Sermon

Rev. Robert A Kem

Rector of St. Anne’s Ankeny


8/12/07

Hebrews 11:1-16, Luke 12:32-40

I was thinking all week what would I preach on concerning the topic of faith for the Sunday sermon today? On Friday night nothing for certain. Then my olde4r brother Dan appeared and said let’s go fishing in the morning at skinners. We haven’t been there for a all summer. Let’s go early in the morning.”

I thought to myself, should I say yes or no? Should I go fishing with my brother or not? I still have my sermon to write and I would be fresh and ready to go early on Saturday morning to write my sermon for the next day. But, as you know temptation is always there, I went fishing at 6:30 am in the morning on Saturday.

As I began to fish and as I cast my pole in the water waiting for a bass to strike my lure I thought. Fishing really is a great illustration of faith.

Faith in Hebrews 11:1 says “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. What is seen was made out of things which do not appear.”

In faith the fisher mean starts out with a pole, worms, his lures, tackle box and the faith that he is going to catch something that day. If I felt I wouldn’t catch then I would not waste the time to go out and fish.

Somehow, I keep coming back again and again to fish whether it is Colorado or Greg and Connie’s pond. I go because I expect to catch a fish. I expect something to happen.

I fish in faith. Fishing like faith it is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen...”

I know the fish are in there. I can’t see them but in faith I cast my pole into the water. IN faith, I bait my hook with worms. I put my faith there I will catch a fish whether I see them or not.

In fact, when a person fishes, they often do not see the fish unless they have a fish finder in a boat and are over the fish in the water.

So, fishing and faith are very much alike. So it is true with many things in our lives. We have faith that I will get up in the morning and drive to work. I have faith that my wife will do the same. I have faith in my family members.


I have faith in my car that it will start. Now, often times my 1973 Mustang will not start but I turn on the key and expect the Mustang to turn over and start.

I have faith in the doctor that she will make me well when I am sick. I have faith in the people around me that I work with each day.

Today in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is saying “Fear not little flock, (who is that?) The flock is his followers, his disciples. Fear not little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”



Faith is trust in God. Trust God by selling your possessions and giving alms to the poor. Put your trust in heavenly things, things of faith and not things of the earth. Put your trust in things that do not fail, where no thief steals and no moth destroys. Put your trust in the treasures of heaven that will never fail you.”



Luke 22 Jesus says to his disciples,”Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you eat, nor what about your body, what you shall put on. For life is more than food and the body more than clothing.”



The opposite of faith is worry. What Jesus is saying is this; you can’t trust God and live in faith if you are worried. In other words it boils down to this as a faith issue. You can either trust God or worry about things.”



Worry is a faith issue. We worry when we want to control and manipulate every detail in our lives.

We worry about things in the future that we have no control over. A lot of anxiety is caused by us as humans trying to control things in the future.

In addition to scripture I have read the daily lessons from the book Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. The conclusion is most of life’s problems is that it is all small stuff.”

Now, I want to share with you some extreme worry that comes passed down from both sides of the family. My Grandma Kem did not want my dad to take swimming lessons because they lived near the Mississippi River and so many kids drowned while swimming in the river. Just stay away from the water she would say.

Well dad took lessons at the YMCA, yet one summer he went swimming in the Mississippi River and almost drowned when the current took him under. Had he not had a friend there who came out to save him and had he not had his swim lessons that taught you how to be saved while being escorted into shallow water dad would have drowned or fought with resistance his friend who saved his life.

My other Grandma Gilmore was a worrier. Her mother was a worrier and passed that down to her as the next generation. Grandma’s mother used to wash the 12 children up every Saturday night from head to toe. She dressed them in their finest clothes after spending all day Saturday washing and ironing their clothes. All this was in preparation for Sunday church. Oh, how things have changed???

She went to this effort because people are watching you and your behaviors. They will form an impression on you that might influence your future some day. The hair was cut, nails trimmed and shoes shined for this Sunday morning ritual.

These worries were passed down to my grandmother and from grandmother to my mom.

One summer we went to Arkansas to visit my grandparents. Mom had all three boys go the barber before we went on vacation. Back in those days it was just a trim. When we arrived and unpacked the car al five or our family and grandma and grandpa were sitting in the living room discussing our plans for the next two weeks. Grandma said ; “Boys I see that you forgot to get your haircut when you left for vacation that’s okay grandpa has a really good barber here in town and he is very reasonable in price.”

The boys responded, well grandmother, we are alright. We already had our hair cut before we came. We are wearing our hair longer these days.”

Grandma said, “Well, I’ll be. That really that looks awful.”

We just laughed and said all the teenagers look awful these days.

Well, someone needs to have their haircut. Grandpa you will just have to go again and get yours cut. But ERA I just had mine cut and trimmed on the side about two days ago.

Well, you need to go back and have them cut off more.

By God that was grandma. She said someone was to have their haircut and someone was going to have their haircut.

Grandma had instilled in her the worry about pleasing others. What others thought about you could affect your life. When you were at church you looked your best because you did not know if people would be judging you or not by your looks, your dress, your shoes and your manners.”

This worrying about what others thin of you can be a real problem if the worry is carried to extremes. Faith can be confused when mixed up with our worries and our perceptions of how God views us like others in a small town.

But God loves us. We must believers that either God loves us unconditionally or not. If it is the way we look or the clothes we wear we are all in trouble. Either God loves you are not. If you believe that than you believe that God will take care of your daily needs. NO matter what happens or what the problem is. It is senseless to worry. W3e can’t change or solves our problems by worrying more.

Yet, as humans we worry don’t we? What is your problem you are worrying about today? Everyone hold that worry. Is it involving relationships? Family members” spouse or friend. Have you turned that problem over to God? Have you asked God to help you in solving that problem?

If you have faith than you will believe God’s promise to take care of you. Jesus said Look at the flowers of the field. Solomon in all his glory does not look as good as they do. They neither toil nor spin. How much more does god care for you?

If God takes care of the birds of the air and how much more will God take care of you??

Any worry or a problem begins as a faith issue. Remember faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Do you believe Jesus when he said your heavenly Father loves you much more that your earthly Father is capable of loving you? God Loves You So Stop Worrying. You cannot add one cubit of span to your life by worrying.

Don’t sweat the small stuff, it is all small stuff, when compared to the big picture and how much God loves you. God loves you and God has treasures in heaven in store for you. The only way we can access these treasures is by faith.

John 14 1, 25-27 is another verses of scripture where by you may see Jesus teachings. “Let not your heart be troubled believe in God, believe also in me. The Holy Sprit in whom the Father will send in my name he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubles, neither let them be afraid. John 20:21-22 Peace be with You. Jesus breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit.

Fear is not faith. The only way out of your troubles today is by faith in God, faith in the words of Jesus Christ. We need to let these words rolls over us, nurture us, penetrate our being.

We can choose to worry about things in the future or we can trust in God. Faith is trusting in God and in trusting in God we are trusting in the hope, the freedom that only God’s love can give to us.

Does it not say n the Blue Book in AA that the first step I our relationship of solving problems is to recognize that life has become so unmanageable to that we can no longer do it alone or by ourselves but that we must turn thee problems over to God.

Jesus is telling us the very same thing today. Faith, not worry will go far I solving your problems. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not