Two statements are given to us today — one from Paul, one from Jesus — and together they offer a deep and abundant assurance of God’s love for us.
Paul tells the Ephesians, and tells us, that we are chosen. God has set His heart upon us. We belong to Him. This is not something we earn; it is something God freely gives. We are His own.
In the Gospel, Jesus strengthens that assurance even more. He says, “Do not be afraid.” He reminds us that the Father has counted the hairs on our heads. He sees the smallest sparrow fall and yet tells us that we are worth more than many sparrows. In other words, nothing about our lives escapes His loving attention.
Last weekend, we heard the parable of the king who prepared a banquet for his son. Invitations went out, but many declined. So, the king threw open the doors and welcomed everyone. Paul tells the Ephesians that they, too, received that invitation — that they were sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit, the first installment of God’s saving work.
We have received that same invitation. Our baptism was our first installment, followed by the sacraments that continue to shape us — the Eucharist, Reconciliation, and every moment when grace touches our lives, seen and unseen. Each time we respond to grace, we are stepping further into the banquet hall.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus assures us that He knows our comings and goings. He also knows the Pharisees, and He cautions us: Do not be like them. Do not live out of fear or pretense. Be who I made you to be. You do not need masks or defenses. You are known. You are seen. You are loved.
Not a sparrow is forgotten by God — and God does not forget one of us.
He knows our trials, our weaknesses, our joys, our sorrows. And still He says, “Do not be afraid.” We hear in Isaiah: “Can a mother forget her child? Though she may forget, I will not forget you. I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”
That is the heart of today’s message. We are chosen. We are known. We are seen. We are loved. We are not forgotten. We are precious in His sight.