Footnotes:

a Luke 12:39 Other ancient authorities add would have watched and

As we’ve discussed, the gospels say a lot about the Kingdom of God, or God’s Presence and even the word “Kin-dom”.  It is in our midst, its embodiment is deep and abiding relationship with one another and with God.  In so many ways, we cannot see or hear the Kingdom if we are not striving for authentic relationship with each other, ourselves, and God.  It’s all one thread that weaves throughout life.

This morning, our text says that God is giving us God’s Presence, this is our treasure if you will.

Now, when I see that word treasure, I think of looking for treasure chests, or material possessions of some sort.  

As a kid, I would have things that were of value to me, things like baseball cards, toy soldiers, a favorite souvenir, or something.  I’d put them in a special place where they’d be safe just in case someone broke into our home.

Later, as an adult, I’d have a safety deposit box, which I still do as many of us do.  In that box, we store things that we value or that we simply want to keep safe as they may be hard to replace.  

Yet, God’s Kingdom, our treasure, can’t be locked away, it’s in our midst, all around us, pulling us towards each other and God…finding the gift of the joy of being connected with each other and God’s purposes in our lives together and with God.  

And, on the contrary, God’s Kingdom, our treasure, is about putting material possessions in their proper place, which is a place of not holding on too tightly.  

As we talked about last week, we can’t take our material possessions with us, and that’s not God’s economy or measurement of wealth.  God values relationship, that’s what gives the energy for creating, saving, sustaining…that’s the treasure.

So many times, we hold on to material treasure, but Jesus is saying that we are called to share it, to be give it away.  To bless the poor and one another.  Why?  Well, certainly to meet needs, but also to empty ourselves of possessions that keep us separated from one another.  It’s also meant to say that if we bless others, take care of them as best we can, we can then have the joy of entering into relationship with them.

God’s kingdom treasure is about taking away barriers that may keep us from embracing others, ourselves, and God.  God’s Kingdom treasure has much more to do with our becoming fully human as we were created to be in the first place.

When we are able to love and share freely with others, to move from transactional relationships to truly transformational relationships, we experience joy and purpose.  When we invest in others, that is a deposit or even a dividend of that deeper treasure that cannot be destroyed.  However, as our scripture in John 10 says, we can let thieves in that steal away that joy…we listen to voices that are divisive, mean spirited, anxious, and lead us towards a sense of deep selfishness and even a loss of self.  

Jesus tells us this morning to take stock on where our treasure lies…if it is with things that pull us apart, then we will be fragmented and produce nothing good and cause us to be in states of deep separation from one another, but if it’s on the Kingdom, or Presence, of God, then it will bring unity, peace, and bear good fruit that blesses others.

We must be on watch for the Kingdom of God in our midst.  God’s desire is to give us Godself, it brings God pleasure to be with us.  We are given purses that don’t wear out… God’s presence is with us, holding us in tension and in beautiful ways.

We are called to be aware of God’s presence around us, to keep our lamps lit in the darkness in order to recognize when God, the master of the banquet laid out before us arrives.  This master is hosting an amazing gathering for us, wanting us to have glimpses of love and grace…wanting us to be awake, green with growth, and alive to the wonderful work of becoming more human in the way of Jesus.  

Jesus also warns us to be on the watch for the leaven of the Pharisees, the substance that they want to give us, the substance of control and scarcity, leads us to a misunderstanding of God’s purpose.  God does not simply desire piety from us, God desires live, abundant life.  The leaven that God offers fills us, nourishes us, makes us come alive.  There is a thief that comes to steal from us the fullness of God’s presence in our lives, God’s joy and revelry in who we are in our humanity, yet Jesus comes to make us aware and to live in the present moment with God and others.

Here are three things this parable says to be aware of:

1. 1.The master provides for this who have eyes to see, who have been faithful, or trustful, with keeping their lamps lit…those who want to see.
2. 2.Jesus calls us to be vigilant.
3. 3.Jesus wants to reveal to us the nature of what it means to be truly human as God intended.

Friends, let us remember God’s actions on our behalf through Jesus, let us remember that God’s leaven is Jesus…and Jesus’ body, Jesus’ life nourishes us…let us also remember that Jesus poured life into us, giving us the courage to live as the truest humans we can be…it takes time and practice, but this action reminds us of Jesus’ coming to us to call us into being the people we were created to be, the people we’ve always wanted to be.