2013-08-08 Daniel Daring 2013 articles 2012 articles
19th
Sunday: Do
not be afraid, little flock
Wisdom
18:6-9; Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19; Luke 12:35-40
On
July 19, 2007, twenty three South Korean Christian Aid Workers were seized by
the Taliban on their way from Kabul to Kandahar. Among them, eighteen were women.
They were nurses and English teachers on their mission to dispense medical help.
Two were of the men were killed, Pastor Bae Hyung-kyu and 29-year-old Shim Sung-Min; the rest
were
eventually freed after a frightening ordeal. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to
give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).
The
challenge of commitment
Fear and anxiety seem to be our faithful companions through life. We fear visible and invisible creatures, people, insects, and/or ghosts. We are anxious about the future; what we shall eat; what we shall wear; and how we shall look. We are preoccupied with a healthy life-style and providing a treasure for ourselves on this earth. Our gospel is to save one’s life by all means possible. So, when we hear about some, who take Jesus’ message seriously and go to dangerous zones in order to preach the Gospel, we call them fundamentalists, idealists, stupid, or proud. “Koreans point to photographs that church members took of the group in front of a sign at the airport here warning about the dangers of going to Afghanistan. The women in the group all wore veils in accordance with Islamic custom, but the farewell photographs are seen as proof of their pride.” (R. Neff, D. Kirk. July 27, 2007. South Koreans react to missionary kidnappings. The Christian Science Monitor). I wonder since when someone’s faith and commitment to Jesus is called pride. Yes, they were warned about the danger, but so were Israelites about the powerful people living in the promised land (Numbers 13:26-33), Marco Polo about the difficulties of the travel to China, and Roald Amundsen about the risk involved in attempting to reach the South Pole. Were they also proud not heeding the warnings?
Faith is God’s gift for which “the ancients were commended” (Hebrews 11:2), a divine virtue that assures us about the reality beyond us. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, and many more took God seriously and tried their best to obey Him. Some “conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised” (Hebrews 11:33), but some were tortured, put in prison, stoned or sawed in two (see Hebrews 11:35-37). People of faith have always questioned our passionless and routine lives, because they remind us that faith is not an intellectual assent to a doctrine, but a life’s commitment to God. We secretly admire them, but unable to emulate their ways of life, we prefer to sneer at their actions. Yet, it is not the best approach to our problem of fear, anxiety and boredom. We can join their ranks. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32-33). We are afraid, so were they. We are little, so were they. But both we and they have the same God, our Father, who has decided to give us the kingdom. This Father tells us to trust in Him. “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:6). He invites us to reorganize our priorities: “Sell your possessions and give to the poor” (Luke 12:33).
Paul says that Christ has set us free (Galatians 5:1). We usually interpret it – correctly - as freedom from law, sin, and death. However, this freedom is given to us so we can dedicate our lives to the service of God’s kingdom. And here comes a very disturbing question: how am I concerned about God’s kingdom? The world praises those who climb the ladder of success, congratulates those who get salary increases, and gives news coverage to those who maximize their profit. When someone, however, quits the rat race of materialism and goes to Afghanistan to share the gospel of God’s love, the world calls such a person proud and questions the sincerity of his/her motives. How are you concerned about God’s kingdom? It is not difficult to find out. Ask yourself what the topics of your conversations are, how you allocate your time, and/or what you are passionate about. Is God’s kingdom somewhere on your list? Jesus says that “where your treasure is, there your heart will also be” (Luke 12:34), and it is your heart that reveals the truth about your priorities, concerns, and desires.
Our world is wounded and it cannot heal itself, because it seems to be run by people who do not see beyond their own private or national priorities. What would this world look like, however, if God was in control? That is the kingdom of God: our just and good God taking control of our world. And God is inviting you and me to participate in reclaiming this world for Himself from the hands of powerful forces of war, violence, poverty, ecological disaster, and economic injustice. “The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love” (Psalm 33:5). Relying on God’s providence, we go and share the message about God who is deeply in love with the world and every human person. And we do it not out of pride but out of belief that our little efforts, multiplied by God’s grace, can bring a ‘piece of heaven’ to someone’s life.
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