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‘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. (Luke 12:32-33)
Divine delight
Every thought of a vengeful, punitive god vanishes, banished by
the joy of these words. We understand little of God if we do not smile, feeling
the solicitous warmth of Jesus’ heart as he speaks of God’s pleasure.
We take pleasure in those we love, the antics of our children
when they are small, their joys and accomplishments as they grow, celebrations with
friends and family alike. So why not God? Why not the Father of Lights from
whom all things come?
God delights to give us the kingdom, a gracious space
of unlimited welcome, where our hearts release all anxious striving and defensiveness,
where healing replaces hate, where death holds no fear, where exuberance fills space
once occupied by guilt and shame and love is the air we breathe.
The Holy One smiles at the joy of our hearts as we are
delivered from doldrums of life into the kingdom of his presence. No less than
we, certainly, God takes pleasure giving gifts to beloved ones. And certainly,
we are that. Exactly.
The treasures of the kingdom we know in present time are
shadows of what will be. Hold these treasures close in your heart. Don’t turn
away.
You need the gracious space of the kingdom more than
anything else you treasure. So release your grip, your fascination and desire
for anything that distracts from the gifts God pleased to give.
Do this, and joy will be yours. I suspect God will be
no less pleased.
Pr.
David L. Miller
