Loving God, breath into our hearts and minds at this time your loving and guiding word. Inspire us by your Spirit, that we may hear, and later do, what you would have us hear and do. Lift us up by your still small voice within and grant us the blessing we need and we seek. We ask it in Jesus' name. Amen
We take up this week where we left off a couple of weeks ago with Jesus speaking to the crowds concerning the love of God and the way to eternal life - a life that is both lived and prepared for here and now - and which extends - with greater blessings than we can imagine - into the next life.
How often do we think about the next life?
This week I like to pick up at where Jesus reminded the people of how close that life is to us with a parable about a rich man who was intent on building new and bigger barns so that he can store even more wealth and enjoy it in ease for years to come - who suddenly died - his wealth unspent and he himself totally unprepared to meet God.
Jesus said at the conclusion of that story: "So it is for those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God:
This week's reading begins with the words:
"Be not afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and not moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Sell your possessions.
Give alms to the poor.
Make purses that do not wear out.
Be rich towards God....
Be not afraid, for it is God's good pleasure to give you the kingdom...
How many of you have made up or review a last will and testament?
It is a good thing to do in terms of the ways of the world - it is a smart thing to do; by it you go a long way towards seeing that your wishes are carried out; and just as importantly - by it you normally help your family members avoid the temptations that any unspecified inheritance generally causes a family. It helps the family both materially and spiritually.
A last will and testament sees, of course, to the distribution of your worldly possession - be they many or be they few. It is a thing of foresight and planning for the future. It helps to shape what will happen in your family - and perhaps even in your community for some time to come.
But what if your soul, like that of the rich fool, in last week's parable, is suddenly required of you, or what, as Jesus speaks of latter in today's reading, the Master, the Lord, suddenly returns, if the Son of Man not only comes at an unexpected hour - but comes right now.
Do you have a last will and testament that applies towards God?
Do you have a plan for eternity.
Have you been rich towards God and saved a treasure in heaven?
The other day I overheard a group of people talking about Mark Six lottery tickets. They agreed that if they ever won the big one they could afford to be generous. Lots of people think about the "Kingdom of God" that way. Once they have it, they can afford to spread good will and random acts of kindness.
But that is not how it works.
And it never has been.
The kingdom comes in the giving. The gates of at the entrance to the way of life open when you are prepared to let your life go, when you are prepared to trust the God who created life in the first place, when, like the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, you are content to let God feed and cloth you.
Be not afraid, says Jesus, for it is God's good pleasure to give you the kingdom...Be not afraid, and make for yourselves purses that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven.
How many of you here carry purses?
Interesting things purses, as a man I always marvel at them, how so many things can be crammed into them - how they can look so small and weigh so much, how a person can laden themselves down with so much stuff that at first glance seems useless - but often turns out to be needed the very next day....
In the Middle East at the time of Christ - just about everyone carried a purse with various useful things in it, including of course money. Jesus tells us that it would be good for us to make for ourselves spiritual purses - with spiritually useful things in them - and especially with treasures that will not fail in heaven - but continue to provide for us the things we need.
Unfailing treasure in heaven.
What is this unfailing treasure?
How do we make and accumulate a purse full of it?
It is in giving away God's blessings - here and now. It is in living as Christ lived, here and now.
Not so long ago you heard me read a card of thanks from the three young people who had been helped by some members of this congregation. In it one young man said that the kindness he had received had made him begin to think that people really can and do care, that there is something more than darkness out there, something more than selfishness, something more than indifference towards strangers.
Treasures in heaven are those things we give away here on earth. The kingdom comes in the giving.
Which means you will never have treasure in heaven, and you will not be as glad to see the coming of the kingdom as you might be, if you wait until you have enough of whatever it is you think you don't have enough of before you spread good will and engage in random acts of kindness.
How often we lend out money or give out money expecting the money to be return to us. How easy it is for us to lend or to give to those who can give back to us - but how hard it is for us to lend or to give to those we think will not give back - how hard it is sometimes to give from what we have today - and to trust God to look after us tomorrow.
We find hard to forgive those who are seeking forgiveness, never mind forgiving those who still seem intent on hurt us and others.
We find it hard to love well those who love us, so most wives tell their husbands and most husbands tell their wives at least once in a marriage, never mind loving well those who just want to use us or those who actually hate us.
We keep waiting for more money before we do that nice thing we would like to do.
We keep waiting for more time before we do that special something with somebody that we have been planning to do some day.
We keep waiting until we feel more fit before we engage in getting fit. We keep waiting till we have learned more before we begin our project.
We keep waiting for the right time, the right person, the right circumstance, rather than risking with what we have, and with who we have before us, right now.
Make for yourself purses that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven.
With what we do, with what we think, with what we pray, ultimately, even what we feel, makes our purse - and helps to establish the unfailing treasure we shall enjoy in heaven and here on earth, for remember - the kingdom begins here - in our experience of what happens when we live as if it was coming to us soon, when we live as if it was already here.
Be not afraid little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Sell your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
I wonder if everyone is acquainted with the story of how the Apostle Thomas took this story to heart, but rather overdid it....The story is told in the apocryphal Acts of Thomas which tells how Thomas was sent by Christ to India.
Thomas was employed by the local king Gundaphorus to build a new palace, and Thomas was given money to buy materials and hire workmen. Thomas gave the money to the poor, but always assured the king that his palace was rising steadily. The king became suspicious when Thomas kept putting off his requests to see the work in progress and finally sent for Thomas. "Have you built my Palace?", he asked.
"Yes", Thomas replied.
"Then we shall go and see it now" said the King.
Thomas answered: "You can not see it now, but when you depart this life you shall see it. I have built you a palace in heaven by giving your money to the poor and needy of your kingdom."
Somehow Thomas survived intact and eventually Gundaphorus became a Christian, along with many others.
For them light had come into the darkness.
For them a pearl of great price had been discovered.
For them the world was changed.
Treasures in heaven.
Enjoyed even while on earth.
Don't wait to forgive.
Don't wait to visit the sick.
Don't wait to give alms.
Don't wait to begin that special project that God is gifting you for.
Don't wait to start thinking better about other people.
Don't wait before you adjust your attitude about life.
But believe Christ, trust God, and do what the Spirit urges you to do, in the good book, and in the depths of your hearts.
Blessed be the name of God, day by day. Amen
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