An Invitation to Abundance

Genesis 25: 19-34

Psalm 119:105-112

Romans 8:1-11

Matthew 13: 1-9 & 18-23

From ought...or...from naught...to everything...from “no” thing...from nothing ...to something...or...would it be better to say...sum thing...SUM -thing...sum of all things...or perhaps...it would even be better to say...SON-thing...God thing...from ought...or...naught...to God...

From barren to birthing...from sown seed to full fruit...the great I AM...God... doing...always...doing what God does best...creating...making all things new... birthing God...into God’s world...in the midst of the chaos of darkness...God said...let there be light...and...indeed...there was...and God said that the Light was good...truly...God always is...starting in chaos...ending with creation... from ought...or...naught...with God...

Strange are these contrast...don’t you think...nothing to everything...chaos to creation...darkness to light...barren to birthing...seed to fruit...yet...strange as these contrasts may seem to be...it truly is...these contrasts...that point the way for us...point the way for us toward...both...the never ending...work of God creating...of God indwelling in God’s world...of God making all things new ...of God healing...and...the abundance of God with us...in...with...and through Christ...

It begins...as it always does...for us...well...at least liturgically speaking...every Advent...the world...dark cold and barren...and...God promising to birth a new way of living and being into that world...and...then it is...what a day...into the darkness...comes the light...and that darkness is over come...and...then...the light goes on out into the darkness of the night...that new light start shining bright...and...then follows the day of Ashes...Lent and Holy Week...and death and much darkness...yet...death is overcome...Resurrection abounds...the God Light shines bright... and...then...finally...the light of God’s Spirit ...dances into our own darkness...

Well...enough said...that point being made...contrasts...but...hang onto the thought...for indeed...we live...yes we do...you...and...you...and me...in such contrast ...God coming...always...into God’s world...and...here we are...then... in our Pentecost Season...looking about...at the darkness that abounds...your darkness...our darkness...everyone here knows how dark the darkness can be...yet and still...God invites us...just like God invites Sarah...Rebekah...and Mary...to...be not afraid...exclaims the Angel Gabriel...God invites us to see the abundance of God...to see the Light...to be washed clean...made whole... set free...to be healed...and...to become living vessels of the birthing of God into the world...to be come like a seed of Gospel News...that blossoms...into fruit in God’s world...

You see...the birthing stories...that you find throughout our texts...and like we read this morning with Rebekah...Esau and Jacob...are never...just birthing stories...like the local newspaper birth announcements...look dear...she had twins...rather...each of these stories...are stories about the birthing of God into the world...God doing what God does best...we need to be alert...to God’s birthing in the world...to God alive...to God at work...to God in our world...in the darkness of our world...Rebekah saw just such a reality coming into her world...and to her invitation from God toward God abundance...she responded...by saying...“I will go...” ...and...so...how is that with you...

In this Season of Pentecost...this Season of our faith greening...this Season of our faith growing...of course...growing in response to what God has done... in...with...and through Christ...do you hear...do you want to hear...can you see...do you even want to see...the light in the darkness...the abundance that God is birthing into the world...that hymn...remember...I once was lost...but now...but now...I see...

Well...if truth enough be told...none of us...really...do a very good job of either hearing or seeing...or...even wanting to hear or see...in the midst of God’s abundance...are we not more inclined to see scarcity...sure we are...are we not more inclined to dwell in our very own darkness of self...over and against the light of God...sure we are...Sin being defined as...remember...curved in on self...remember...too...if you will...our Romans reading from last Sunday... Paul exclaiming...For I do not do...what I want...but...I do the very thing I hate ...Paul...finding himself...caught...amidst the everyday choices of life...caught between the darkness and the light...between self and other...between flesh and spirit...the choices of life...out there...are always tough...the darkness or the Light...

Perhaps...the psalmist says it best...saying...begging...O God...I am sorely afflicted...give me life...O Lord...according to thy word...yet...that very same word...exclaimed to be...a lamp to my feet...a light to my path...

Yet...amidst the tough everyday choices of living...there is good news...for us the Gospel News...news that we can read from Romans this morning...there is therefore...now...no condemnation for those who are in Christ...Jesus...or ...as the writer of the Gospel of John...put it...so many years later...for God so loved the world...that He gave his only Son...(for them)...that’s you...

The point of all of this is to say that life can be a tough thing...you know that... but...in the midst of much darkness...always...always...is Resurrection...new life...the Hope...Hope with the capital H...Hope that we name Christ...

One could say that the imperative here...is... to choose life...to be positive... but...that’s hardly anymore than the consequence of it all...the good news... the Gospel News...is not what we do at all...but...rather...what God did...does ...and will do...the good news...the Gospel News is that God chooses us... you...and me...a lamp...onto our feet...Light in our darkness...

Lutheran Theology...our understanding of God speak...if you will...always is dialectical...there are no easy answers...to the many tough questions...of the day...yet...we live boldly...sin boldly...knowing that we are washed clean...that we live wet...that we are set free...that we are made whole...healed up...with Christ...Paul writes...for the law of the Spirit...of life in Christ Jesus...has set me free from the law of sin and death...

In Christ...there is no condemnation...there only is life...full life...abundant life ...eternal life...washed clean life...for God so loved the world...you...that He sent His Son...to love you...love us...into relationship with God...

So it is...then...that Jesus invites us...to take up the abundance we call life... Jesus comes as Light in our darkness...Come to me...all who labour...and are heavy laden...and...I will give you rest...To God be the glory...

Thanks be to God...
Amen

Pastor Glen

13 July 2008