Do not be afraid little flock. It
is your father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.
It
isn’t supposed to be this way…
That’s
a thought that crosses my mind with increasing regularity. I wonder
if you feel the same...That things in the world right here and now
leave more than a little to be desired.
There’s
climate change
There
are food banks
There
area people mown down in mass shootings, simply because they found
themselves in the wrong place when someone deeply unstable decided to
exercise the right to bear, and to use, arms…
There
are beggars on the streets of our own city – just a few yards away
as we gather for worship this morning
There
are lonely souls shut up behind closed doors, not knowing if it’s
safe to come out, whether they’ll be welcomed or rejected.
There
are children – CHILDREN for
God’s sake – locked up in detention centres or entrusted to tiny
boats crossing a stormy sea (oh yes, THEIR parents desire a better
country for sure – they may simply be sadly deluded as to where
they will find it)
It’s
not an encouraging picture, is it?
Nothing
like the world I imagined when growing up, not even the world into
which I confidently bore my children.
It’s
certainly not the world that we read about in the great kingdom
prophecies of Isaiah, in the teaching of Jesus or indeed in any of
the aspirational passages of Scripture.
It
isn’t supposed to be this way…
So
– what are we to do?
Confronted
by the pain and disillusion of here and now – how should we
respond, as people of faith?
My
first reaction, I must admit, owes less to faith than to fear. I want
to gather those I love around me and circle the wagons...If the world
has all gone wrong, I want to protect them if I can, or at least
huddle together as we face the worst. There’s a lot of metaphorical
huddling that goes on as we listen to the news day by day – but
into this experience of anxiety, fear, even despair, I hear Jesus
speaking
“Do
not be afraid little flock for it is your Father’s good pleasure to
give you the Kingdom”
Do
not be afraid!
Really?
Why ever not?
Fear
seems perfectly rational to me!
But
I’m here to preach the gospel and am reminded of some wise
advice, that in preaching, the task is always to celebrate what God
is doing rather than to struggle with the demands and failures of
life here and now.
So
– what IS God doing – that might, somehow, be enough to encourage
us not to be afraid?
I
guess it all depends on where your treasure is. It's far too simple
to just focus on material possessions - but nonetheless, if those
things that you treasure most are firmly of this world, you may
well feel that God’s action is woefully inadequate (and that a
bit more human action, based on unconditional love, would not go
amiss either).
But
at no point does Jesus promise us a charmed life – quite the
reverse, in fact.
In
the world you will have troubles, he says….and that’s reassuring,
when the troubles come. They may not be welcome – but they don’t
indicate that God has somehow lost the plot. Not even for a second.
But,
despite the troubles we are not to be afraid because, whether we
deserve it or not, it is God’s good pleasure to GIVE US THE
KINGDOM.
That’s
extraordinary – and transformative, if we can but recognise it.
You
see, what we believe about the future absolutely shapes how we live
in the present.
We
remain conscious of that sense that “it’s not supposed to be this
way” - but instead of allowing that to halt us in our tracks,
frozen in futility, we affirm that this is not our permanent home,
not our eternal destiny.
We
desire, with all those Old Testament heroes, a better country...and
we press on towards it as best we can...sometimes confident of the
terrain, more often stumbling, having no idea where we are heading or
how we will get there….simply keeping going in a long obedience to
God’s call.
“Do
justly, love mercy, walk humbly”
Keep
moving forward faithfully, step by step.
Sometimes,
our faith may not bring us all that we hoped for.
We
try to trust God, to place in his hands our needs and those of the
people we love – but things don’t pan out as we’d expected.
Don’t
be afraid little flock.
God’s
got this.
Really.
Have
faith.
Do
not be afraid little flock – you’re aiming for somewhere
better.
Somewhere
where your heart can find a home, alongside solid joys and lasting
treasure
Somewhere
worth more than all the possessions you might cling to in the here
and now.
So
– like that rich farmer constructing giant barns whom we considered
last week, we’re invited to reflect on what we value most – what
is closest to our hearts.
And,
deep down, we all know that those things which matter most aren’t
things at all...though we seem programmed to grasp them with both
hands.
Let
me tell you a story, the story of a guy whose unlikely lifelong
ambition was to use the flying trapeze. To celebrate a significant
birthday some friends organised a circus skills day for him– and
suddenly, it seemed that this dream might be within reach. He had a
wonderful day, learning about high wires and low wires, about tight
ropes, slack ropes and safety nets...And finally the moment came when
he could, if he chose, finally live his dream.
He
found himself swinging in mid air, - another swing heading towards
him. This was the moment.
BUT
in order to fly, he had to let go of one trapeze, in order to grasp
the other.
He
HAD TO LET GO and trust.
That’s
faith.
That’s
the faith that sent Abram away from his roots, wandering in obedience
to a promise that was not fulfilled in his lifetime.
That’s
the faith that sends us into exile, moving us on beyond a place of
comfortable certainties, showing us that, in fact, we never really
belonged there...that we are wayfarers heading home
That’s
the faith that enables the serious disciple to do as Jesus says –
to sell possessions and give alms, trusting that in letting go of one
thing, we will be given something else, still more valuable…
Yes.
Letting go IS hard.
I
know that. You know that.
But
– it is the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom – and
his promises won’t fail.
So,
don’t fret about the state of the world, but do long for something
better...
Do
all you can to live into God’s future, making a difference here and
now, but don’t despair if your efforts seem hopeless.
Trust
that God will bring to pass.
The
Welsh priest-poet R S Thomas wrote about God’s kingom – coupling
a huge sense of yearning with the certainty that as we desire a
better country, that country’s borders are open to all
Listen.
It's
a long way off but inside it
There are quite different things going on:
Festivals at which the poor man
Is king and the consumptive is
Healed; mirrors in which the blind look
At themselves and love looks at them
Back; and industry is for mending
The bent bones and the minds fractured
By life. It's a long way off, but to get
There takes no time and admission
Is free, if you will purge yourself
Of desire, and present yourself with
Your need only and the simple offering
Of your faith, green as a leaf
There are quite different things going on:
Festivals at which the poor man
Is king and the consumptive is
Healed; mirrors in which the blind look
At themselves and love looks at them
Back; and industry is for mending
The bent bones and the minds fractured
By life. It's a long way off, but to get
There takes no time and admission
Is free, if you will purge yourself
Of desire, and present yourself with
Your need only and the simple offering
Of your faith, green as a leaf
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