When I first read today’s readings (2 Chronicles 24:17‑25 and Matthew 6:24–34), they did not seem to belong together. Chronicles tells us about King Joash seeming to have learned nothing from the consequences of a sinful society, even though he himself had been saved from death through God’s intercession in yesterday’s readings. The story relates a now wrathful God, one intent on providing the Jewish people with the lesson, once and for all: transgress the Lord’s commands and find yourselves smashed by invading Arameans.
Jesus, on the other hand, provides a most spiritual message: detach yourselves from material goods and wants, and be more trusting in God, as are the birds and the wildflowers.
In reflecting on these passages, however, I realized that they are related after all. The princes of Judah engaged in conduct that demonstrated they had lost their focus, had taken what seems to be an easier way, had mistaken the value of their gifts from God and thus placed short-term expediency over long-term growth. They ceased to be focused on the Lord and became more focused on themselves.
Jesus tells His listeners that they should focus on things that matter and not those that are distractions. Jesus challenges His listeners to live more simply, less acquisitively, more spiritually. Jesus encourages us to be more faith-filled and less troubled by the things that we are powerless to change.
In my part of the world this is an absolutely gorgeous time of year. We are fortunate to live on the outskirts of town and to be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of the Sacramento River delta. The songbirds at dawn always bring a smile to my face and joyful gratitude to my heart. These summer mornings remind me to slow down, to listen with a quiet heart, to hear the word of the Lord in my daily rhythms.
Yet, even in the midst of this wonderful time come reminders of our ultimate helplessness and thus dependency on God. Every day we hear reports of sudden violent thunderstorms elsewhere in our country that destroy many homes and leave others without electrical power. Even here in the delta, this is the season when wildfires spread rapidly, disrupting peoples’ lives. And people, in their wisdom, have built the large metropolitan areas of California in areas where destructive earthquakes occasionally occur. Even so, I am humbled to remember how fortunate we are, here in the delta, that while we might experience a temporary lack of normal conveniences, in large parts of the world, for many people, candles, or running water, or reliable energy, are luxuries.
Our occasional discomfort reminds me that what Jesus is telling us today is that the blessings we enjoy may also be our roadblocks. Our attachments to people and things and material goods make it much harder to live life in harmony with God. What Jesus is calling us to do today, and what the people of Judah did not do, is to be in tune with God, to synchronize our actions with the life that God calls us to live, to detach ourselves from things that do not matter and to help God do the things that need to be done to build the City of God, his kingdom, here on earth.
So my prayer today is to find the comfort of God in the uncomfortable, to open my hands to help, instead of grasping at the wealth of the world, and to seek the simple and sublime.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!