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While watching Grantchester recently, I was

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struck by the simplicity of life at that time.

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No internet. No cell phones.

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little television and very few possessions

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For those of you who are not familiar with Grantchester. It's a

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murder mystery set in 1950s England

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with an Anglican priest as the main character.

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Now I don't know about you, but this is not what

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my life is like.

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With mobile phones that are like many computers not

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only are we contactable 24 hours

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a day, but people expect us to

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answer emails and text messages 24 hours

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a day.

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A world of information is right there at our

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fingertips and we have far more

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possessions than we will ever need.

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In contrast, the Grantchester characters

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were able to focus their time and efforts on

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pursuits that further their relationships and

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their vocations.

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In some ways this simplicity is

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pretty appealing.

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A break from technology, being out

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of contact.

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Seems like bliss to me  - time for silence

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and contemplation not to mention time

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to do the practical things that in my

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life often get left undone.

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But it's not just about getting a break from the world. It's about

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where we put our energy, our

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time, our resources.

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In our reading from Luke today, Jesus says "from

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where your treasure is there

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your heart will be also".

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Now we expect the gospels and perhaps Luke especially

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to reassure us that we find our

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security in Jesus Christ.

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What we sometimes neglect is that the gospels also

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speak about our condition and obligations

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in ways that make

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us fear for our security.

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Luke is no exception to this.

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There's an urgency and a volatility in this part of

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Luke much like we hear from Mary and

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Zechariah prior to Jesus birth.

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The promise and terror embedded in

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their declarations about a God who remembers

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God's people and turns the

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status quo on its head,

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Continue here as Jesus continues

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his journey to Jerusalem.

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There are a number of movements in the passage

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and while they're not disconnected, they are

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a bit clunky.

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The passage begins with that delightful statement

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found only in Luke.

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Do not be afraid little flock for it

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is God's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

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It's an unqualified promise about God.

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Just prior to this text, Jesus has

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spoken about trusting God while also

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seeking or striving for the

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kingdom.

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And now he reminds everyone that the

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point isn't about coaxing a grumpy

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or frugal God into being nice to us. No -  God

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eagerly awaits the kingdom a

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kingdom that would reflect God's intentions

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for human flourishing.

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To take root in the real lived experiences

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of Jesus' followers.

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Why?

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Because that's God's good pleasure.

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It is in this context of good news and

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reassurance,

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that Jesus moves on to the more disquieting

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material in the rest of today's passage.

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The second section is very brief and involves

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Jesus teaching about cashing in

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one's possessions giving alms (that

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is food money or possessions) to

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the poor and securing treasure

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in heaven.

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It's something we find pretty challenging as

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we fret about having enough to live

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on in our retirement.

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Then Jesus tells a parable about slaves who

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wait vigilantly for their lord to return

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home.

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This is not passive waiting.

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They're not sitting nodding off.

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They're preparing, waiting with

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a purpose.

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It would be easy to think that these verses point

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to salvation.

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But there is no simple trade-off here.

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If you are prepared., you will be saved.

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No.

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This text is about vocation. Not

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justification.

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For Luke, the idea is to be ready so

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that when God calls you to action you

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seize the opportunity and spread the

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good news.

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Being alert and being ready are like

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potential energy ready for you to jump into

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action when prompted.

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But it's not just any energy. Rather, it's

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energy for work that

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is Gospel-centered ;

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Healing - Justice

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Love

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Grace

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Peace and so on.

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Then curiously almost shockingly those

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who are ready for the return of

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the master will be served by the master.

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Now if the master represents God this turns

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the idea that we are to serve

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God on its head.

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Instead. God will be serving you.

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Again, this is not a simple equation. If you

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do good you will be rewarded.

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It's a promise of what will happen when we

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begin to re-center our lives around God.

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Many of us know the reality of this equation.

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Ask anyone who devotes time and energy and money

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to help others.

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the vast majority of volunteers will tell you that they

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gain as much as they give

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but there's a risk involved,  just as there's a

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risk involved in being a disciple of Jesus.

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This Jesus, the Jesus of this text, doesn't

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calm every fear,

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doesn't assure us that all will be well.

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If we define security only in

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relation to ourselves or try

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to measure it according to the world's terms,

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security remains elusive in this passage

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but Jesus is pretty clear.

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It's as it's through relinquishing possessions

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and giving alms that we become

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secure.

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It frees us from our perpetual

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economic anxiety and correlates

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to depositing treasure in

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heaven that is securely held.

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When Jesus declares where your

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treasure is there, your heart will be also,

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he's saying that we can train our wills and our ways

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of thinking

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through the ways we use our money.

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Spend it all on yourself.

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Guess where your heart will go?

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Give it to those in need and your heart will

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go where God wants it to go.

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And the good news -

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your heart will find God in that

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process.

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For there is a sacramental aspect to charity in

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which God becomes present to the givers through

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those who receive and need

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their gifts.

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So often we church people fret about

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how to connect with God in our daily lives.

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But the answer isn't so complex according to

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these verses.

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Nevertheless, we don't find it easy.

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Give it to those in need and your heart will

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go where God wants it to go.

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It's as simple and as difficult as that.

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My God, give us all the courage to put

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our Treasures in others.

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Amen