sermon; may 25

May 25 2008The Second Sunday after PentecostIsaiah 49:8-16 Psalm 131I Corinthians 4:1-5Matthew 6:24-34
If someone were to ask me what was the one thing that I love best about summer, I really do not think I could answer. There is just so much, so many things that I love about summer. So, instead of coming up with the one thing….I wonder what might be on my list of top ten things I love about summer.
On my list would be corn on the cob. Baseball. Going out for ice cream cones. Ice tea brewed in the sun. Lake Michigan. Long days, evenings on the deck. Morning coffee on the deck. Fishing.
What would be on your top ten list of summer?
There is just so much to love about summer. On the one hand it would be impossible to come up with the one thing we love best. On the other hand, we might be able to come up with a list of our 10, 20 or 50 favorite things.
Fr. Mark David Janus of the Catholic Information Center commented to me this past week that his vision of summer is of God coming to the door to ask us if we can come out and play. What a great image for summer. It was a long cold winter, so many days, so many nights when snow and ice and wind caused us to cancel our plans. So many days and nights when we just had to stay home. Now, its is summer, and God is at your back door asking you to come and play. If we play with that image a bit, perhaps you might ask God, what he wanted to do. God, would say to us…..its up to us, God wants to do, whatever it is that we want to do. Its summer, the days are long, and bright, the evenings cool. Its summer, God says, its yours. Lets do whatever you want to do.
On this memorial day weekend, we have the whole summer ahead of us. There is so much time to play. So many things we want to do. The children among us, the child within us can’t wait to get started playing. But, perhaps the adult voices in our heads are not quite so excited. In fact, many adult voices are more than a little bit anxious. We are anxious about many things, the economy, the war, family issues, health issues, disasters around the world. This anxiety has been growing more noticeable over the past six or seven weeks. The anxiety grows every morning when we go out and drive past the closest gas station. Each day we anxiously wonder, “How much is gas today, $3.75, $3.80, $3.99, $4.20?” Who could have imagined? The other day I saw gas for $3.98 and I almost pulled over because it was so cheap. Gas prices, economic worries can make adults very anxious indeed. How much will gas cost by the end of the summer? Can we afford our vacation? Can we do everything we want to do this summer?
God is at the back door, asking if we want to come out and play. Perhaps, we are so anxious that we say “no“. Perhaps anxiety has sucked the play right out of us. Perhaps, on this first weekend of summer fun, we are tempted to tell God that gas is so expensive that we can’t come out and play this year. What a mistake that would be.
This weekend we move back to a more ordinary time in our liturgical year. After our weeks of readings devoted to Lent, Easter, Pentecost and Trinity, we return to where we were in Matthew’s Gospel way back in January. We return to Jesus and the sermon on the Mount. The Gospel for today is a gift for us this holiday weekend.
In this section of the Gospel Jesus warns us that it is impossible to serve two masters. Any earthly master we serve will make us slaves. When we make wealth our master, we become slaves to money. The economic fears that grip so many reveal that truth that slavery to wealth can destroy us, can destroy nations, indeed devotion to wealth can destroy the planet. Jesus is not telling us that wealth and money are not important. He is not telling us that food, and clothing and life are not important. He is simply stating a truth that when we devote ourselves so completely to any earthly master we in fact, are making ourselves slaves. Serving God makes us free. Serving any other master makes us slaves. Serving God gives us life. Serving any other master gives us death. Jesus is not telling us that we should live in a state of denial. The message not to worry does not mean that we pretend that energy is unlimited or that we pretend that we live in a day when gas was 35 cents a gallon. Rather, Jesus says, don’t let anxiety become your master. Do not become slaves to worry.
Jesus is inviting us to open our eyes, Come out and consider the birds of the air, and the lilies of the field. As you admire their beauty, as you admire the beauty of creation, consider that the God who cares for them, cares more deeply for you. Come out and play and as you enjoy the delights of summer, consider the God who delights in you. Consider the goodness of God, the love God has for you, and do not be anxious. It is not that the necessities of life, food, clothing are not important. Of course they are. But, Jesus is telling us, do not let anxiety about them rule us. He is not telling us not to think about the future. Rather he is telling us not to let anxiety about tomorrow rule our life.
Jesus is inviting us this memorial day weekend not to let high gas prices ruin our summer. Don’t let the anxieties of life cause you to miss the invitation to come out and play. Consider the birds of the air, the lilies of the field, and glory of creation. Know of the love God for you, and give thanks.
This morning friends we give thanks for all the things we love about summer in Michigan. It may be that we will not be able to do all the things, or go all the places we would like, It may be that we cannot do all that we did last year. Still, even with gas moving up from $4.20 a gallon. Even with the realities of the numerous crisis and tragedies our world faces, there is still so much to celebrate, so much to delight in. Even though plans may have to change, may have to be adjusted, it is still summer, it is still a holiday weekend. God is still God. God is still knocking on our door, God is still inviting us to come out and play.