Daily Readings - Sat Jun 23 2018
2 Chronicles
17Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them.18And they abandoned the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this guilt of theirs.19Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the LORD. These testified against them, but they would not pay attention.20Then the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, and he stood above the people, and said to them, "Thus says God, 'Why do you break the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.'"21But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD.22Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, "May the LORD see and avenge!"23At the end of the year the army of the Syrians came up against Joash. They came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the princes of the people from among the people and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus.24Though the army of the Syrians had come with few men, the LORD delivered into their hand a very great army, because Judah had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash.25When they had departed from him, leaving him severely wounded, his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings.
Matthew
24"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.25"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?26Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?27And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?28And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?31Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'32For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.34"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Sermon
The readings today offer us a powerful reflection on faith, trust, and the consequences of our choices. In the first reading from 2 Chronicles, we see the tragic story of King Joash, who, after the death of the priest Jehoiada, abandoned the Lord and led Judah into sin. Despite the warnings of the prophets, including the courageous Zechariah, who was stoned for speaking the truth, Joash and the people turned away from God. This led to their downfall, as they suffered at the hands of the Syrians and Joash himself was eventually assassinated. This story reminds us that when we forsake God, we lose the very foundation of our strength and stability.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us about the importance of prioritizing God above all else. He warns us that we cannot serve two masters—God and wealth—and urges us not to be consumed by anxiety about material needs. Jesus uses the examples of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field to show how God provides for creation. He calls us to trust in God’s providence and to seek first the kingdom of God and his justice. This teaching is a direct response to the kind of spiritual emptiness and idolatry we see in the first reading. When we place our trust in God, we find true peace and freedom from the burdens of anxiety.
These readings challenge us to examine our own lives. Are we like King Joash, allowing worldly influences to pull us away from God? Or are we like the birds of the air, trusting in God’s care? Jesus invites us to live with faith, to let go of our obsession with material security, and to seek a deeper relationship with him. Let us remember that true happiness and fulfillment come not from wealth or power, but from living in harmony with God’s will. May we, like the lilies of the field, grow in beauty and grace, trusting that God will provide for all our needs.