Four months from now, on August 10, the church will commemorate Lawrence, who died in the year 258 and whose martyrdom was one of the first to be observed by the church. Lawrence, a deacon, was responsible for financial matters in the congregation at Rome and for the care of the poor. He lived during a time of persecution under the emperor Valerian.
The emperor demanded that Lawrence surrender the treasures of the church. Lawrence gathered lepers, orphans, the blind and lame. He brought them to the emperor and said, “Here is the treasure of the church.” This act enraged the emperor, and Lawrence was sentenced to death.1
If any good has come from these pandemic days, perhaps it is a collective questioning that has invited us to identify the location of our treasure, to clarify our core values, to wonder not only where but also what and who.
What is worth working for?
Where is our collective heart?
There are days I am not at all certain how we will answer this question as a church, as a nation, and as a global community.
But I am certain of this: God has already answered the question.
The heart of God is on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus is the heart of God. Here. With us. Immanuel. Forever.
God’s treasure is here. All creation healed. All creation redeemed. All creation renewed and forgiven, freed and treasured.
Let us pray. God of all grace, send your Spirit to renew us in your love. Help us to resist all forces that dehumanize and demean. Remind us, daily, that we are your treasure and that your heart is at home here with us. Then, so freed by your persistent love, empower us to treasure what you treasure until our collective heart beats in time with yours. We pray in the name of Jesus, priceless treasure for all this weary world. Amen.
1sundaysandseasons.com
