Reminded Like Children--October 18, 2023

Reminded Like Children--October 18, 2023

"Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, 'I will never leave you or forsake you.' So we can say with confidence, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?' Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." [Hebrews 13:5-8]

When our lives are built on the reliability of God, we don't have to obsess over the instability of our investments, or the shakiness of our stock portfolios.  When we know we are held in the sure grip of God's enduring love, we can let go of our nervous clutching onto our piles of money... because we know what will really be there for us when it counts.  And it ain't the Dow Jones.

This is a pretty essential part of our faith as Christians, even though it never got codified in a Creed or a book of confessions.  But really it's at the hard of Jesus' message and mission. When our lives are grounded in the knowledge that God's love for us is unchanging and unrelenting, we don't have to seek our security in other things--not in getting more money, not in piles of possessions, and not in the size of our house or the balance in our 401(k). And that frees us up to share what we have with the needs of others.  When you know that you can count on God to be constant, faithful, and steadfast, you find yourself less inclined to look to money to be a back-up god for you.  And therefore we can let our money be used to help others rather than needing to be hoarded just for the sake of having "more."  We are able to love others more freely, confidently, and generously when we are assured that God's love will not bail out on us or give up on us.

I'll bet you've seen the same in children all the time.  When children have the assurance that they are loved and that their needs are provided for, they are much more able to share with other kids.  When they have the stability of knowing where their next meal will come from and that there are adults who will be there through the night, children are typically a lot better able to deal with changes or challenges in other parts of their lives.  But if kids are already dealing with the anxiety of not knowing if they'll get to eat tonight or whether there will be someone safe to go to when they need something, they are much more likely to be on edge, defensive, and combative.  When you know you are loved, you are much more able to offer love to others.  And when you are uncertain of love, it has a way of making you stingy and prickly.

We don't like to admit it, but we're not much different as adults, honestly.  And the writer of Hebrews wants us to see the important connection between being grounded in God's unwavering love and the freedom it gives us to love others well and freely.  Like children who are able to be kind to other children because they are loved at home, we are able to be generous with what we have because we know that we are loved by the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  We need to keep being reminded of that, like children.

Every so often, I'll hear folks from other branches of the Christian family tree make a sort of criticism out of us Lutherans and our emphasis on the gracious love of God beyond our deserving.  You may well have heard the critiques before: "Why don't you ever get beyond talking about God's unconditional love?" or "Why don't we hear more about what we have to do as Christians?" or "When will the preacher give more sermons about the requirements of discipleship and God's high expectations of us?" And, sure, there is more to the Christian faith that just hearing "God loves you already." We are called to a new way of life, and it does take learning and growing to step into that life. Sure.  But at another level, some part of us never leaves behind the needs of children to know that we are loved, so that we are then able to be generous with our love.  Some part of us will always need the reassurance that we are held in the grip of grace that will not let us go, so that we don't go seeking other (ultimately unreliable) sources of stability, like money, possessions, or status.  And to be honest, I can shout at a child to share with their classmates all day long and have it do no good if they are deep down insecure about whether they will be taken care of, too.  But when you help a child to know they are safe and cared for, it's almost like watching a flower open up as it blossoms to see the way they become generous and empathetic.  So for us as followers of Jesus, often the best way to lead us to grow in generosity and empathy is to help us to remember that we are beloved and unconditionally held in God's care.  That's why we Lutheran Christians (at our best) keep coming back to the love of God rather than bullet-point lists of what YOU have to do.  We're always children learning we are loved, so that we can be generous in giving away our love.

So hear it today, again, and let it sink in for this day's need:  you and I are loved unfailingly and unfalteringly by the One who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And just see what that does to unclench our fists, and to open our hands.

Lord Jesus, be your same constantly loving self so that we can open up to others in love, empathy, and generosity.