“CHRIST THE LOVING MASTER”
Saint Matthew 6. 24-34
The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity: 4 September Anno Domini 2005
Fr Watson
Adam and Eve found out no one can serve two masters. The Apostle is correct when he writes: "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey... " [Rom 6.15] By presenting themselves as the Serpent's servants, to do his bidding, they were voluntarily becoming his slaves.
"Mammon" simply refers to all that is not God; not the Holy Trinity. Its definition is too narrow when it only speaks of wealth and power, i.e. money and authority. Mammon is all that is created; all things pertaining to the "Kingdom of the Left Hand," as well as all First Article gifts. All was created good and pure, but since the fall, all suffers corruption and death. All Mammon is either deathly dangerous or has the guaranteed certainty of becoming so, without Christ's sanctifying presence.
There are some immigrants that thought they could actively maintain dual-citizenship and even dual-loyalty between their country of origin and the country which adopted them. This is not true, despite what cultural commentators or legislative bodies have said or might say. No man can have two countries, two real homes, two wives, or two masters. God made us to be monogamous, not polygamous. Christ made you to be a pure and chaste, virgin bride. Paul reminds you not to go back to a life of spiritual prostitution: "...that He might sanctify and cleanse [you] with the washing of water by the word, that He might present [you] to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle...holy and without blemish." [Eph, 5.26.27]
What does the master do? He provides for his servants. God is your master. He provides; abundantly. You know He does, even if you no longer have those long litanies of gifts memorized from the Explanation of the First Article and the Fourth Petition. You know He gives "Daily Bread," daily. But you worry anyway because sinners worry. Sinners sin, and worrying is a sin. Worrying is a lack of complete and perfect trust. God's will for you; His First and greatest command, is, to fear, love, and TRUST, in Him, above all THINGS. Things means mammon.
While a servant might doubt a master, how can you doubt your Father? How can you disbelieve your faithful blood-soaked Brother; your beloved pierced-Bridegroom?
By yourselves, of your fallen natures, you doubt even your God. So, the Lord gives you the answer. "God is love," [1 Jn. 4. 16b] and since Jesus is God Jesus is love. John says "By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us." [1 Jn. 3.16a] That is how God "so loved" the world. Not in emotion and feeling but in self-sacrifice; "He gave His only begotten Son..." [Jn. 3.16] The answer is the Christ of God, Whom you have. You have Jesus through faith. You don't have knowledge about Him, you have Jesus. He is in your ears, and in your mouths. You wear His flesh and blood as your Robe. You have love inside of you. Again John writes: "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear... " [1 Jn. 4.18]. With Jesus in you, worry, doubt, apprehension and fear are cast out. Not completely, not totally, for you will not be perfectly "in Christ" until He takes you to heaven, but His word is true: "These things I have written to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." [Jn. 16.33] You won't always "feel" His words as being true. The visual stimuli itself will usually tell you the opposite. You don't (or rather, your old "Adam" doesn't) automatically "rejoice" just because Paul tells you to. No, you don't tell an insomniac to get some sleep and it will be okay. You don't tell a cancer patient to quit sinning so that he will go into remission. Likewise you don't tell a worrier to stop worrying, that is, you don't tell a sinner to just stop sinning by his own inward power, motivation, and discipline. When Christ commanded Thomas to stop doubting and to start believing it was the Word of God itself, Himself, that then empowered the Disciple to comply. The Word bestows what it demands.
So yes, repent of your sins, but do not labor without or apart from the Word. One only stops worrying, sinning, serving mammon, doubting, by the power of God the Holy Ghost. He comes through the Word. One doesn't have peace, joy and rejoicing absent the presence of the Prince of Peace. One doesn't have love without love enfleshed: Immanuel. He comes only by the power of the self-same Spirit through His Word.
Yes, you know about the birds of the field, how they're fed; and the lilies of the valley, how they're clothed. Yes you know that you are well fed and appropriately clothed and housed. But you really know, that is, you believe in Christ crucified for your forgiveness and delivered to you in Scripture and Supper for your life and immortality.
"... [M]ay the God of all grace, Who called [you] to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever, Amen." [1 Pet. 5.10-11]
In the Name of The Father and of The Son + and of The Holy Ghost