Our Treasures, Our Hearts
Our Treasures, Our Hearts
August 7, 2022
Luke 12: 22 - 40
Guard against greed because life is not about all of those possessions that we think that we have to have. And we shouldn’t store treasures for ourselves; rather, we need to be rich toward God.
Slightly reworded, those are the summary teachings of last Sunday’s gospel lesson from the verses just before this morning’s reading from the Gospel of Luke. It was the basis of my sermon which concluded with a period of discussion exploring that fascinating and challenging question: What can we do or how can we live our lives so that we will be rich toward God? That is a huge question and a critical issue if we are to be authentic followers of Jesus. (Luke gives us a couple more insights into this matter; we will get into them in a moment.
During the last few minutes of the discussion time, a couple of us raised a concern that may have been in many of our minds. As I understood their comments, they were saying that “being rich toward God” was a matter of accepting Jesus as one’s personal savior. Sure, I like that insight; I value my relationship with God. But that is not what the writer of the Gospel of Luke was saying. Luke said that letting our possessions be the focus of our lives and piling up treasures for ourselves are values or principles that are not being rich toward God.
A sermon, especially one that is based on a passage of scripture, is not an appropriate time for me to proclaim what I think about the ideas under consideration. It is my responsibility to listen carefully to the text of the lesson so that I can help you understand what the writer was saying in order that you -- and I --can figure out how we can implement that teaching in our own lives. My theology, my likes and dislikes, and my wishes are not relevant to the sermon. Luke’s reporting on Jesus’ actions and teachings is the reason for the sermon; God’s speaking through Jesus is why you bother listening.
So, let’s go back to the Gospel of Luke for more insights into Jesus’ teachings.
In today’s lesson, Jesus said to the crowd and, therefore, to us, 22c“Do not worry about your life” – what you eat and what you wear. Well, some folks who have allergies or other medical conditions probably have to worry about what they eat and wear. But that is not Jesus’ point. What Jesus is saying is that 23“Life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.” He gives a couple of examples:
The ravens don’t sow, then reap their crops, and store them in barns, but God still feeds them. And you are of “much more value” than those birds; so, Jesus implies that God will certainly feed you.
Don’t worry about what you will eat because through God’s influence in today’s world we have Emmanuel Dining Room, food closets, a food bank, and food stamps among other ways to eat.
And, consider the lilies, they don’t toil and spin; yet they are clothed more splendidly than even King Solomon in all of his glory. You of little faith, if God so clothes the grass of the field, how much more will God clothe you.
Besides, you can’t add even add a single hour to your life by worrying about it, Jesus said. So why worry about your life? God will provide your needs. Instead, focus on becoming rich toward God.
The last piece of Luke’s reporting here of Jesus’ teachings about possessions may well be specifically addressed to the small house churches of the time in which he is writing. 32“Little flock,” he writes, do not be afraid for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. So, if we are focused on living our lives in Jesus’ way – the way of the kingdom, we are living cooperatively with God’s goal or God’s dream for us and our community. That is what Jesus is teaching us; that is what we need to be doing.
Stop striving and worrying so hard about what you will eat and drink. Everyone needs things these things; God knows that you need them. Instead, 31“strive for God’s kingdom, and these things will be given to you.”
Let’s put a little context into this series of teachings. Jesus seems to be speaking to a crowd. He probably doesn’t mean for all of them to forget about planting and tending to their small farms or gardens or for day laborers to stop going to work assuming that they, like the ravens would be fed by God through God’s creation and that they like the lilies would be clothed naturally like the wild flowers. Jesus tends to exaggerate the details of his teachings to emphasize his points – here that being “rich toward God” is what needs to be the focus of our lives – not getting luxurious possessions, scrumptious dinners, and beautiful clothes.
Seemingly inconsistent with these concepts but really just another aspect of living the kingdom way is that we are always reminded to love our neighbors which would mean handling our own business if possible – not making our neighbors take care of us, and as we can, assisting our neighbors with their needs. St. Paul, twenty some years later, says it clearly in his letter to the Galatian churches: 6:5“For all must carry their own loads” – bear their own burdens (an older translation). And beyond that, three verses earlier Paul writes, 6:2“Bear one another’s burdens.”
That is, Jesus is not suggesting that we should just lazy around doing nothing of any economic value. He is saying that the goals of our lives -- in that ancient Palestinian world and in our scientific and technological world – are not luxurious possessions, scrumptious dinners, and beautiful clothes. No, we are to live lives rich toward God because where our treasures are is where our hearts will be, too. Our hearts need to be focused beyond the hustle and bustle of our daily lives – they need to be focused on Jesus and his way, his attitudes, and his values.
32“Little flock,” Luke writes, “do not be afraid for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Therefore, Jesus says in the next verse, 33a“Sell your possessions and give alms.” 34“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Let me summarize Jesus’ teaching as Luke reports it here:
· Have no greed, because life is not about possessions.
· Don’t store treasures for yourself; be rich toward God.
· Don’t worry about life’s needs; strive for God’s kingdom.
· Where your treasure is, there is where your heart is.
These teachings are not a one-time -- maybe misunderstanding -- of Jesus’ ideas. Let me read a few verses outside of Luke that present much the same ideas.
Galatians 5:14
“For the whole law is fulfilled in one word – well seven words, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
John 3:36
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him (or her).”
John 14:15
Jesus said: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
Romans 15:1
“We who are strong have an obligation to bear the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.”
So, guard against greed because life is not about all of those possessions that you think you have to have.
Don’t store treasures for yourself; rather, be rich toward God.
Strive for God’s kingdom, and food and clothes, and other needs will be added.
Where your treasure is, there your heart is, too.
Yes, I know, that is not the way we are supposed to live here in our twenty-first century. Advertisers tell us every day that we deserve luxuries and comfort and all of the blessings of technology. But that is decidedly not what Jesus taught us – at lease, as Luke reports his teachings here.
Perhaps we should 33asell our possessions – or at least ease back on them -- and give alms -- so long as we don’t support alcohol or drug addictions or the exploitation of our neighbors. (It is often difficult to give alms well, which should certainly be a part of this teaching.)
But, it is simply true, 34Where our treasures are, there our hearts are also.” That is true for each of us individually and for all of us together as a congregation.
How do you hear these teachings? What do they mean to us? How are we to implement them in our living?
Let’s try some more discussion.
What can we – what will we – do with these teachings? How can we be rich toward God?
How does this fit into our lives? [I’m preaching to myself, too!]
* Have no greed because life is not about possessions.
* Don’t store treasures for yourself; be rich toward God.
* Don’t worry about life’s needs; strive for God’s kingdom.
* Where our treasures are, is where our hearts are.
What do we do with these core pieces of Jesus’ teaching?
How do strive for God’s kingdom? -- the bottom-line focus for our lives.
How do we work on our roles in building God’s kingdom here:
In Mt. Salem Church and In our Highlands neighborhood?
We pray, “Thy kingdom come on earth (just) like it is in heaven. Are we yet using our lives to help that happen?
Father, help us to rethink and rework our lives that we might become “richer” in you.
Sermons\Lk12_22-40.8a22