Pentecost 19

Sermon for Hope Episcopal Church
The Reverend Martha Frances
Year B, Pentecost 19, Proper 23
15 October 2006

Text: Mark 10: 17-27 [28-31]
Other Readings: Amos 5: 6-7, 10-15; Psalm 90: 1-8, 12; Hebrews 3: 1-6

"Jesus, looking at him, loved him." What an amazing statement! As is often the case in stories of Jesus, he is going about his business-here, setting out on a journey-when this man stops him & asks a hard question: "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" And when Jesus gives him the first answer, he plays the "Yes, but. . . " game. You probably know how it goes: "Yes, I know all that, but I already follow all the commandments. I haven't even defrauded, & that wasn't even in the original 10. But I'm still not sure of my salvation. I wonder if I've done enough. What else, Master?"

I'd likely be angry or at least exasperated if this man stopped me on the way to an important meeting or on my day off as I set out on a holiday. I'd probably snap at him, "We'll talk about it when I get back. I'm too busy right now."

But Jesus, looking at him, loves him. Jesus is not only patient & tolerant. Jesus really sees this man & his sincerity, even beyond the interruption & his "Yes, but. . . ." Jesus loves him; wants a relationship with him. So Jesus tells him, not what he wants to hear, but what he needs to hear. Jesus tells him to get rid of those things holding him back from total commitment to God, & then he invites the man to follow him.

Listen to the verbs Jesus uses to answer the man, this man of many possessions. First, Jesus says, "go & sell." Jesus tells the young man his possessions stand in the way of his following Jesus. He's got too much baggage. The old saying goes, "You can't take it with you," & Jesus is telling the man he can't take a U-Haul if he's going to travel with Jesus. Jesus is preaching to me here: I have the 1st book I ever owned! When I moved 3 years ago, I got rid of many of my books, but somehow, I still have an amazing number to pack & move this time. How does that happen? Jesus might just tell me to sell my books; I wouldn't like that. I have some possessions I'm mighty fond of. What possessions do you have that you don't really want to let go of? Are they keeping you from really following Jesus?

Next, Jesus tells the man to give the money to the poor. Almsgiving is a basic discipline for the Jewish community, & providing for those with fewer resources is incumbent upon Christians also. Over the years I've discovered that those who are most concerned about whether the particular poor they give to are worthy are those whose giving is certainly not cheerful & often has strings attached. A gift is freely given, a difficult concept for some folk. When I was vicar at Lord of the Streets, tracing the giving pattern of our often homeless parishioners was a humbling experience. Some of them tithed on their day labor jobs or even on what they were able to panhandle. We couldn't have operated LOTS on what they contributed, but their spirit of giving is reminiscent of the widow's mite we'll hear in a couple of weeks; they give generously & regularly.

Today marks the beginning of our fall pledge campaign, & our stewardship committee has chosen the intentional connection between the spiritual disciplines we've been studying & our financial commitment to Hope. Throughout the year, we will look at what kind of stewards we are of our time & talent, of our resources & outreach. In order for our vestry to plan responsibly for next year's budget, however, we need to consider prayerfully what we are able to give faithfully to this commitment for 2007. We're asking all our parishioners to take a look at our resources & make a realistic estimate of what we can contribute for the ministries of Hope & then faithfully fulfill that commitment. In order for Hope to fulfill our obligations & provide adequately for the ongoing spiritual needs of those already here as well as those we hope are attracted to our parish family, we must all ponder what we are able to give & then stretch to give a bit more. However, since 33 of the 58 pledges for 2006 are currently behind, we're scrambling to pay this year's expenses, so a realistic estimate for next year is most helpful. Of course, if you are able to catch up on your pledge or contribute extra toward the end of the year, we urge you to do so. You may consider the church budget discretionary giving, but those paying the bills pray that you consider your pledge obligation seriously.

Many of us have only to look at those who lost everything last year in Katrina or Rita to be reminded just how blessed we are, even if our resources haven't stretched as much as we'd like in order to meet expenses this year. The holy habit we are highlighting today is tithing, the traditional biblical measure for commitment to God & the earthly communities dedicated to God's work in the world. Some of us already tithe & may even give more than 10% to the church; others have a way to go to grow into a tithe. That's exactly what we ask you to consider: what increase can you make each year until you can give a 10th of your resources? Jesus asked the young man to give all his possessions away; we're encouraging 10%! Please take this request to God in prayer & make your pledge accordingly.

Now look back at the grammar of the biblical story: the next verbs Jesus uses are really compelling ones. He invites: "Come; follow me." Now we've hit on what the story is certainly about! Jesus is inviting the man to discipleship. He's already told the man to get rid of what's holding him back-to be generous with his possessions-& now he asks the man to be his disciple. What an opportunity! To walk with Jesus; to take that journey with him. At first, I think I'd really jump at the chance. But Jesus tells the man-& tells us-that in order to walk with him, to be disciples, we must get rid of whatever holds us back. Each of us has begun that journey, else we wouldn't be here today. What might it take for us to further follow Jesus? We might make a commitment to worship with the community each Sunday except for emergencies. Perhaps we have grown in our spiritual lives enough to be ready to come to Bible study, join a group in the church community to whom we can be accountable as well as support the others in their ongoing journey. What does following Jesus really mean about our financial priorities-our giving to Hope & also reaching out to make regular contributions outside the parish? How does Jesus call you to "Come, follow me"?

What happened to the man who had approached Jesus? The Gospel tells us he was shocked & went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Do you think Jesus loved him any less because he wasn't able to let go of the possessions what tied him down? No, there isn't anything the man could do to earn Jesus' love. Jesus loved him regardless. That's God's grace. But Jesus must have been unhappy when the man wasn't able to let go of those things which separated him from Jesus.

As is often the case, Jesus begins talking to the crowds & then gives added instructions to his disciples. Jesus provides a striking image for those closest to him. He tells them a camel could go through the eye of a needle more easily than a rich man can enter God's kingdom. What a silly picture! But we get the idea, don't we? Does this mean the rich are cursed & there's no chance for them to be disciples? That's what the passage from Amos seems to say this morning. But no, Jesus doesn't mean that God's reign excludes anyone. Jesus doesn't close the door to anyone. We close our own doors when we aren't willing to let go & let God. What possession or behavior is more important to us than our relationships, especially the one with Jesus? What is it in your life which is in danger of becoming your god? How are you tempted to close the door to Jesus' invitation?

I'm very thankful for wealthy people. Some of them kept the doors open at Lord of the Streets. We don't have folks here at Hope to whom we can turn to get us over the hump; we're pretty much ordinary working people who must open up our pocketbooks & wallets & contribute to Hope as well as to ministries like Lord of the Streets. As Jesus says in today's lesson, "for God, all things are possible." Our question today is not what others have to give or give up in order to follow Jesus. The real question is what stands in our way of walking daily with the Master. What do you need to let go of in order to more fully follow Jesus? For some of you, you've been letting go for a long time, & this is just a reminder to continue to keep your fists unclenched & be generous in every way possible. For others, you may not have ever considered what is standing in your way of discipleship. May we all pray for each other as we grow in Hope.