Monday, August 5, 2019

Luke 12:32-40 - Week of August 5th- August 11th

Luke 12:32-40 - Sermon for August 11, 2019
          Series: Learning From Jesus
          Tentative sermon title: Learning to be Ready



Day 1: Reading through the text, making notes, and observations

·      This follows the things we looked at last week: Our relationship with our possessions – the things we feed our soul
·      Also follows the “do not worry passage” God takes care of the ravens and the grass – God can and will take care of you – worry gets you nothing

32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
 "Do not be afraid "- this is what angels say to those to whom they are bringing a message from God - these are words that are suppose to bring calm to the hearer
"little flock" - I like the idea of believers collectively being a "little" flock - to mee this sounds endearing and calming
 God will give you the kingdom – the things of heaven – the riches only God can provide – when we are “rich toward God” then it is God’s kingdom that is what is gained


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.
The opposite of building “bigger better barns” and storing all we have in them to protect them and keep them safe, is selling what belongs to us and giving to those in need.
Purses that do not wear out – every woman’s dream ;) – but seriously –things that hold God’s riches do not wear out
Treasure in heaven –the same kind of language as “rich toward God” – that which is eternally valuable – has value beyond the possessions and wealth we can accumulate  


34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
What we value is where we “live”- Jesus calls us to dwell, to live in God’s kingdom and live by the rules and live into the culture of God’s kingdom
“thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth . . .” – here, now
 Where we hold what we value is where we live, are we living in God’s kingdom and living in God’s culture or are we living in this world and ruled by the culture here


35 “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit;
I wonder what “being dressed for action” looks like. Was this a military image? Or an image of household life in 1st century Palestine?


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.
Earlier in Luke, Jesus tells us if we knock, the door will be opened, but here Jesus is knocking – well it seems Jesus is the master in this context
These two verses seem to harken back to the Parable of the Bridesmaids from Matthew 25


37 Blessed are those slaves 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.
Having them sit down, eat and then serving ones servants/slaves was not common behavior for masters, even ones who are extremely pleased with the work that has been done.
This is a role reversal – slaves serve their master – but here the master serves the slaves – Markers of God’s kingdom? – The culture of the kingdom? – Traces of the way in which Jesus turns everything upside down with his life, teachings, death and resurrection?


38 If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
This seems to point forward to the parable Jesus tells directly following this passage. But it also reminds me of the parables about servants in Mark 13 and Matthew 25


39 “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.
If any of us knew when the thief was coming . . . we would not have anything stolen
Don’t be an unattended house?
Be ever vigilent – but ever vigilent about what, toward what?
We are not to worry – like ravens and grass – but we are to guard against thieves
What are we guarding?
Do we spend too much time and effort guarding the wrong things? Like our “stuff” – bigger better barns to keep our “stuff” safe, when we should be rich toward God and instead be building purses or barns that cannot be too small and can not break?
The first question is what is it we value?
The Second is where are we storing that stuff?
Where we store our stuff is our kingdom, and what kind of stuff we are holding as valuable will determine where we are storing it.
Where is our kingdom?


40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
And all this has to do with being ready
Ready for God’s kingdom to truly come – we pray for THAT ever Sunday, are we ready for it?
Are we prepared for God’s culture to be the dominant culture, by already living into that culture here and now?
Are we living out God’s values now by valuing what God values and not what our society tells us is valuable?


What does all this tell us about being ready?
What is it Jesus is trying to teach us here?
What is Jesus saying to us, 21st century disciples?



Day 2-3: Reading Commentaries and taking notes

Day 4: Thoughts derived from my commentary reading

“Do not be afraid“

We live in a time and place where there is much fear – it is almost as if Jesus speaks across the millennia to us telling us to not be afraid

These are scary times – I was going downtown to go shopping with the girls this week and paused for a hot second and wondered, “is it safe to there?” after all it is a crowded location with lots of people


“Father’s good pleasure”

Good pleasure is a gracious decision in favor of  - this is God’s grace toward us at work

God is good and God takes pleasure in giving to us, in comforting us, in the midst of the often frighten world in which we live


“give you the kingdom”  

The kingdom of God is given to us. God graciously gives all that is God’s kingdom to us

Reminds me of the beatitudes . . Do no be afraid; for the kingdom of God will be given to you

The Gospel is Good News – reminds me of a my friend Jonathan Phillips’ definition of evangelism, “communicating (through words and/or actions) what God has done in and through Jesus Christ in a way that is received as good news.”

This follows a passage about not worrying about what we eat or wear and now he says just sell it all – only keep what has real value – only hold on to that which can be held in eternal storage

Jesus moves from anxiousness to financial stewardship

Our anxiety including financial can get in the way of being ready

Being ready is allowing Jesu to relieve our worries of keeping our stuff by giving it away freely

We are ambassadors of the kingdom which God gives to us; ambassadors of a kingdom ethic security is not found in what we have or the gathering of possessions

Our bent toward sinning (as Wesley puts it) is often manifested in a bent toward consumerism and materialism – this gets in the way of being the kingdom people God is calling us to be – how can we take a hold of God’s kingdom when we are holding on to the values and what is considered valuable of our current kingdom?

Jesus is calling us to give up our life of anxiety for a life of devotion by providing for the needs of others


“sell your possession and give alms”

The Disciples had left everything to follow Jesus

Sell what you have and give to the needy – this is not giving from what is extra, from what you can spare – this is sacrificial giving, giving of yourself

 “alms” – charity – a particular kind of contribution to the needy that is an act of mercy


“treasure in heaven”

A vision of a society where wealth is seen differently

Where we invest our wealth matters

Do we value God and God’s kingdom over and above what we own?


“watchfulness. . .”

Detaching from our possession is a way to be ready

Readiness is faithful fulfillment of an assigned responsibility


“dressed and ready for action”

Akin to, “let your loins be girded

This mean you belt your robe up so that it is up and out of the way so you can do work
Being ready is the sign of a good servant – ready to do the work

 “Master” – Lord – words used interchangeable to translate ‘kurios’ – Jesus is Lord.

Role reversal – the Master serves the servant – sit down relax – recline

The master is returning from a banquet and the servant is asked to take the position of one at a banquet.

But being a servant of Jesus Christ means that we can be surprised by a master who serves us even as we are ready to serve him

Being ready of the coming of Jesus is not found in anxieties and possessions but instead being devoted to Kingdom lifestyle

Readiness is trusting the Lord – relying on Jesus in a violent world – Do not be afraid. . .

Living kingdom lives is giving up our anxiousness, giving up our worry, choosing to not be afraid and living lives instead which communicate peace

Jesus is calling us to be a non-anxious presence in an anxious and fearful world – we live into something different – we live upside down lives in this world

Fear not! Ours is the kingdom

Let us continue to pray, “God’s will be done.” Here. Now.




Bibliography:
Johnson, Luke Timothy, "The Gospel of Luke", Sacra Pagina Series vol 3, edited by Harrington, Daniel J., The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 1991.

TanneHill, Robert C. , "Luke", Abingdon New Testament Commentary, edited by Furnish, Paul Victor, Abingdon Press, 1996.

Tedder, Roland. “Luke 12:32-40.” Aplainaccount.org, www.aplainaccount.org/luke-1232-40/.

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