God\u00a0gives us the\u00a0wool, that he grows on the\u00a0sheep; but it is not at once\u00a0cloth, we must\u00a0labor\u00a0and make it into\u00a0cloth; when it is\u00a0cloth, it does not at once become a coat, the tailor must first\u00a0work\u00a0with the\u00a0cloth\u00a0before it is a coat; and so\u00a0God\u00a0does with all things, he cares for us, but we must toil and\u00a0work. We have plenty examples of this before our\u00a0eyes, and\u00a0God\u00a0relates especially two here that should really make us blush with\u00a0shame, namely, those of the\u00a0birds\u00a0and the\u00a0lilies\u00a0in the\u00a0field. Pointing to the\u00a0birds\u00a0he says:\u00a0\u201cBehold the\u00a0birds\u00a0of the\u00a0heaven, that they sow not, neither do they\u00a0reap, nor\u00a0gather\u00a0into\u00a0barns; and your heavenly\u00a0Father\u00a0feedeth them.\u201d<\/p>\n
As if the\u00a0Lord\u00a0would say: You have never yet seen a\u00a0bird\u00a0with a\u00a0sickle, with which it harvested and gathered into\u00a0barns; yea, the\u00a0birds\u00a0do not\u00a0labor\u00a0like we; and still they are nourished. By this the\u00a0Lord\u00a0does not however\u00a0teach\u00a0that we are to be idle; but he tries by this example to take all\u00a0anxiety\u00a0from us. For a\u00a0bird cannot do the\u00a0work\u00a0of a farmer as we do; yet, it is not free from\u00a0labor, but it does the\u00a0work\u00a0for which it was\u00a0created, namely, it bears its young,\u00a0feeds\u00a0them and\u00a0sings\u00a0to our\u00a0Lord\u00a0God\u00a0a little\u00a0song\u00a0for the privilege of doing this. Had\u00a0God\u00a0imposed more\u00a0labor\u00a0upon it, then it would have done more. Early in the morning it rises, sits upon a twig and\u00a0sings\u00a0a\u00a0song\u00a0it has\u00a0learned, while it knows not where to obtain its\u00a0food, and yet it is not worried as to where to get its breakfast. Later, when it is hungry, it\u00a0flies\u00a0away and\u00a0seeks\u00a0a\u00a0grain\u00a0of corn, where\u00a0God\u00a0stored one away for it, of which it never thought while singing, when it had cause enough to be anxious about its\u00a0food. Ay,\u00a0shame\u00a0on you now, that the little\u00a0birds\u00a0are more pious and believing than you; they are\u00a0happy\u00a0and\u00a0sing\u00a0with\u00a0joy\u00a0and know not whether they have anything to eat. . . .<\/p>\n
Behold the\u00a0flowers\u00a0of the\u00a0field\u00a0how they are\u00a0adorned\u00a0and\u00a0clothed, neither do they anything to that end; they neither spin nor\u00a0work, yet they are beautifully\u00a0clothed.<\/p>\n
By this illustration the\u00a0Lord\u00a0again does not wish to have us cease to sew and\u00a0work, but we should\u00a0labor, spin and sew, and not be overanxious and worry. . . .Thank you,\u00a0flowers, you, who are to be\u00a0devoured\u00a0by the cows!\u00a0God\u00a0has exalted you very highly, that you become our masters and\u00a0teachers. . . .<\/p>\n
The\u00a0flower\u00a0stands there that we should see it, it strikes us and says: If thou hadst the adornment of the whole\u00a0world\u00a0even then thou wouldst not be equal to me, who stand here, and am not the least worried whence this adornment comes to me. I do not however concern myself about that, here I stand alone and do nothing and although thou art beautifully\u00a0adorned, thou art still\u00a0sickly\u00a0and servest impotent\u00a0mammon; I however am\u00a0fresh\u00a0and\u00a0beautiful\u00a0and serve the true and\u00a0righteous\u00a0God.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In the sermon, Luther also discusses the difference between faith (which is internal) and love (which is external).\u00a0 He says that while we should not have anxiety in our faith <\/em>towards God, as the examples of the birds and the flowers teach us, it is quite appropriate to have anxiety in our love <\/em>for our neighbors, which is the purpose of vocation.\u00a0 That is, in our concern for others.\u00a0 It is fitting for parents to worry about their children, or citizens to be anxious about their country, or workers to be fretful about their customers, or parishioners to be in anguish about their fellow Christians in need.<\/p>\nOur\u00a0life and a\u00a0Christian\u00a0character consist of two parts, of\u00a0faith\u00a0and of\u00a0love. The first points us to\u00a0God, the other to our\u00a0neighbor. The first, namely\u00a0faith, is not visible,\u00a0God alone sees that; the other is visible, and is\u00a0love, that we are to manifest to our\u00a0neighbor. Now the\u00a0anxiety\u00a0that springs from\u00a0love\u00a0is commanded, but that which accompanies\u00a0faith\u00a0is forbidden. If I believe that I have a\u00a0God, then I cannot be anxious about my welfare; for if I know that\u00a0God\u00a0cares for me as a\u00a0father\u00a0for his\u00a0child, why should I\u00a0fear? Why need I to be anxious, I simply say: Art thou my\u00a0Father, then I know that no\u00a0evil\u00a0will\u00a0befall\u00a0me, as\u00a0Psalm 16:8\u00a0says: \u201cI have set\u00a0Jehovah\u00a0always before me: because he is at my right\u00a0hand, I shall not be moved.\u201d Thus he has all things in his\u00a0hand; therefore I shall want nothing, he will care for me. If I\u00a0rush\u00a0ahead and try to care for myself, that is always contrary to\u00a0faith; therefore\u00a0God\u00a0forbids this\u00a0kind\u00a0of\u00a0anxiety. But it is his\u00a0pleasure\u00a0to maintain the anxious care of\u00a0love, that we may help others, and share our possessions and\u00a0gifts\u00a0with them. Am I a\u00a0ruler, I am to care for my subjects; am I a housefather, I must take care of the members of my\u00a0family, and so forth, according as each one has received his\u00a0gifts\u00a0from\u00a0God.\u00a0God\u00a0cares for all, and his is the care that pertains to\u00a0faith. We are also to be interested in one another and this is the care of\u00a0love, namely, when something is given to me, that I be\u00a0diligent\u00a0so that others may also receive it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
HT:\u00a0 Jackie<\/p>\n
Image by\u00a0Cock-Robin<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0Pixabay<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Happy Labor Day, a holiday in which we should celebrate and reflect on our vocations.\u00a0 Remember that the theology of vocation has to do with all of the tasks, relationships, and offices that God calls us to.\u00a0 Not just our \u201cwork,\u201d but also our families (our marriages, being a parent, being a child to our […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1281,"featured_media":43917,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,48],"tags":[1254,5060,3031,4359],"class_list":["post-43896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holidays","category-vocation","tag-labor-day","tag-luthers-sermons","tag-sermon-on-the-mount","tag-vocation"],"yoast_head":"\n
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