"Giving of what we get" - Sermon from Pentecost 20, 2015

Sermon:

Text: Mark 10:17-31

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ who asks us to give of our blessings.

            I have a game on my Ipad called Simpson’s Tapped Out, it’s pretty much a fun timewaster where you make the people from the Simpson’s TV show do various quests and missions. And one that I just recently started was around Mr. Burns. If you haven’t seen the Simpson’s Mr. Burns is a very similar character to Mr. Scrooge from Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, only with even more money and a very great want to flaunt it in front of everyone. The recent mission of his is to make him throw all of his money on a big pile in his front lawn, just to show off to everyone else that he has so much money he can simply make a huge mound of it for no reason.

            Now, the man from our Gospel lesson is in some ways the same as Mr. Burns, but, not really, because no one is like that, but, he does have some similar qualities. He’s rich, and he seems to think that can solve his problems. But, he is a little concerned about what may be ahead for him. So, when he sees Jesus he runs up and asks him directly. Jesus! What do I have to do to inherit eternal life?

            “Well, have you followed all the commandments? No murders, no adultery, no stealing, no lying, no false witness, no defrauding, honoring your parents?

            Yeah, I kept all of those laws!  Jesus looks at him, and loves him, and says, You lack one thing, go sell your stuff, give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, then follow me. The man becomes saddened and walks away.

            It’s not easy, Jesus continues, those with wealth are going to be hard pressed to enter the kingdom of God, it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. The disciples ask, “Then who can be saved?” “For mortals it is impossible,” Jesus says, “but not for God, for God all things are possible.”

            That’s pretty much where I want to stop for today in looking at our, even though if you are keeping track of Peter’s Human things versus Divine things like we talked about last week, Peter answers this all by saying, well! I did all that! I know you just said it is impossible for mortals, but I did it! Look how awesome I am, and misses the whole point.

            So, what do we have going on here? We have this man, who despite all his wealth is still insecure. All the rules he can get behind, but when Jesus asks him to give all of his possession away, he simply can’t. Why is this?

            It’s because it’s in his wealth and in his possessions that he finds his worth. What matters to him is what he has. He feels he has received this blessing of wealth from God, and he feels saddened he has to get rid of it.

            Now, I really don’t think Jesus has a problem with people being wealthy, Jesus’ concern here is about how we view our wealth. How do we view the blessings we receive from God?

            Are our blessings from God things that we get? Or are they things we get to give.

And I think that’s what’s going on here. Jesus asks him, did you follow all the laws? Yep, yes I did Jesus! He proudly proclaims, but Jesus knows that he missed the point. If he really understand the commandments, he would understand to care for the least, the orphan and the widow. But, he doesn’t. Like Peter, he’s caught up in human things, the accusation of wealth for oneself, and misses the divine, the use of the blessings that God has given us to care for the least in our world.

Again, are our blessings, the things that we get from God, things we get or are they things we get to give?  Are they things that becomes idols to us? Like money has certainly become in our culture. Or are they things that we can use in our daily worship and service to God by caring for God’s people and God’s creation.

We can simply acquire wealth for the sake of earthly prestige, or we can follow Christ’s commands and work to help those in need.

Today I lift up Bread for the World, or any group that works to end hunger in our world. In your bulletin you will find both an insert talking about what Bread for the World does, and an envelope to place your special offering. This is one way that we can use the blessings God gives us to help all those in need. Most of us here all have an abundance of food on our tables each day, and for the price of a coffee from Starbucks or a meal out at a restaurant we can reach out to the least of God’s creation and give them nourishment, and by doing so also let them know that they matter. They are important and worth helping, that they too are beloved Children of God.

There are two lines from our Gospel that I want to draw out as we close, when Jesus looks at the man after hearing that he doesn’t really understand the laws, Jesus loves him. And then when he is asked about what they can do, Jesus declares that all things are possible through God. We can’t do anything to inherit eternal life. It’s not up to us, it’s all done through Christ on the cross. All we do is believe and trust that God loves us. And then in our gratitude and thanks for what God has done, we respond by giving of our gifts.

So, in the end this text is not a rejection of the rich, but affirmation that life is not in riches, but that life is in God’s grace.

It is not money or power or prestige that give us meaning, but it is God’s grace that gives us the identity and worth that we seek. And an understanding that all matter, no matter their social or economic level.

So, I encourage you to put some money in an envelope, give of what God has given you, so that others in this world may know they matter and know of God’s love.