Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

Genesis 15.1-6; Psalm 33.12-22; Hebrews 11.1-3, 8-16; Luke 12.32-40

The Very Rev’d Bertrand Oliver, Dean and Rector

‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’ (Luke 12:34)

In the Name of God,
Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. Amen

This week, the world’s contrasts feel almost unbearable.

On one hand, the streets of our city are alive with colour — rainbow flags draped across balconies, music spilling from parade floats, people dancing in celebration of Pride.

On the other hand, in Gaza and too many other places, the streets are lined with rubble; the music replaced by cries of grief; dancing replaced by the slow walk of those carrying the wounded or burying their dead or the despair of those returning home with nothing to eat for their family.
The continuing destruction of the Palestinian people is taking a toll on an already fragile population — and on the conscience of the world — while too many leaders cling to power, enrich themselves, and evade accountability.

On 24 July 2025, following a resolution brought to our General Synod late June by our Anglican youth delegates, the new leader of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Most Rev’d Shane Parker, wrote to our Prime Minister Mark Carney urging him to lead boldly toward ending the egregious devastation of Palestinian and Israeli lives and lands through disproportionate armed violence, the imprisonment and killing of civilians, and the blockade of humanitarian aid to Gazans.

He writes: ‘I urge you to impose a comprehensive, two-way arms embargo between Israel and Canada. The obscene violence and deprivation in Gaza demand a sharp move away from vague promises and half-measures.’

In his letter, he encourages the 1.3 million Canadians who identify as Anglican to regularly communicate with our elected officials, asking them to work toward an immediate, comprehensive, two-way arms embargo.

In this Cathedral, we pray daily for world leaders and their responsibility to discharge their duty toward the Common Good. Alas, for many today, the Common Good is not where their heart is.

It is into this world — both joy-filled and grief-stricken — that Jesus speaks:
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

When we think about treasures, we might think of an Ali Baba cavern filled with gold, silver, precious stones, and the many other signs of an earthly wealth. But this is not only what is at stake today. When Jesus talks about “treasure,” he’s not simply speaking of money — though how we spend our money often reveals a lot about our hearts.

Treasure is whatever we guard, nurture, and orient our lives around: our time, our attention, our relationships, our hope. The question Jesus asks is not “How much treasure do you have?” but “What do you treasure?” — and therefore, “Where is your heart?”

In Luke’s Gospel, this saying comes after Jesus tells his disciples not to be anxious about what they will eat or wear. Instead, he invites them to trust God’s provision and to sell their possessions and give to the poor. It’s a call to invest in what is lasting — God’s justice, mercy, and love — rather than in what fades.

A tough call at any time, especially today, at a time when tax cuts for the rich seem to be more important than policies that will support the poor. A time when robbing a people of their land seems more politically expedient, at whatever cost to human lives, than working together a lasting peace in which the dignity and rights of all are considered in creating a new and lasting solution honouring God.

Looking around the world, we might ask: What does humanity seem to treasure? Too often, our collective treasures appear to be power, dominance, profit, and the illusion of safety built on the suffering of others.

In Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Yemen, Haiti — the “treasures” of political control and military victory leave cities destroyed and families shattered. In our own country, we sometimes treasure comfort over compassion, convenience over the slow work of justice, appearances over truth.
The prophet Isaiah tells us that the treasure God values is not gold or power but a world where the hungry are fed, the oppressed set free, and peace is more than the absence of war.

And yet, God’s Spirit is also at work this week — in the joy and courage of Pride.

Pride is not merely a parade, it is a declaration that the lives of 2SLGBTQ+ people are precious and worth treasuring — in the face of a history that often said otherwise. It is a living reminder that God’s creation is gloriously diverse, and that every person bears God’s image.

For some in our congregation, Pride is the fruit of long struggle:
• years of hiding and fear,
• painful experiences of rejection — sometimes by families, sometimes by churches,
• and the slow rediscovery of faith in a God who delights in us exactly as we are.

For others, it may still seem like an irritant, something which they would prefer we did not talk about.

Yet, despite what some believe, the work of the church is by its very nature a matter of Diversity, Equality and Inclusion – not for some kind of trendy or ‘woke’ reasons – but because this is the work that Jesus was doing as he was walking around in Galilee. Meeting people where they are, and re-orienting their hearts to be the best of who you can be as God’s beloved creation.

An inclusive Gospel mindset allows us to look at the whole of creation, all of God’s people, and to see the face of Jesus, recognize our brothers, sisters, siblings, in all those we see and meet, regardless of age, colour, gender, even faith. Because the descendants of Abram are found all around the world, in cultures far from ours.

To treasure diversity in all its forms is to store up treasure in heaven — to invest our hearts where God’s heart already rests.

Today Jesus’ challenge comes to us personally:
• What do I treasure?
• What does my calendar say I value most?
• What do my bank statements reveal about my priorities?
• When I look at the suffering of strangers, does my heart move toward them — or away?

And as a church community:
• Do we treasure our buildings, traditions and comfort in ways that exclude others?
• Or do we treasure the living, breathing people God brings through our doors — especially those the world pushes to the margins?

The good news — the heart of the Gospel — is that God treasures us. All of us. Not because we are perfect, but because we are beloved. God’s heart is with the broken-hearted and the dying in Gaza and with the joyful in the Pride parade; with the weary in refugee camps and with the hopeful singing hymns in this cathedral.

The cross shows us just how far God will go to be where the treasure is — giving everything, even life itself, to bring us home to love. The resurrection is God’s declaration that this treasure — life, love, justice — cannot be destroyed.

So, how do we practically set Our Treasure Where God’s Heart Is?

This week, pray without ceasing for those in Gaza and all conflict zones; write to your MP in response to our Primate’s call; support relief agencies — and refuse to grow numb.

At a time when 2SLGBTQ+ rights are under threat in many countries, celebrate and work to protect the dignity of all — not just during Pride but year-round.

And take time to reflect: Where is my treasure — my money, time, energy? Does it align with God’s vision and my heart?
Jesus says: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” If we want our hearts to be in the right place, we need to choose our treasure carefully. When we invest in mercy, justice, and love, our hearts follow — and they begin to look more and more like God’s own heart.

So may we, this Pride week, in this wounded yet beautiful world, set our treasure where God’s heart already dwells — among the hurting, the joyful, the rejected, the brave — and find that our own hearts are transformed in the process. Amen.

BDO