SECURITY SYSTEMS THAT DON'T FAIL

GOSPEL — Luke 12:32-40
​Ninth Sunday After Pentecost

Jesus knows that we worry about a lot of things. Many people who own a lot of possessions live in fear of losing them. Some find that a security system installed with cameras and sensors and smart doorbells can lower their anxiety. But even with internet-of-things technology, these security systems do not stop the risk of theft. We may get a video of someone stealing our stuff, but we still lose the stuff. Anxiety over losing what we have persists and may in fact be ever-present as our cell phones alert us to each passerby at the front door.

Jesus proposes several other security systems that transform our anxiety over losing what we have into a different kind of calm. The first one he offers is probably the least popular: Sell your possessions and give the money to the poor. You don’t have to worry about your belongings being stolen if you get rid of them. It’s a radical option, but an option nonetheless.

Jesus also proposes another kind of security: Place value in the things that can’t be stolen. When we treasure the mercy and love of God as our most prized possession, we have what no one else can take. We have a security system that does not fail. We have deep and abiding peace. Our fears are calmed.

There is one additional security system to which Jesus invites us: Have confidence that it is God’s good pleasure to give us life with God, life in a world where everyone has enough and no one worries about losing it, life where we all know we are equally beloved. When this is our treasure, when it is where we place our hearts, we find the peace that is a secure gift.

From sundaysandseasons.com.
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