Ephesians 1:11-14; Psalm 33; Luke 12:1-7
In the first reading, Jesus addresses two major challenges we need to confront as children of God.
- Hypocrisy:
Hypocrisy is pretending to be holy when one is clearly not nor intending to really be. It is the sin of “acting righteousness.” Interestingly, Jesus sounded this warning to the disciples when they were becoming famous and sought after. With fame comes the temptation to pretend to be who we are not.
We can only be hypocrites before people but not before God, God sees through the actor’s mask. The art of being a hypocrite depends on concealment, but one day all will be revealed. Whatever we don’t want people to see or know about us, whatever can put us to shame when revealed, let us not fall into the temptation of doing it with the false assurance that it will not be revealed. Jesus says, “Everything that is now covered will be uncovered.”
- Fear:
Fear often inhibits us from doing what God has commanded and from living the life that God has planned for us. The first reading tells us that God has a purpose for us, He chose us in Christ to fulfill this plan, and fear is an obstacle to living in God’s loving plan. Fear deprives us of the fullness of life in Christ and inhibits us from living in freedom for the praise and glory of God.
Jesus tells us to put fear into perspective.
We should be afraid of offending God, not people, we should be afraid of losing eternal life and not so much this life.
Our fear dissipates if we truly recognise that fact that our life is precious to God and nothing can touch us without His knowledge.
A person has one life to lose and one soul to save; it is a bad bargain to sacrifice the salvation of the soul to the preservation of life.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Baraka Gukena Okami on October 16, 2020.