The
word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid…I am
your shield; your reward will be very great.” [Genesis
15:1]
Our
soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. Indeed our heart
rejoices in him, for in his name we put our trust. Let your loving-kindness…be
upon us, as we have put our trust in you. [Psalm
33:2-22]
Now faith is
the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen...For he
looked forward to the city that has foundations; whose architect and builder is
God...they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. [Hebrews
11: 1,10, 16a]
Do not be afraid, little flock…Make purses for yourselves that
do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven...For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also...Be dressed for action and have your lamps
lit...You must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. [Luke
12:32a, 33b-35, 40]
We are what we
love. There is no difficulty in understanding and recognizing the truth of
the statement from Luke’s Gospel that where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also. It is worth the time to consider where it is that we
place our hearts, especially as, if by nothing else but the sudden starkness of
random tragedy, we are reminded by current events, and the Gospel, that earthly
life is startlingly, and all too often, abruptly short. What material treasure in
this life is so important that it disconnects us from the path to that Heavenly
Country prepared for us by God?
There is much to do to be ready for the return of the Son of Man. In
arranging our lives around what is truly important, placing far less emphasis
on the material and much more on the spiritual, the unfailing treasure in
heaven is the goal for which we were created. Paul reminds us of the
strength of the faith of Abram, not yet Abraham, to leave his home not even
knowing where he was headed, and God’s promise to him was fulfilled through the
innumerable descendants from two old people who seemed to be nearly as good as dead.
Faith work seems especially hard in these days and times with so many delicious
or frustrating or fearful distractions that keep us from centering ourselves on
our soul's vocation: Full-Time Faithful Followers of Christ.
One key is obvious, move toward the simplicity of reducing the accumulation of
unnecessary things, activities, and diversions, and do I have loads of all of
that! Another is to begin and end each day in prayer and find moments
throughout the day to offer thanks (in between asking for help) or just a quick
acknowledgment of God's Presence. Another is genuine, unplugged (electronically
and otherwise) Sabbath time. Let us put ourselves in God's way and allow God
to get in ours. Yes, yes, I know, I'm working on it, I'll get to it as soon as
I finish writing this, cleaning that, paying the bills, checking on-line
bargains, texting, arguing on social media posts, and did you see this hilarious cat video...
Part-time Christianity
isn't what God has in mind for me or for you. Our Heavenly Broker is all about: Vocation Vocation
Vocation ~ using our life's work as preparation for the unexpected hour when we
will be called to the City of God. Light that lamp. Be dressed for action, now. Be prepared to abandon
earthly appointment calendars to be called forward into an unknown
destination. Don't let time slip by unnoticed. Several times a day
take a long slow deep breath in as you think: “Dear Lord!” And then, as you
slowly let that breath out think: “Thank You for this Breath!” There are more variations of “breath prayer” than any one can imagine.
And, most of all, do not
be afraid as God said to Abram, and Jesus to his disciples. Now is the
time to be energized by the love of God in Christ continually flowing through
us. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things
not seen now and in an unexpected hour. Time to rethink: What is the treasure
now calling my heart? Oh and we can still make time to laugh at that cat! It's a fun part of Creation after all.LET
US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O God, our Help and our Shield, our souls need not wait for
Your love that is already within us and around us every moment of our lives. As
we rejoice in Your loving-kindness, guide us to awaken each day ready to
abandon our human plans in obedience to Your call, unafraid, even toward an
unknown destination.
Most Loving Lord
RESPONSE:
We
put our trust in You
~ O God, our Help and our Shield, open and fill us with
true conviction to stand among all who lead in this world, this nation, and our
community seeking the assurance and the delivery of things hoped: justice, the
rescue of the oppressed, and the defense of those made helpless through
ignorance, poverty, and greed. We pray especially for: add your
own petitions
Most
Loving Lord
We
put our trust in You
~ O God, our Help and our Shield, release from despair
all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and grant peace to all loving
helpers. We now join our hearts together to pray for those in need… add
your own petitions
Most
Loving Lord
We
put our trust in You
~ O God, our Help and our Shield, our sorrow lifts as we know
our loved ones live again in the boundless joy of Your Heavenly Country, and
the City You have prepared for them in eternity. We pray especially for… add
your own petitions
Most Loving Lord
We
put our trust in You
~ O God, our Help and our Shield, we pause in
this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions
Most Loving Lord
We
put our trust in You
~ O God, our Help and our Shield, we give You thanks for
those You have called to gather us, Your flock, in Your Holy Name. Grant that
our hearts become the purse of Your unfailing treasure that radiates divine
love to friend and stranger, beloved or divided. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions
Most
Loving Lord
We
put our trust in You
The Celebrant adds: Creator, Almighty, You are the Architect
and Builder of all that is, seen and unseen. In our short and temporal sojourn,
urge us to prepare our souls continuously for the unexpected hour when the Son
of Man returns. We ask in the name of Christ Jesus, the Living Word; and the
Holy Spirit, the Revealer of Truth; who together with You are One God,
infinitely, eternally, forever. Amen.
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