“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth...” One of the most clearly focused, memorable and challenging of the commandments Jesus gave us.
Let’s take a closer look. What treasure is he talking about? It seems clear he has primarily in mind material wealth in whatever form we might choose to keep it. The sort of wealth that moth and rust can destroy, or which can be stolen. If he were preaching today, he might rephrase it: “Do not store up your worldly savings in banks where it will be gambled away faster than if you had put it all on the horses, or in stocks and shares where irrational fear will somehow impel people and institutions you are never likely to meet to sell it all off under your nose at bargain prices. Neither put it under your bed in cash where some opportunist burglar may snatch it away the moment your back is turned.”
What is your greatest treasure? It may, of course, not be a material possession at all in the normal sense of the word. It may be a relationship. A husband, wife, son, daughter, friend. That treasure, too, can be snatched away as sadly we hear too often on the news – by a landmine in Afghanistan, a knife or a bullet in the street, or a careless driver on the Motorway. Life and health can be only too fragile; fortunes can be made and lost remarkably quickly; hopes and ambitions blossom but often crumble over time. The pessimistic (not to say ironic) verses of old Omar Khayyam echo down the centuries:
“The worldly hope men set their hearts upon
turns ashes – or it prospers; and anon,
like snow upon the desert’s dusty face
lighting a little hour or two – is gone.”
From a Christian viewpoint, this is not gloomy pessimism – it is simply realism. Do not store up for yourselves treasure on earth, but store up treasure in heaven, is good advice both for the present and the future. It means right priorities both for this life and the next.
We now have a strong atheistic advertising campaign launched in London to counter current Christian advertising. So on the side of London buses we have the advertisement: “God Probably Does Not Exist. Don’t worry - Enjoy Life!”
Well, I have to say as a Christian that (on the whole) I don’t worry, and I certainly do enjoy life. And my Christian faith is central to that enjoyment. But I remain conscious that I am mortal and this world is my temporary home. And so I try my best to hold everything I have dear in an open palm of the hand. There are two ways to hold things you treasure – in a clenched fist, and with an open hand, palm up. You actually enjoy it more in an open palm. You can see it better, enjoy it more, and you look with a greater awareness because you know that (like a beautiful butterfly) it may not stay long.
Our first reading is from Paul’s letter to the Philippians which he wrote while in a Roman prison – hardly the place you would choose for a holiday. Yet it is one of his most joyful and thankful letters. Today’s reading begins with the exhortation: “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again ‘Rejoice’.” Now that would be something to put on the side of a London bus!
And because he is writing in a time of hardship, he has wise words for us in difficult circumstances. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
He then goes on to tell us to focus our minds – not on the negative, the worst case scenario, or in escapism – but on everything that is noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable.
That is clearly the focus he has achieved in his enormously difficult circumstances in prison (and, remember, he had done nothing wrong), because he then recommends the frame of mind he has achieved: “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” May I strongly recommend that you read this passage again – and again – and even commit it to memory.
This is the fourth in our October series of sermons under the heading “Learning to Trust Him” and the title for today is: “He will go on providing.” In the midst of an uncertain life, the Christian learns not to be anxious because our trust is deep in God, who is our rock and our strength, the same yesterday, today and forever. Whatever your circumstances today, and whatever problems or uncertainties you may be facing tomorrow, may the peace of God, which transcends understanding, guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.
I would end there this morning, but this October series requires us to focus this trust down on to one area of our life, and the life of our church in particular – and that is the Renewal Project for St Michael’s. Having received two presentations at the beginning of this month, we are now in a period of reflection, prayer and choice. How does today’s theme relate to that?
Come back to the overall title: “Learning to Trust Him” and the particular theme for today “He will go on providing”. A moment’s reflection will show us immediately how relevant they are. The proposals we have seen outlined are difficult – difficult to envisage, often difficult to understand, difficult to decide, certainly difficult to put into practice let alone pay for. But if we follow Paul’s words, we are not to go milling around, probably getting more confused in the process, especially at a time when it is essential that the church is totally united in faith and vision. We are not to be anxious, but we are to pray with thanksgiving and focus on everything that is noble and right and pure and lovely and admirable. We are to trust God who has guarded and guided this church for the past 150 years and who is not going to stop now, unless we drive out the Holy Spirit with our own set ideas and prejudices and ambitions.
And as we can’t even take the next step of examining the scope and cost of the various elements without spending a very considerable sum of money, we need to learn to trust God with our giving in a new way. If we truly believe that God will go on providing for us personally, then we will feel generous and confident enough to provide God’s church with the means for him to lead us forward.
This project is going to be a great test of our practical faith. He is going to ask us to put it into action probably in ways we have not contemplated before. We must not fail the test. We certainly do not need to fail, because the God we are here to worship today is utterly trustworthy. If we put our practical trust where our spiritual mouth is, He will certainly not fail us – and what He has in store for us both personally and as a church, is more wonderful than we can begin to imagine.
Discussion
What does it mean to store up treasure in heaven? How do we do it?
What is the connection between your treasure and your heart?
How are we called to put this into practice (a) in our personal lives and (b) in our church?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment