Treasure in Heaven Preached at Wollaston Congregational Church on October 14th, 2018 Scripture: Mark 10:17-31 This week I have another confession … I don’t like talking about money. I get bored with discussions about investments and the economy. That kind of conversation often goes over my head. And, then there are the conversations about my money, and my wealth that are just uncomfortable for me. This is not a problem, for those who prefer that the sermon doesn’t touch on money. We’re on the same page, right? “Pastor Liz doesn’t like talking about money, and we don’t like hearing about it.” What’s to fix? Well, of course, there is a small problem. Jesus liked talking about money, a lot! 16 of the 38 parables talk about the ethics of one’s money and possessions. In the Gospels, one out of ten verses deal directly with the money. The Bible has 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, and more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions. [1] Today’s gospel text is one of those many examples. So I’m afraid to say, we have no excuse. The story follows on from last week’s text. Jesus is continuing on his final journey toward Jerusalem. We hear that as he is traveling, a man runs up and kneels at his feet and asks: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” This man seems to be unsure about his salvation. He seems to be seeking for answers. And in his case, the answers concern obtaining eternal life. First Jesus checks in to make sure that the man is following the main commandments. It seems that he lives an exemplary life. He has kept the commandments since he was a youth. Then Jesus looks at him carefully and with love. He says, “you lack one thing, sell what you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” The man is deeply saddened by this news. He owns many possessions. He is a rich man. We don’t know what he does. We don’t find out whether he is saddened because he will lose all his possessions. Or perhaps he is saddened because he doesn’t have what it takes to build treasure in heaven. Jesus isn’t talking about eternal life at this moment. Jesus is talking about something far more immediate for the man. He is talking about him becoming a part of the community of faith and a part of God’s kingdom. He’s inviting him to be a part of the answer to the prayer “your will be done, your kingdom come, on Earth as it is in heaven.” As the conversation progresses we see this disconnect between Jesus and others. Jesus makes the point that riches get in the way of people participating fully in the Kingdom of God. And the disciples ask “who then can be saved?” Even though they are not getting the idea, Jesus commends them. After all, they have left everything to follow him. And he tells them they are to be rewarded – both now and in eternal life. They will receive a hundredfold of what they have given up. Then Jesus gives a warning, that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." This is a well known story from the gospel. Jesus likes to challenge his followers to give up on their attachments to follow him. And these attachments include money and the things that money can buy. One reason I may not like to talk about money is that I have quite a lot of it. I don’t earn a lot, being part-time in this position. But I do have significant resources from my former career. My family situation also allows for a lifestyle far beyond what a part-time pastor’s salary would usually provide. Even before I came into this embarrassment of riches, I was uncomfortable with this particular story of Jesus. I grew up in post-World War II austerity of England. My family might have been described as “well to do” and Middle Class. By all accounts, we were comfortable. Yet our lifestyle was nothing like the contemporary American or British way of life. As a child, I had everything I needed, much more than my parents had during the war. One toy I remember was a miniature chocolate machine. I loved those little squares of wrapped chocolate the machine would dispense when I deposited a penny. At the same time, I could see the finite of supply chocolate going down. And when I ran out, that would be the end. I didn’t know how or where to buy more. And so I was miserly in my use of that machine, because I always feared running out. I was the same way with the allowance my grandfather gave me each week. I’d save it, with some plan of what I was going to buy. I would never make a large purchase until I’d saved a few more weeks to buffer the shock of having nothing left. No wonder the story of Jesus telling the rich man he must give everything away makes me uncomfortable. And, maybe that’s the intention of the story. Let’s remember, that although this instruction is uncomfortable and challenging, Jesus looks on the rich man with love, not anger. We know that Jesus is deeply concerned for the poor, we have heard him talk about that many times before. Right now, though, he seems to be most concerned with saving this man. Not saving him from the fires of hell, but from the trappings of his wealth. Not only for eternal life, but for full participation in the community of faith and the coming kingdom, for full relationship with God and with others of the community. When we hear Jesus’ instruction to the rich man “sell what you own, give the money to the poor, and you will find treasure in heaven; then come, follow me” we realize the man’s wealth is an obstacle that prevents him from following Jesus. The disciples are commended by Jesus for leaving behind all their attachments to follow him. He assures them they will receive far more in return. They will gain mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters. They will receive houses and fields. These are the things that represent wealth. And there will also be persecutions. The list of benefits sounds little odd, but isn’t it something like the advantages of becoming a part of the Church? In coming into this community, we have a new family, new friendships. We have a new fuller lifestyle, more authentic connections than before, with God and with one another. Just this week I heard a story of a man who left behind a lifestyle of material wealth for the sake of his soul. I listen a National Public Radio show called Marketplace. This show has enough human interest stories to keep me engaged. And the reports on the markets and the economy are simple enough for me to understand. This year Marketplace has been presenting a series of “How We Changed” stories. These are stories of how different people have changed since the financial crisis of 2008. This past week they interviewed a 39 year old Rasanath Das, an immigrant from India who was an investment banker on Wall Street. Growing up in India in the 1990’s Das saw the movie “Wall Street” and heard the message “greed is good.” He was decided to come to the USA and his plan was to own a yellow convertible and a blue motor boat. He was convinced the New York was the place he was meant to be. After graduating with an MBA, he interviewed for a job as an investment banker. In the interview he was given the quote “investment banking is a business where thieves and pimps run freely on the corridors and a few good men die the death of a dog.” The interviewer asked the question “which are you?” Was this Wall Street’s way of saying that it easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God? In the booming economy of the early 2000’s, Das felt discontent and experienced a hollowness in his working environment. He spent time in a monastery in New York, talking with the monks about his conflicts. Even while he was still working on Wall Street, he began living by monastic principles. He meditated 2 hours each day, and abstained from meat, alcohol and caffeine. In 2007 there were six rounds of layoffs in his workplace. There was a feeling of inhumanity as employees were let go and walked out of the premises. They were not even allowed to return to their desks to collect their personal belongings. This was a wakeup call for Das. He realized that he had been living a life of “success without substance” and so he moved into the monastery. He lived there for four years. Since then he has started a business developing mindfulness and his life is back on track. [2] Most of us are not investment bankers and yet we all have attachments that keep us from full relationship with God and with one another. They are the pennies we hold on to, the chocolate and treasures that we squirrel away and eek out. These are the things that we cannot bring with us because they will not squeeze through that eye of a needle and into the kingdom. Jesus recommends letting go of these attachments and storing up treasure in heaven. The band Ceili Rain sings of a man who dies and goes to heaven. He is shown his home there by St Peter. It’s just a two room shack. The man is confused. Why doesn’t he have a one of the many mansions? Peter tells him that his heavenly house is this size because that is all the lumber he’d sent ahead. The man had not lived a generous life. He had not stored treasure in heaven. The man gets the point, and says if he had his life over again he’d be “the givin’est guy” that he could be. And, so perhaps, this is the reason why we give our tithes and offerings as a significant part of our worship service. When we offer our money to God, through the community of the Church, we are not just participating in a fundraiser. It isn’t only about shoring up our institution. When we give, we are depositing treasure in heaven. May all God’s people say, Amen [1] https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/1996/december/410.html [2] https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace/10092018
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
If you enjoy a sermon or have a question, please leave a comment. If you would like to quote any of my material in your own sermons or writings, please use appropriate attribution. I look forward to hearing from you!Archives
April 2022
Categories |