The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
Baptism Sermon
Baptism Sermon
August 11, 2013 - Pastor Adam Moline
Genesis
15:1-6 Hebrews 11:1-16 Luke 12:22-40
Grace, mercy and
peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Our text today is from the Gospel lesson just read, especially these
words, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you
will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.” Thus far our text for today.
Dear friends in
Christ. The story is told
of a man who built his house down on the banks of the river. His friends warned him the day he laid his
foundation – “You’re too close to the river, what if there’s a flood?” The man boldly and confidently responded, “God
says Don’t be anxious about your life, and I know God will take care of me.” It wasn’t but a few weeks after construction
was completed that during a rainstorm, the river level rose quickly, and soon
the man was on the roof of his house surrounded by the raging flood. One of his friends came in a boat shouting “Hop
in, and I’ll save you.” The man
responded “God says don’t be anxious, and I am such a good Christian that I’m
not worried at all. God will save me!” Soon the water had risen further, and a helicopter
from the National Guard hovered overhead.
The man looked up and shouted, “Go away, I’m not worried at all! God will save me.” And as the helicopter flew away, the man was
washed away into the water.
As the man died
and entered heaven, the first words he asked were, “God, you said not to worry,
but that you would save me! What happened?” God looked at him, and responded, “I sent
your friends to warn you, I sent a boat to save you, and finally I sent a
helicopter to carry you out of the flood.
Why are you angry with me?
Don’t be anxious,
Jesus says. Don’t worry, have no fear
little flock! There are two ways that we
can take these words today – as a rule or as a promise. As a “Don’t be anxious or else!” or as a “Don’t
worry, I’ve got it” spoken by a friend. One
a rule, and one a promise. But we need
to know which way is the correct way to understand these words, because after
all, they are words spoken by the very living God incarnate. Is it a rule we are to follow, like the man
on the roof? Or is it something
different?
The way that we so
often take these words is as a law, as a rule that God want’s us to
follow. Don’t worry. Stop worrying, just be happy! Or else!
And that’s the way that we so often deal with things in our lives isn’t
it? Grandma is sick and dying, but I won’t
worry, God doesn’t want me to. The bills
are tight this month due to unforeseen expenses, but I won’t worry, God commands
me not to. Grocery costs have gone up
lately, how will I pay for the food we need?
School is starting again soon, and the kid’s need new clothes, but I can’t
worry, I can’t fret, I can’t stress out, because God says not to!
Dear friends, we
see what happens. The more we attempt to
not worry, the more we actually do. The
more we strive to not be anxious, the worse our anxiety grows! It grows in an ever increasing loop, until we’re
finally worry about not worrying about things that we shouldn’t worry
about!
So what do we
do? We work ever harder trying to
prevent the struggles of this world. We
work ever harder to build up a safety net financially, or a retirement account
for the future. We do everything that we
think is in our power to eliminate worries and struggles, and through it all we
end up trust in ourselves.
Dear friends, that’s
what is truly behind all our worries.
Its ourselves. It’s our own wants
and desires. It’s our own fears and
worries. Its because we are scared of
this world and the struggles it throws before us. We know we cannot overcome them. We know that we are always an accident or
illness or disaster away from destruction, and so too are our families. We see the families on the news that have had
tragedy befall them. We ourselves have
friends whose families have faced calamity.
And really, we too have had misfortune strike us where we are most vulnerable
– in our very hearts.
But dear friends,
when we worry about not worrying, we are still worrying! And when we are worrying, we are taking Jesus’
words as a command. Rather, Jesus’ words
here are a promise. Don’t worry, because
I have overcome the world. Don’t be
anxious, because I have won the victory over all sins, all worries, and all
struggles. Don’t be anxious, because
you, dear friends, are valuable to God.
Hear Christ’s
words in our text. Look at the ravens of
the fields. They neither toil or spin,
they don’t worry about anything, and yet God still takes care of them. And dear friends, how much more important are
you than they are? How much more does
your God care for you than for a silly little bird. You are the reason for creation. You are the reason for this whole world. God built it all for you.
And what’s more,
you are so much more valuable, each of you, than a little sparrow or
pigeon. You are so valuable to God that
he entered our world overcome by sin. He
baptized you to take all you worries and sorrows and pains away and to place
them on himself. Your anxiety became His
as he worried to the point of sweating blood in the garden. Your worries became his as he died for
selfish sin on the cross. His blood was
shed because of your value to God. His
life was spent that yours might last forever.
He died in your place.
So don’t worry, he
now says. What’s the worst thing that
can happen? Death? It has been defeated by the cross? Suffering?
Jesus has suffered for you all ready?
Sin? Christ has taken all sin
away. Even should all your family die as
Job’s did, you may be certain that Jesus has cared for them, and brought them
in faith into eternity. There is nothing
in this world to worry about that Jesus hasn’t already solved.
Now I do want to
make it clear. That doesn’t mean we can
just sit on the couch and expect God to send free money and food to our
door. Or sit on the roof during the
flood. God doesn’t work that way. But what it does mean is we can be sure and certain
every day, that no matter what happens, that through baptismal waters we have
overcome the world through Jesus and his life, death and resurrection on our
behalf. He has saved us, not by
righteous things we have done, not by our ability to live worry free, but by
His own suffering and worry on our behalf.
Have no fear
little flock, no matter what you face, for it is your Father's good
pleasure to give you the kingdom.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
