“Out of God’s Good Pleasure”

August 10, 2025

Luke 12:32–40

‘Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

‘But know 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, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’

Charlie Brown, from the “Peanuts” comic strip, is often depicted as experiencing anxieties. Probably the best example of this are his failed attempts to kick the football held by Lucy and we know she only served to increase his anxieties.

Charlie Brown’s anxieties, while often depicted comically, offer valuable life lessons about dealing with anxieties and facing fears. Anxiety does not respond to logic or advice — but we are looking at Jesus words to anxious followers this in this passage for Luke. I hope if you live with anxiety or live with someone who does, you will find some good news today.

Anxiety is a growing concern for many in this country. The National Institute of Health estimates that 1in 5 adults experience anxiety issues each year. About 1 in 8 children do as well and almost 1/3 of teens live with anxiety issues.

Sources of anxiety are many. Difficult experiences in the past or present are primary. But so also is the information overload which surrounds us. The list of things which fuel worry seems to grow or be renewed daily.

This passage is a piece of the middle of Luke’s gospel known as the “travel narrative” where Jesus has set his sights for Jerusalem and spends about ten chapters getting there.

Jesus has a lot to say in these chapters. Some of his best-known phrases appear in these 10 chapters. They are pithy sayings that would fit into a “Helpful Advice Guide for Busy Christians.”

Jesus’ followers were anxious even before they hear his latest commands in this passage. They worried about tyrannical Roman rulers. They worried over where their next meal would come from. They worried about God’s anger and the state of the world full of injustice.

To these anxious followers Jesus says: “Do not be afraid, little flock. Sell your possessions. Give alms. Be dressed for action and have you lamps lit for a day of reckoning is near.”

Let’s be perfectly honest — understanding what each of those means for our lives can be its own source of fear and anxiety.

“Do not be afraid, little flock,” seems like a tall order today.

We have current day concerns. Climate disasters seen in fires, heatwaves and melting icefields. Emaciated people in Gaza. Wars which could spread in a moment’s notice.

But no matter the realities of this world or our own lives, there is a treasure for us in this passage and it comes right after Jesus says, “Do not be afraid.” Stuck right in the middle of the opening line is this, “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” In all honesty, it is not just a line, it is a promise. An overwhelming one at that! God wants to give us the kingdom. God plans to include us as heirs — God wants and works for all good things for us!

God’s pleasure is to relieve your fear, lift your hearts and give you the kingdom which is joy, peace, love and the abiding sense of well-being rooted in faith and hope in Jesus.

There are two elements of this promise from God that strike me — even as we live in a world of fear and anxiety. The first is this:

1) It is God’s good pleasure. That is, God takes delight in giving God’s children good things. Any parent, grandparent, aunt, or uncle — anyone who’s bought a special gift for someone they love understands this intuitively. There is nothing better than doing a kindness for someone, caring for them or sharing a gift.

What is amazing is that this is what God is like. God is not a rule-enforcer or power player or autocratic ruler. God is a divine parent who delights in giving gifts. I suspect this image of God is not one most people hold.

2) The second element of the promise is this: God gives the kingdom. We do not earn it. We cannot do anything to earn it. We can only receive it as a gift. If our inclusion in the kingdom is by gift and invitation — then all the directives or commands which Jesus gives are not conditions, but invitations to set our priorities in line with the realities of the kingdom God give us.

The final portion of this passage flows from the declaration of God’s goodness and generosity: “…It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Next, Jesus goes on to say: “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like those who are waiting for their master to return.”

It is action time. As recipients of God’s good pleasure of giving us the kingdom, now it is time to put faith to work.

What does that involve you may ask? Jesus makes it clear. The actions of faith involve feeding the hungry, loving neighbor, forgiving everyone and doing all these actions continually even when things like fear or futility try to take over.

Jesus tells us he will come again and while we wait, there is work to do. We know we cannot control much of what happens around us. We cannot manage terrorism away. We cannot prevent every mutinous cancer cell, or every painful loss or heartbreak. Fear will always lurk in and around us.

Faithful action is the result of laying down our fear and replacing it with the assurance of God’s good pleasure to have us, to keep us forever in the kingdom of eternal love.

So, in the meantime we go about the tasks that the Master left for us to do. I wonder what those tasks are for you. What gifts has God given you to employ for the advancing of God’s good pleasure in giving you the kingdom. I hope you will think about that this week.

Dear readers, take heart so that in whatever is happening in your life, you hear again Jesus saying: “Do not be afraid little flock for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” May that good news lead you forth in turning fear into trust, and faith into action and bringing others to know of God’s good pleasure — which is for all people.