Be Fearless - Be Given - Be Beloved

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Had we read to verse forty-one last Sunday in Luke twelve - we might have faced an almost, maybe, unanswered question. Peter asked, "Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?" Some say Jesus didn't answer Peter's question while others believe Jesus did respond and it was a yes, it was to them, his followers and not to everyone else.

Wanting to be counted among the followers, here's what I heard him saying in verses thirty-two to forty - (you might take a moment and reread) - three words that came to me as I simply lectio'd the passage.

Be Fearless - Be Given - Be Beloved

And then I wondered:
How on earth does one live fearlessly?
What on earth does it mean to be the given and to whom?
And who on earth are the beloved and how do they live?

I'll share some of my response Sunday.

        "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.  Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

Books mentioned in sermon:   THE LIFE OF THE BELOVED by Henri Nouwen

Blessings,

Carl+