“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Jesus promises the kingdom to us, his little flock, straining our minds with this uninhibited generosity. Even to us, so little and undeserving? Even to us, in the face of so many things to be afraid of? Suddenly everything we hold dear in this world is repriced, and the true value of things becomes plainly clear. We are being given the kingdom! So why not sell our possessions and give to those in need? We are being given the kingdom! So why not wait on expectant tiptoes for the master? When he comes he will wait on us! The Father’s free generosity calls forth in us a generosity we have never before known. Fear is now met with anticipation, and tightfistedness with open hands. We are being given the kingdom, so now we know what true treasure looks like. And yet, like our fathers and mothers in faith that the Hebrews reading speaks of, we too “desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.” But in Christ our heavenly country has already arrived. In him, God has freely given us the kingdom.

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