In the Name of the Father, and of the +
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The most destructive lies tell mostly the truth. One modern
lie that uses this tactic so effectively is to take something that is black and
white and claim it is a spectrum. You are either a man or a woman. There is no
spectrum between these two options.
The flipside of this lie is also true, that is, taking
something that is a spectrum and turning it into a binary. Republicans are good
and Democrats are evil. Democrats are good and Republicans are evil. These
statements are false even by our own ideals (that voting records and stances on
issues are the most important factor) and yet seeing a certain letter next to
someone’s name inevitably taints our view of him.
Satan would use the same lie on today’s text. He would have
you believe that anxiety is a spectrum, that is, it is alright to be anxious
for the right reasons. It is not a sin to be anxious is you have a diagnosis. Worrying
is part of adult life.
Satan would also apply this lie to mammon. He would have you
believe that seeking excessive wealth is certainly a sin but in order to get by
in this life, you must focus on beating the next guy. ‘He who dies with the
most toys wins.’ What’s more, Satan uses this lie on Christians with greater
deception. He says that since children are a gift from God, their happiness is
more important than regular attendance at church. He would have you believe
that your brother’s name on a membership role is more important than his
attendance at the Divine Service.
Christ is calling us to recognize mammon for what it is.
Mammon is a gift of God. It is something you have been given to use. All types
of mammon have been given to you to use to the glory of God and the benefit of
your neighbor.
There is a medieval distinction between that which is to be
used and that which is to be enjoyed. All things in creation have been given to
man to be used. Only God is to be enjoyed. Certainly, you can find pleasure in
the sound of the songbirds or the beauty of the lilies, but the idea is that
you do not enjoy them for their own sake. You may find enjoyment in bird,
lilies, fine food or drink only because these have been given to you from God.
You find enjoyment in the Giver. You use the gift to find enjoyment in God.
It is so easy for us to place our fulfillment, our joy, our
love on things of this world. Mammon includes money, possessions, reputation,
and even relationships. Why set your heart on temporal things when they are so
fleeting and trivial? The most difficult aspect of love is calling your beloved
to repentance. But you endure this frightful difficulty for her sake. By
calling her to repentance, you are drawing her into eternity. You are serving
her eternal soul that you might enjoy the bliss of heaven together, forever. A
little temporal suffering is worth an eternity of bliss.
Our Lord clearly defines what is at stake. He says that the
heathen seeks after temporal gain.[1]
He is saying that to set your heart on temporal things is the same as rejecting
your Savior. One who places his fear, love, or trust in anything but God is
committing idolatry and is in danger of hellfire. The heathen naturally
concerns himself with temporal things because he knows nothing else. We
Christians have the promise of eternal glory. We have the promise of eternal
life with Christ. We have the promise of a heavenly mansion prepared for us by
the Son of God, and any promise given by God is as certain as though it were
already in your hand.
Why then do we worry over trifling things? We worry because
of sin. We worry because our faith is frail and fragile. We worry because we
refuse to see the promises of God. It is true. You cannot walk out those doors
and see a mansion in the sky with your name on it. What you can do is open your
bible and see what God has said to you. You can look to the Baptismal font and
see that your sins have been washed away. You can look to the altar and see the
image of Christ dying for your sins and the reality of His holy Body and
precious Blood given to you that your body and soul would be strengthened
and preserved unto life everlasting.
What you can do is come to your heavenly Father in prayer
and tell Him that you are anxious. You can come to Him and beg that He grant you
peace and pardon. Jesus died that you would have rest, not further anxiety.
Jesus died that you would have peace with God and with your neighbor, which
includes yourself. Jesus died that you would have eternal joy with Him. What
God ordains is always good.
In + Jesus’
name. Amen.
[1]
This insight is drawn from Johann Gerhard, Postilla, Volume 2,
translated by O. Marc Tangner (Malone, TX: Repristination Press, 2007), 163.
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