Sunday
08/07/22 - Sidney UMC
Sermon Title: “Where Your Treasure Is, There Your Heart Will Be Also”
Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23
New Testament Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Gospel Lesson: Luke 12:32-40
I find the topic of wealth to be an
interesting topic. We sometimes hear about someone’s “Net Worth”. If you have
never heard the term “Net Worth,” it means how money you are worth, minus your
debts. This would include cash, property, possessions, investments, life
insurance, etc. It seems that so often
in our culture, people are evaluated by such things as there “Net Worth”.
I mean every year we get the Forbes
500 list. The list of the 500 hundred wealthiest people in the world. It might
list where they live, the businesses or the connections they have, but the list
mostly focuses on “Net Worth”. I wonder how many people know though, how many
kids or grandkids that Elon Musk, or Jeff Bezos, or Mark Zuckerberg, or Warren
Buffet have. These are a some of the financially wealthiest persons in the world.
Unfortunately, some people are viewed
completely and entirely based upon there “Net Worth”. There value to society, to
their community, and to the world is not who they are, but what they have. This
morning Jesus, tells us in Luke 12:34 once again,
34 For where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also (Lk. 12:34, NRSV).
Jesus talks a lot about
money and treasure, in the bible. Our culture seems obsessed with it. I wonder
if anyone would care about any of the leading billionaires in this country if
they had no financial wealth? There is also an assumption that people with
wealth do not do good things with their wealth. For example, Bill and Melinda
Gates have given away billions of dollars to help places like Africa.
Jesus calls us all to view people, not just numbers in a
bank account. If we do achieve earthly success as far financial and material
wealth, as Christians we are but caretakers of what God has graciously allowed
us to work hard to have. Really then it is an issue of one’s heart. If a man
created a business, hired many people in the town, and paid them well, is that
a bad thing? If this same employer was generous, gave to the church, helped
others, but also accrued some financial wealth, is this bad? No, not at all.
This morning Jesus is not just talking about wealth, money,
possessions, or as we say now “Net Worth,” he is talking the condition of our
hearts around such things. In the early Christian movement, some of the patrons
of the first churches were converts that a lot of financial and material wealth.
Some of these people gave generously so that mission and the life of the
churches could grow and expand. There heart was for Jesus, and as a result,
they were willing to invest some of their hard-earned resources for the mission
of the church.
You see the things we love are things that we are willing
to invest in. Many of you would do anything for your kids, your spouse, your
grandkids, and your family in general. If your family, is your “treasure,” to use
Jesus’s word for this morning, then you are willing to invest in them heavily.
In some Christian traditions, some Christians go even further and take a vow of
poverty. Some Christian monks, nuns, etc., live very simply, and have very little
money and possessions. They are doing this, because as it says in the beginning
of the Luke 12:32-40 reading for this morning, once again, because their treasure
is Jesus and the church itself.
A small percentage of religious people take such vows, but
they are then supported by the church folks who did not take such vows. Our
relationship with money and possessions can sometimes be an awkward thing. I
personally do not like talking money and possessions, or “Net Worth” in church,
but these are realities that we encounter all the time.
All this being said, what is our “treasure”? Is your
treasure, as you think of it, just possessions and money? What is it in your
life you “treasure”? Once again, I find it fascinating that every year that Forbes
publishes the “Net Worth” of the top 500 financially wealthiest people in the
world. We are told little to nothing about them as people, and only how much financial
wealth and possessions they have. I remember years ago seeing a movie with
Danny DeVito, and he was remarking on our economic system of capitalism or the
free market. He said in the movie, “It’s capitalism! Whoever dies with the most
wins!”
I do not think that this is what Jesus is saying at all
this morning. Money is a tool, possessions are possessions, and we have a
necessary relationship to these things. Yet, we are merely caretakers of
anything we have here on earth. Anything that I have is not Melissa and I’s,
but Gods. Like the man I talked about last Sunday who brought the gold bricks
to heaven, he was merely giving back to God, what God allowed him to have in
the first place.
The founder of the Methodist Movement, John Wesley had “Three
Plain Rules” when it came to money. Wesley said:
“Gain
all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can” (https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Rules-Money-Wesley-Earning/dp/0687466164#:~:text=Wesley%20laid%20out%20what%20he,people%2C%20resulting%20in%20increased%20income.).
Some might say, “but Pastor Paul that
sounds greedy”. Working hard, helping others, serving others, are biblical
values. If God allows you to accrue some treasure, possessions, or wealth, we
are merely caretakers of what God has allowed us to have. For some reason though,
some in our society have the incorrect belief that all treasure, money, and
possessions are ill gotten. This definitely is not always the case; it is our
relationship to our treasure that matters. If we love the treasure, money,
possessions, more than God, then we lose God.
One my all-time favorite movies, is
the Tom Hanks movie “Forest Gump”. In the movie Forest Gump, Tom Hanks plays
the character Forest Gump. Forest is not super intelligent, but loves God, is
kind, and is very generous. He starts the famous “Bubba Gump Shrimp Corporation”
with his war buddy Lieutenant Dan. By the end of the movie Forest Gump is fabulously
financially wealthy. Yet he still lives in his childhood house, he still mows
the school football field, and still gives generously. He gave money to his
church to put a new steeple on. He gave to his fallen friend Bubba’s family who
died in the Viet Nam war. He had wealth, he had treasure, but the wealth and the
treasure did not have him.
You see my friends we are all just
people, just broken sinners redeemed by the grace of God. This morning Jesus
Christ, our Lord tells:
34 For where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also (Lk. 12:34, NRSV).
Whatever we are given on this earth,
may we be loving, generous, and seeking to help others. I have talked with a
lot of people over the last two weeks, and various people told me what they
would do if they won the “Powerball” lottery jackpot. Someone even asked me
what I would do. I then said, “As a Methodist, and as a Methodist Pastor, we are
forbidden to gamble”. The person then pushed the issue and said, “well let’s
say you were not a Methodist Pastor”.
So, I caved, and said ok, I’ll tell
you. I would give so much to the Sidney UMC that they would be endowed forever
to run this church. I would give some to family members, help people in the church
and community, give to charities, etc. The person then smiled after a few minutes
of me talking and said, “But Pastor Paul what would get for yourself?” I then
said, “Well maybe I would get Melissa a new car that has good features and a
high safety rating”. Then person than said, “but Pastor that is Melissa, not
you”. I said, “Well I guess I could go out to a nice dinner with Melissa”. The
person then said, “that’s it!” I said, “well I would invest some of it, so it
could grow”. The person then said, “well what would you do when it grew?” I
said “Melissa and I would have enough to live a basic life, and then probably
will give money to family or charitable causes”. The person then said, “So you
would buy nothing!” I said, well maybe one thing? The person said, “What’s
that?”. I said maybe a nice a little truck, just to have if I needed it. The
person then said, “that’s it!” I said, “Yeah that’s it”.
In our reading for this morning from
Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23, it says once again in 50:23:
23 Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the right way I will show the salvation of God” (Ps. 50:23, NRSV).
The things we love, our treasure, is what we
invest in. As I said last Sunday, we need food, we need clothing, we need some possessions,
but beyond that what do we want more stuff for? Will it make us happy? If you
have financial wealth, then God has allowed you to give and to be generous.
Further, our treasure in and of itself will not save our souls. This morning
the Apostle Paul reminds us in Hebrews 11:1 once again:
11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Heb. 11:1, NRSV).
Financial wealth and possessions can be a good thing for
some, but it will not in and of itself make us happy, might not make us live
longer, and certainly will not save our souls.
In looking at our gospel of Luke reading for this morning, it
says starting in Luke 12:1, once again:
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it
is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 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. 34 For where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also (Lk. 12:32-34, NRSV).
Jesus
in these verses from Luke 12 talks about selling everything, giving it away and
living by trusting God alone. Some religious orders, monks, nuns, etc., as I
said, take these vows. They usually do not get married, and are devoted to God
and God alone. Yet, the ministry of folks that take a vow of poverty is
subsidized by the people of God who did not take a vow of poverty.
Jesus then tells us to be ready for when
he returns to earth. He says:
35 “Be dressed for action and have your
lamps lit; 36 be
like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet,
so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are
those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he
will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve
them. 38 If
he comes during the middle of the night or near dawn and finds them so, blessed
are those slaves. 39 “But know this: if the owner of the house had
known at what hour the thief was coming, he
would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must
be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
I saw a funny t-shirt once, it said, “Jesus
is coming, look busy!” What we value though, what we see as our treasure will
become who we are. What we focus on, what we love, is where our heart is. If we
are obsessed with money, possessions, and wealth, well then, our heart is
wrapped up in money and possessions. If we accumulate some wealth and
possessions, but not because it is the entirety of our focus, then that wealth
and those possessions is not where our heart is. Instead, if our heart is for
Christ and his gospel, then everything we have, money, possessions, gifts,
time, talent, and graces will be used to the glory of God in Jesus Christ.
My
wife Melissa is a treasure to me. Our little dog Sally is a treasure to me. My
parents and my family are a treasure to me. This church, and all of you are treasures
to me. People have asked me why I work so much and am here so much. What is
answer to that my friends? My answer is Luke 12:34:
34 For where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also (Lk. 12:34, NRSV).
Since
this church and all of you are treasures to me, and since I love Jesus as my
Lord and Savior, I’m all in. Melissa and I are going to give as much as we can
of our time, our talent, our resources, our gifts, our graces, my corny jokes,
and etc. Why you might ask, “but why” my friends, because:
34 For where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also (Lk. 12:34, NRSV).
In
closing, I want to tell you the story of the death of Saint Lawrence. No not
the county in Upstate New York, not the college in Canton, NY. Although, these
were all named after Saint Lawrence, but instead I want to tell you the story
of his death. How and why, he died. Here is the story of the death of Saint
Lawrence:
Saint Lawrence was
one of seven deacons in charge of giving help to the poor and needy
under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred during the persecution of Emperor
Valerian in 258. When a persecution broke out, Sixtus was condemned to
death. As he was led to execution, Lawrence followed him weeping, "Father,
where are you going without your deacon?" he said. "I am not leaving
you, my son," answered the Pope. "In three days you will follow
me." Full of joy, Lawrence gave to the poor the rest of the money he had
on hand and even sold expensive vessels to have more to give away. The Prefect
of Rome, a greedy man, thought the Church had a great fortune hidden away. So
he ordered Lawrence to bring the Church's treasure to him. The Saint said he
would, in three days. Then he went through the city and gathered together all
the poor and sick people supported by the Church. When he showed them to the
Prefect, he said, "This is the Church's treasure!"
In great anger, the Prefect condemned Lawrence to a slow, cruel death. The
Saint was tied on top of an iron grill over a slow fire that roasted his flesh
little by little. But Lawrence was burning with so much love of God that he
almost did not feel the flames. In fact, God gave him so much strength and joy
that he even joked. "Turn me over," he said to the judge. "I'm
done on this side!" Just before he died, Lawrence said, "It's cooked
enough now." Then he prayed that the city of Rome might be converted to
Jesus and that the Christian faith might spread all over the world. After that,
he went to receive the martyr's reward.
(https://www.saintlawrencewr.org/about-saint-lawrence-the-martyr.html).
Friends, Jesus said in Luke 12:34:
34 For where your treasure is, there
your heart will be also (Lk. 12:34, NRSV).
I have many people and many different areas of my life that
I consider my treasure. Among them, towards the top of the list, is this
church, and all of you. I hope and I pray that this is true for you, for as Jesus
said:
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Lk. 12:34, NRSV)
Amen.
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