Hebrews 11: 1-3, 8-16                                                                                                Rev. Dr. Galen E. Russell III

Luke 12: 32-40                                                                                                                                  August 10, 2025

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Prayer: For all that gives you sheer delight, and for all that we don’t need to be afraid of, thank you, Lord. Great is your faithfulness. Amen.

 Recently Barb and I went to Florentino’s Restaurant at the Lancaster Airport, and a beautiful, privately owned $4 million Cessna Citation was sitting on the tarmac. OMG! And when that thing took off, I was like in heaven! Then we drove through a pretty upscale neighborhood, with big houses and fancy cars. And we asked each other, “How do people have so much money?” And later I saw the lottery billboard which said that the Powerball and the Mega Millions are up to $482 million and $182 million respectively. Of course, that’s not how people have money.

The old joke goes that the person who dies with the most toys wins—which sort of portrays a contest that you “win” not by being fulfilled in your spirit, but by accumulating material possessions. The irony is that when you die, none of your material possessions are worth anything to you at all anymore.

But, sometimes it’s like our possessions define us. And, I think we often fear that we won’t have enough. Or, we could always use more. You know, the old saying that money isn’t everything, but it sure does help.

So I guess that leads to the point of Jesus’ teaching in Luke 12. Prior to our passage today, Someone in the large crowd said to Jesus, “Tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me” (v. 13). Which led Jesus to teach about greed, saying that one’s life does not consist of the abundance of possessions. Then he told the story of the rich fool who filled his barns but then died that night. Punch line: he was rich in things, but not rich toward God.

Jesus then goes on to say again that life is more than food, or what you wear, or what you have. God knows that you need these things, he says. Instead seek first God and God’s kingdom, and all the things you need will be added to you.

 And that’s when Jesus says, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

‘Do not be afraid.’ This is one of the most repeated statements throughout the Bible and gospels. ‘Do not be afraid’—of what? Sometimes when Jesus said that, he meant do not be afraid that God will reject you. Not going to happen. Ever. Or that you don’t measure up. Or you don’t qualify for God’s love and grace. Or that somehow you won’t make it into heaven. Do not fear these, he says. They are not Reality from God’s viewpoint.

Now in the context of possessions, Jesus teaches, ‘do not be afraid’ of scarcity: of material possessions or of money. Because it is God’s sheer delight to give you what really matters—and it ain’t possessions. Jesus even says, “Sell your possessions. Give away what you don’t need.” Because what you do need is God. God’s life. God’s Spirit. The risen presence of Jesus. With you. Living in you. So have faith, not fear. Faith that God takes good pleasure in giving you what you need.

 Brian Wilson, founder of the Beach Boys, in 1966 wrote the first pop song with the word God in the title—“God Only Knows.”  But, he was advised not to title the song that way because it was too risky. It might offend the uber-religious and the non-religious alike. And in fact, the song was banned by many radio stations causing lack of wide publicity and lack of revenue.

But years later, after the song and the album were mega hits, Wilson commented about the role of faith in his songwriting saying, “We believe in God, and we believe we were [God’s] messengers. I did have a dream about a halo over my head but people couldn’t see it. So, God was with us the whole time were doing this record,” Brian Wilson died last June (The Christian Century, August 2025, pg. 10). 

 That’s God giving what Brian needed, God. That’s God, giving God. I think it is God’s sheer delight to give us God’s divine Presence. To live in us. I believe that is what Jesus means by ‘the kingdom.’ It’s having God’s presence in your inner spirit. It’s not about our earthy connotations that come with ‘kings’ and hierarchy. It’s more about kinship, like healthy family relationships. It’s having eternal love. Deep joy within. That is why I think it’s God’s sheer delight to give us the ‘kingdom.’ That is what really matters in life. This is God’s promise, God’s blessing. God is faithful. Great is God’s faithfulness.

So, when Jesus says do not be afraid, I think he knows that fear often is directly related to a lack of faith. Perhaps the more fear we may have, the less faith we may have? Sometimes, I think this is so true.

 And sometimes I think the converse is equally true. Faith often is directly related to a lack of fear. Perhaps the more faith we may have, the less fear we may have? Of course, that sounds very simplified.  Because sometimes imminent fear has nothing to do with faith.  It's the way our bodies process some imminent threat.  But, there are other points of fear connected to faith.  So, this past week I’ve been experimenting with this idea faith with fear.

It’s scary to trust God when we cannot see what is ahead or what God is after through us. It’s frightening to let God take us to challenging places in favor of being a part of what God has in mind. Without seeing it.

Just read Hebrews 11. I mean it’s like a montage of some biblical people who had fear, but who had more faith than fear. Like Abraham and Sarah who set out not knowing where they were going—they had fear, but they had more faith than fear. They were old and couldn’t have any children. They had fear, but they had more faith than fear that God would give them many descendants. They were immigrants and strangers in a foreign land seeking a homeland. They had fear, but they had more faith than fear that God would fulfill the promise to give them a new covenant and a land. 

Fear I think is thievery. It can rob us from receiving the divine Holy Spirit. It totally gets in the way of God giving us God’s Presence which is what I think is God’s sheer delight to give us.

Faith is trusting God to give us the Spirit, even when the way forward is unseen and murky. It’s having the assurance and the conviction that a hoped for better life is possible with God’s Spirit involved. I think it is God’s sheer delight when we have that kind of faith and can enjoy life with full, glad, and grateful hearts. No matter what happens. 

So let me give some current day possibilities. Fear can stop us from loving others and sharing our land and its resources. When you boil it down, bigotry and prejudice based on the fear of others is what is driving building a wall at the southern border, I think.

Faith in God’s vision of shalom for all humanity is what I think our politicians should have in order to drive forward fixing our broken immigration system, I think. It’s God’s sheer delight when we have faith.

Fear seems to be the main basis of ICE raids and the prevention of foreign students attending our colleges and universities. Fear says that all undocumented people are thugs, criminals, and a danger to society.

Faith says that all people deserve God’s blessings, promises, and equity which God envisions, the kind which our great land and country and democracy are supposed to offer to everyone. Faith says that it’s possible for God to be involved in people of faith taking steps toward God’s vision becoming, little by little, a reality. It’s God’s sheer delight when we have faith.

Fear of losing political power is at the heart of gerrymandering in Texas and other states. Faith says that our democracy, flawed as it may be, is when all people are created equal and the voting districts should not be shifted to favor one political party over the other.

Even, here at home, fear can stop us dead in our tracks. When we were discerning whether or not Christ Church should be an Open and Affirming church, some of us had some fear that our building would be vandalized. Or that we would be known as the ‘gay church.’ Or that we would be overrun with marginalized people. 

But we didn’t let the fears stop us. It turns out that we did have some vandalism, but it was minimal. And we are known as the ‘gay church’ in Elizabethtown, but our ONA status has brought in some of the highest quality people, some of whom are marginalized, but all of us are one in our whole faith family. It’s God’s sheer delight when we have faith.

And we faced a lot of fear that we wouldn’t have enough for our church to build an elevator and ADA bathrooms. “We can’t afford it,” we heard. It will hurt our financial reserves, some feared. But, look where we are now! When it seemed like there was no way, by faith there’s a way! We’re almost ready to turn on the green light. It’s God’s sheer delight when we have faith.

And God is faithful. It’s God’s sheer delight to give us God’s presence right here. Great is your faithfulness. great is your faithfulness.  Morning by morning new mercies I see.  All I have needed your hand has provided. Great is your faithfulness, God unto me.  Amen.