Episcopal Church of the Incarnation
The Second Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 3] (A)
Isaiah 49.8-16a Psalm 131 1 Corinthians 4.1-5 Matthew
6.24-34
May the Lord be in my mind, on my lips, and in my heart, that
I may rightly and truly proclaim His holy Word. Amen.
Outline of a
Sermon Delivered Extemporaneously
1) In the natural sciences and in mathematics there is a phenomenon known as “Brownian Motion”.
a) Named by the botanist, Robert Brown, in describing the movement of pollen grains upon water.
b) Described in detail as long ago as the first century, by Lucretius.
c) Refers to the random movement of particles.
d) Has been applied in mathematical models to describe behavior in stock market trades.
2) Think of the times you have observed dust particles in a beam of sunlight in a dark room.
a) The particles behavior appears random.
b) And yet each particle is acted on by a particular force or set of forces.
c) Are the “worries” of this life a sort of spiritual Brownian motion?
i) A frame-of-reference problem.
3) Collect: “... whose will it is for use to give thanks for all things, to fear nothing but the loss of you ...”
a) A distinction between needs and wants.
b) “... do not worry, saying ...”
i) Distinction in Greek: These are not real fears, but fears founded on self-focus and lack of faith.
4) “... it is the Gentiles who strive ...”: The distinction between petitioning the “gods” for favor, and the fact that God knows what we need.
a) The distinction between magic and faith.
i) Trying to use the divine to our own ends v. trying to identify God’s will and conform ourselves to it.
ii) Is “worry” then a lack of faith?
(1) The distinction between sensible provision and “worry”.
5)
“Seek ye first the
a) What is involved in the kingdom? What are we to strive for?
b) “... and all these things ...”: Needs and wants.
i) Not the “Gospel of Prosperity”!
6) How do we seek God’s kingdom?
a) By continuing in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers.
b) By persevering in resisting evil. By repentance.
c) By proclaiming of the Good News of God in Christ Jesus by word and example.
d) By seeking and serving Christ in all persons.
e) By striving for justice and peace, respecting the dignity of all persons.
7) Which brings us back to movement and behavior that is not random.
a) That frame-of-reference issue.
i) “... Father, whose will it is ...”
(1) We may see random motion in dust particles, but each particle is subject to specific forces.
(2) An economist may note certain “random” behavior in stock trades, but each trader is seeking to act rationally, in his own self-interest.
(3) “Strings” of dark matter in the universe.
ii) God sees: “... your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”
In the Name of
the Father, and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.