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Holy Trinity Anglican Orthodox Church
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Lasting Wealth |
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Luke 5:1-11 Fifth Sunday after Trinity July 4, 2010 Popular
preachers often talk about Christ as though He is a miracle cure for every
illness, or a self-help pathway to happiness and peace of mind, or a magic
charm to assure financial success. Others speak as though He came
only to help us love one another, and "make the world a better
place." It
should not surprise us that these people use the Bible to support their
ideas. They say, The Bible says, 'He
that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from
evil and his lips that they speak no guile: let him eschew evil, and do
good.' The Bible says
Peter, James and John 'toiled all
the night and have taken nothing,' but Jesus worked a miracle
so that: 'They enclosed a great
multitude of fishes.'" Based
on passages like these, they claim that being a "good
Christian," or having the right formula for prayer or having the
"faith" to "believe God for your miracle," obligates
God to reward them with a long and happy life, with all the joys of health
and prosperity, or to give us a world of peace and plenty.
But a serious examination of these passages reveals a very
different message in them. "Happy
are ye if ye suffer for
righteousness' sake," says the Epistle. And the words of
our Lord, in the Gospel of Luke, show that the miraculous catch of fish
was but an illustration of the point that God provides abundance for our
souls the way Christ provided abundance for the fishermen. So,
rather than giving a "rubber stamp" approval to the values and
systems and treasures of this world, the Bible tells us they are not
enough. They are not
enough to satisfy our real needs, and they are not
enough to give real happiness, peace, health, or prosperity. It
is true that the world is God's Creation; and that it is the sphere of His
redeeming love in Christ, but the purpose of redemption is to redeem us
out of the world, not give the world to us. It is also true that, one day,
God will visibly rule the earth in glory. But
even in that day it will be God, not the world, who is our joy and our
portion. The goal of God's redemption in Christ is not worldly peace and
prosperity. So, the goal of
God's redemption in Christ is to destroy every barrier and obstacle that
separates us from God, and to enable us to dwell in Him, and Him in us, in
unbroken love and fellowship forever.
In other words, Christ did not go to the trouble of dying and
rising again to give us the world. He
suffered the scourge, the nails, and the grave to give us God. He tells us not to set our affections on earthly things, and
He never promises happiness and prosperity as a reward for our faith.
He promises something far greater than anything this world can give, and
all the Biblical references to abundance of food, prosperity, and peace
from enemies, are similes and metaphors to illustrate the abundant
richness of the soul of those who find their wealth in God. Recognizing
this, the Fifth Sunday after Trinity in our cycle of prayer beseeches God
to govern and order the course of this world in a way that will enable us
to enjoy Him in godly and joyful quietness.
The Collect for today gives a mental video of God's people going
about their daily business in such a way as to enjoy the fullness and love
of God. As we pray it we can
picture people keeping house, going to school, going to work, going to
rest and recreation, and going church, and enjoying these things, because
GOD IS their joy and their wealth. "Thou
art my portion, O Lord." "God
is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever." "O Lord,
Thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations." "O
satisfy us early with Thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our
days." "To live is Christ." Yes,
the Bible tells us to pray for our daily bread, and to give thanks for His
gracious provision of all things needful to life in this world.
But we must never forget that these things are not the goal of life
or prayer. The goal of life and prayer is God.
The thing we most desire of God is God Himself. Jesus,
in today's Gospel, used the miracle of the fish to symbolize a higher and
greater miracle. We call this miracle by many names.
We call it being born again, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and
entering the Kingdom of God, but usually we just call it being
"saved." The miracle is a supernatural act of God which brings
us out of spiritual vanity and poverty, into eternal joy and wealth of the
soul. Our true wealth is God. Our earthly goods are only symbols of
the riches that are ours in Him. The earthly goods will one day slip
from our grasp. The world will end, and this vast universe will pass into
nothingness. But God is from
everlasting to everlasting. Knowing
and loving God is joy and wealth forever.
Let
us pray. Loving
Father, we thank Thee for comfortable homes, for food and raiment. We
thank Thee for family, friends, church, and all the blessings of this
life. But above all, we thank Thee for the Gift of Thyself, which is
abundance for our souls forever, and without which all else is vain and
useless. And; "Grant,
O Lord, we beseech Thee, that the course of this world may be so peaceably
ordered by Thy governance, that Thy Church may joyfully serve Thee
in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
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