There
once was a rich young man. He was a really good guy – the kind of guy you’d
bring home to meet the parents. He went to church, he did nice things for
people, he was smart, self-reflective, handsome… He had a good job, one that
already paid him quite well, but also had lots of room for climbing the ladder.
He was able to live comfortably and even put some money away. This man was definitely
in a good place in his life. And on top of all that, he had always been the
kind of guy who does the right thing. You know the type? He never said mean
things about people, he was loyal to friends and family, he never took credit
for things that weren’t his, he never lied or cheated, and he was very good to
his parents. This guy was one good egg.
And
yet, something felt off. I mean, here he was – a good job, a good family, a
good life all-in-all, but he still felt this sense of dis-ease. You know how
you get that feeling? Like even though you think you’re doing everything right,
something just isn’t in place?
He
thought about this a lot. And then one day, a well-known spiritual leader came
to town. As he heard people talking about this leader, the source of his
dis-ease occurred to him: he wondered, for all the good that he did here on
earth, what was it all for? What was the point? What comes next?
And
so off he went in search of this leader. And when he found him, the young man
fell to his knees, suddenly certain that this teacher could tell him what he
needed to know. “Good Teacher!” he said. “What must I do to inherit eternal
life?” The teacher told him to keep the commandments. Feeling somewhat
affirmed, but still lacking what he needed most, the man replied that he
already did this, and always had. The teacher gave him a curious look, a loving
look, as if he saw deeply into the man’s soul. It is only when one truly loves
you that one can truly know you, and the young man did feel wholly known by
this teacher. But the next words the teacher said were difficult: “You lack one
thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” The poor, rich young man was
shocked. Sell everything? All that he had worked so hard for? His future?
Everything?
His
dis-ease had been diagnosed. The teacher had offered him a treatment, a way to
find that which was missing in his life. Though he could see the good that
would come from the change, the treatment seemed too much. He couldn’t bear it.
And he went away grieving. …
The experience of the rich young man in our Gospel
lesson this morning is not so unfamiliar to us. How often have we come to Jesus
with a feeling of dis-ease in our hearts, and asked for treatment, only to find
the treatment too difficult to bear. Maybe we are overweight and
under-exercised, and, knowing we should be good stewards of our bodies, we try
to eat better and exercise more. But the lifestyle change is too much. We cannot
bear to give up chocolate, or our favorite TV show. We go away grieving. Or, we
are facing a cancer or other disease, and the doctor says, “It needs to come
out to save your life.” But the thought of losing a thyroid, a uterus, an
appendage… seems too much for us, even if it is what will save our life. We go
away grieving. Or we have a friend who has turned destructive. She keeps us
from growing closer to God. But this person has been our friend for so many
years, and we can’t imagine life without her. We know we need to leave the
relationship, but it is unimaginable. We go away grieving.
There are so many ways we feel dis-ease in our lives,
even as we try to live life the best we can. What dis-ease do you experience?
What brings you to kneel at Jesus’ feet and ask for help… and how often have
you found that the treatment for the dis-ease is too difficult to comprehend?
As we often do at this time of year, we are beginning
today to think intentionally about stewardship. We often associate stewardship
with giving money. That is a part of it, for sure, because where we put our
money says a lot about what we value. It is often said that if you want to see
what is most important to you, you should look at your bank statement, and see
where your money goes. But much more than a conversation about money and our
“many possessions,” stewardship is about being good managers – or stewards – of
all that God has given us. This of course includes money. But it also includes
everything else we have. Luther articulates it well in his interpretation of
the first article of the Apostles’ Creed in the Small Catechism. He says: “I
believe that God has created me and all that exists. God has given me and still
preserves my body and soul: eyes, ears, and all limbs and senses; reason and
all mental faculties. In addition, God daily and abundantly provides shoes and
clothing, food and drink, house and home, spouse and children, fields,
livestock, and all property – along with all necessities and nourishment for
this body and life. God protects me against all danger and shields and
preserves me from all evil. God does all this out of pure, fatherly, and divine
mercy, without any merit or worthiness of mine at all! For all of this I owe it
to God to thank and praise, serve and obey him. This is most certainly true.”
Wow. That’s quite a lot that God has provided for us, from shoes and clothing
to protection from evil, and all just because God loves us, not because we did
anything to deserve it.
Framed this way, it’s remarkable to imagine that the
rich young man was so shocked and grieved at the thought of giving up the
bounty God had provided him – giving it to the poor, no less, who had far less
than he did! It had only been given to him out of grace, anyway. It never did
truly belong to him, did it?
And yet, it is hard. We know that, with the rich man.
Of course it is hard. I mean sure, it would be great to give not 10%, but 100%
of my income away, if it weren’t for having to pay for those pesky things like
food, clothing, rent, student loans, oh, and dinner out now and then, and this
fabulous new jacket, and a trip once in a while to visit someplace interesting.
Yeah, we’re not so unlike the rich man. We all have
things we’ve come to believe are rightfully ours. I earned this. This is my money. This is my time and I will spend it how I want. And how quickly
these possessions then turn around to possess us. We cannot imagine our lives
without them. Who we are gets so entangled with what we have, we find it hard
to imagine that we can be who we
are without these things. Such dependency on our possessions may or may not
immediately cause that sense of dis-ease in our hearts that the rich man felt.
But when Jesus suggests that the way we can grow closer to God and inherit
eternal life is to give all these things away and follow him, this does indeed
seem a shocking impossibility, difficult to ignore! It is giving up too much –
our selves, our time, and our
possessions!
And for mortals, for you and me, it is a shocking
impossibility. But not for God. For God, all things are possible, Jesus tells
us, if we but trust in God! Because at the end of the day, it is not our things
that define us. Our true definition comes in our baptism, when we are showered
with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and called,
“child of God.” It comes in words of forgiveness. It comes in those words,
“Given for you.”
What is it that keeps you from embracing that identity
God gives you? What have you allowed to define you? When you come to Jesus and
kneel before him in need of wholeness, what is his response? What words of
grace does he offer you? Who are you when that happens?
Let us pray. Merciful God, we come and kneel before
you, aware of our dis-ease, asking for your help. Guide us in knowing what you
would have us give: our selves, our time, and our possessions. As we learn to
rely more wholly on you and your grace, give us the confidence we need to trust
that your providence never fails. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment