#proper 14c

Possession is the Problem

Jesus tells us to sell our stuff and give alms. And none of us listens. Not because we love money, but we want control. Photo by Alexander Mils In a world of ownershipProper 14C  |  Luke 12:32-40 If I were to name the two things that are most likely to get a rise out of us, it would probably be these:  Jesus telling us to sell our stuff and give all our money to the needy.And Jesus telling us…

Sell your possessions, and give alms. (Proper 14C)

The easiest and hardest teaching at the same time. Sell your stuff and give the money to the poor. Just like that. Photo by Ekaterina Belinskaya Here are some ways I approach this text: ReflectionReflection on materialismBetween Proper 13 & 14Video Past Sermons: 201920162013

The urgency of giving

Jesus invites us to not only see our possessions as a prison, but the urgency of giving as a vehicle for freedom. For SundayNinth Sunday after PentecostProper 14C Collect Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives…

A look at the gaps in the lectionary.

This week: the gap between Proper 14C and Proper 15C.

Photo by Bithin raj from Pexels

I’ll be honest. The lectionary skipping over this text is a pretty solid move. It is bleak. And not just a little bit ripe for confusion.

Through the twelfth chapter, Luke has been committed to keeping it real with his disciples. Beware of the Pharisees. Your…

Jesus gives us a response to the questions of our time. In the face of fear and confusion, he offers something clear: a world to transform.

And you’re too afraid to answer Proper 14C | Luke 12:32-40

Photo by nappy from Pexels

When somebody says

“Do not be afraid,”

my first response is

Wait, should I be?

I want to know what he thinks I’m not supposed to be afraid of!…

A look at the gaps in the lectionary.

This week: the gap between Proper 13C and Proper 14C.

Photo by Timotej Nagy from Pexels

Last week, the lectionary jumped from the beginning of chapter 11 into the middle of chapter 12. What we skipped over were teachings in which Jesus expands the sense of what it means to love one’s neighbor.

It culminates with a confrontation which really…

Proper 14C Sermon

August 11, 2013

The Rev. Anne Lane Witt

Immanuel Episcopal Church

  Isaiah 1:1, 10-20

Psalm 50:1-8, 23-24

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

Luke 12:32-40

  Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

  “Do not be afraid!”  I don’t know about you, but I tense up a bit when I hear these words—sometimes more than a bit.

    Whenever I hear them, I think of my New Testament professor Deirdre Good asking us how we felt when we heard Jesus say, “Do not be afraid!”  Deirdre said the more common response to those words is not a sense of calm, but rather it gets our hackles up.

    Do not be afraid?  Yeah, right!  As I was in the midst of the chaos known as the first semester of seminary, in which I felt my life dramatically changing, those words did not bring immediate comfort.

    As Deirdre reminded my classmates and me, when we heard those words, we knew something big was afoot.

A steady diet of fear often keeps us from living our everyday lives, sometimes even keeping us from engaging more fully in relationships.

    Fear frequently paralyzes us, leading to actions that shut us off from the world.  Fear does not greet the world with open arms; it remains shut tight, preventing anything from getting in.

    We hear, “Do not be afraid!” time and again in scripture so that we can be open to being in relationship with God and one another, to being Christ-followers in the world.

    Do not be afraid!  Early in Luke’s Gospel, we hear this command from the angel Gabriel when Mary learns that she will conceive and bear the Son of God.

    Like I said, something big is afoot.  Do not be afraid.

    In this morning’s gospel, Jesus tells the disciples, “Do not be afraid[.]”  Something’s going on here.

  These words, often provoking our anxieties, are followed by some of the most comforting words.

Tell us, Jesus; what’s the good news?  Why should we not be afraid?

    Jesus tells the disciples, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

    It is God’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom!  Our heavenly father, who seeks to be in right relationship with us and for us to be in right relationship with our neighbors, wants to give us the kingdom.

    It is his good pleasure to share his love with us, love that knows no measure, but we have to be ready to receive it.

    As I read recently, “God doesn’t just want to give us some things.  God doesn’t just hope we do [all right].  God isn’t sitting around waiting for us to earn God’s favor or watching to make sure we’re toeing the line.

    Rather, God wants to give us the kingdom and all good things,” and because of this, we can hear Jesus’ commands in this passage in a new and freer way.[1]

    Secure in the knowledge that God loves us beyond measure and wants good things for us, we can feed right relationships with him, ourselves, and our neighbors.

    Simply put, we are freed from fear to be able to love.  We are freed to nurture relationships and overcome distances.  What relationships would we build if we lived secure in God’s love for us?

    Last night, many of you were here for dinner with pilgrims from the Dioceses of Liverpool and Virginia.  These youth and their leaders all stepped away from their normal lives to make new friends and have new experiences.

    They came together, bridging a gap of 3500 miles, to build up the Body of Christ, work that will bear fruit for years to come.

Last night, we got to participate in this journey, even if for a short while.  One of the Liverpool pilgrims described our feast as Eucharist at its best!

    In coming together, the pilgrims from Virginia and Liverpool prayed together, broke bread together, hiked, swam, listened, and learned together.  They participated in a field day with YMCA campers, serving God and neighbor.

    They broke down barriers, sharing deep experiences that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

They opened themselves to being on the journey, to planting seeds of relationship and to tending them with care.

    As I said last week, “Relationships destroy hypotheticals.”  The time the pilgrims spent together last summer and this summer ensured that God’s love for them is a reality and no longer a hypothesis.

    These pilgrims are saying farewell to one another today after another wonderful week together.  Secure in the knowledge that God loves them and that they have friends around the world, they leave us ready to be more loving in the world.  Secure in love, they are grounded in a beautiful reality and can follow Jesus in a powerful way: through love.

    As we walk our own journeys, may we, too, be grounded in love.  Do not be afraid.  Amen.