Living a heavenly-kingdom-focused life

Sermon for Midweek of Trinity 9

1 Chronicles 29:10-13  +  2 Timothy 1:3-14  +  Luke 12:32-48

What did the unjust steward learn in Jesus’ parable? He learned the wisdom of turning one’s attention toward one’s lord and toward the end of one’s stewardship, the end of one’s life, forcing a person to focus his thoughts and his efforts, his time and his resources on what comes next, and on the importance of using the Lord’s resources at your disposal for things that will last into the what comes next.

Jesus made the same point in this evening’s lesson from Luke 12, where the Lord Jesus also turns the attention of His disciples away from the fear and worries of this life to His kingdom and to the end of their stewardship, too, to the master’s coming, which will be unexpected when it happens—unexpected, unlike the unjust steward who was told that his stewardship was coming to an end quickly, pushing him to act quickly to get ready for it, whereas we may still live on this earth for many decades. And yet, the Lord instructs His stewards to watch and to live as if our stewardship may come to an end at any time.

Do not fear, little flock, He says. That little phrase, “little flock,” is so comforting, isn’t it? Because we are well aware that the flock of Christ is truly little. Not as little as this congregation in Las Cruces or the handful of churches we’re in fellowship. No, it’s larger than that, but still, the flock of true believers seems very small. We look at the megachurches and the flourishing churches around the world, and we think, “They must be doing something right! We must be doing something wrong!” But Jesus has always known His flock as a little flock. He has always known His true believers to be few in the world. His flock was little then, and relatively speaking, it is still little now. It always has been, in Old Testament times, too. But sometimes we perceive its littleness more acutely, as we do today, when it seems like practically the whole world has moved away from God, including many who still call themselves Christians.

“Little flock” also reminds us of our relationship with Jesus. We are the sheep; He is the Shepherd. He is ultimately in charge of everything, including how big or small a church is in one place or another. Our job is to follow where the Shepherd leads, to listen to His voice, to feed on the green pastures of His Word and Sacraments, and to lead godly lives here on earth, just as He did, because we’re following in His footsteps, like sheep, not forging our own path.

Do not fear, little flock! Don’t be afraid. Of anything! Of poverty, sickness, disease, enemies, evildoers. Don’t be afraid that you won’t have enough. Don’t be afraid that there will be nothing for you after this life. Why? Because your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom, He says. It’s the little flock of Jesus that will inherit eternal life. It’s a gift that Christ has earned for us and freely gives to us by making us God’s children through Baptism and through faith. The kingdom of God is already yours, already ours. We just can’t see it yet, and so sometimes we worry about this kingdom here below, this earthly life, too much. We focus on it, because it’s the one we can see. But Jesus points us to that better kingdom that our Father has given us, to focus on it with the eyes of faith and to yearn for it.

So sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The command to “sell what you have” isn’t a literal command to get rid of everything you have so that you no longer own anything, as is clear from the rest of Scripture. It is a command to change your focus and your goal in life, and to live in line with that goal. Is this earthly kingdom your focus? Then it makes sense to acquire more and more wealth, to arrange your life around making a beautiful, happy life here on earth, so that everything else revolves around creating a happy life on earth. You may even be able to make your religion revolve around that goal, so that going to church is part of your life, part of what helps you have a happy life here. But Jesus would have you look at things entirely differently. He would have you make His kingdom your focus and your goal—the one that your Father has been pleased to give you—so that everything else revolves around preparing a happy life there.

If you do that, if you change your focus, then do you need that extra stuff you have to fulfill that goal, or could you sell it and give the money to some needy person or people? Do you need all that extra time you have that you don’t know what to do with? Or could you invest that time in studying God’s Word, or the Confessions of the Church, or in reaching out to someone to invite them to church, or in doing some act of kindness for a fellow Christian? That’s storing up treasures in heaven. And the more you treasure those things that last, the more you’ll order your life around piling up those things for eternal life.

So the message tonight, like the message on Sunday, is quite simple. Recognize God as the owner of all things here. Recognize Him also as your Father who has given you His kingdom. And then live and behave as those who recognize that you are servants and stewards of the Lord, who has commanded you to live with a heavenly-kingdom-focused life. As Paul wrote to the Colossians in chapter 3, If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Amen.