It feels just wonderful to
return to Hartford! I landed at Bradley on Friday morning, worshipped yesterday
at the magnificent Consecration of our Suffragan Bishops, and afterwards
enjoyed time with the Dean. Now I am delighted to worship with you and have the
privilege of again preaching in our historic cathedral - before I return to
West Palm Beach this afternoon.
So here I am, retired and
living comfortably in Florida, with the task of preaching on a Gospel text that
says "go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor ... How hard it
will be for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God." Complicating my
task is the strong feeling in most congregations that certain topics - like
finances - are distasteful and unsuitable for sermons.
Nonetheless, let me begin by
asking you these questions! Do you think that Jesus would have said such things
to the rich young man, if it were known that he faced massive medical expenses
for his family? Or, if he happened to be a generous benefactor of many worthy
religious and charitable organizations? Is a vow of poverty prerequisite to
being a faithful disciple of Christ? Are all well-to-do people despicable? Are
all poor people admirable?
Actually, in the Bible the
approval of wealth is found in many stories. That riches are a gift and
a blessing is part of the biblical tradition. Nevertheless, according to
Scripture, wealth is given by God for the purposes of meeting the needs
of the poor. Provision for them is a major purpose of work, not
the accumulation of wealth just to have it. It is clear that the rich
are to be good stewards of their resources, which ultimately belong to God. At
least that’s the theory.
In practice, though, the
prosperous minority in Jesus' day possessed excessive land, gold, silver
and natural resources that had been taken from exploited, ordinary
people. The rich hoarded their treasures; their abundance was not shared
with the needy. Because the rich tended to view their resources as an approving
gift from God, they typically had contempt for the disadvantaged. Additionally,
some idolized their wealth; they had been willingly seduced to worship only
what they could see and count. They defined their most fundamental identity,
who they truly are, in terms of their possessions. No wonder we hear
elsewhere in Scripture the words of Mary's song: "He has filled the hungry with
good things, and the rich he has sent empty away." (Luke 1:53)
We know that in Jesus day
ordinary people were poor not because of laziness or other personal
failings, but as a result of injustices. They did not even have the ability to
provide the essentials of life for themselves.
A poor person or family had no
hope of improving their economic condition. They were needy, vulnerable, and
abused by those with power.
It is within this environment
that on his way to Jerusalem Jesus met the rich young man, who asked, "Good
Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" After challenging him to
think about what he was saying, Jesus probed further. Our Lord regarded the
young man's obedience to traditional Commandments as insufficient; moreover,
his attachment to his wealth was a barrier to genuine discipleship. Notice that
Jesus did "love him" and never condemned his wealth. His worldly goods
were not sinful, but they were problematic for him. He was not a bad
man, just short-sighted and a bit pitiful. In the eyes of Christ, his passive
respectability and security were insufficient. Sadly, he was unable to consider
a life without all his stuff. When he realized he couldn't “have it
all” on his terms, this fellow "was shocked and went away grieving." In
this parable Jesus shattered the notion that the wealthy were automatically
closer to God.
Some Christians believe that
all of the various sayings of Jesus are absolute laws to be implemented
immediately, in this case to "sell what you own, and give the money to the
poor." However, to understand his words as rigid rules for daily living is to
miss the point. Instead, everything he teaches is intended to unify our outward
behaviors with our inner hearts and minds. From him we learn that it is
not sufficient just to obey moral rules outwardly. Merely "going by the
book" is falling short. Rather, good actions must be bound up with proper
motives, intentions, and feelings. In this sense, Jesus' teachings are radical;
they get to the root of the matter - an orientation of the person’s entire
character toward God along with a life of active righteousness. We understand
that Our Lord's commands require God's grace for any of us to be able to walk
his demanding path.
Christ's many, strict
teachings have an additional function. They are designed to illustrate what
life would be like for an individual totally dedicated to God.
Jesus’ teachings portray his own life: a life of generosity without
selfishness, deception, and moral rigidity. In addition, the demands of the
Gospel symbolize the fully established Kingdom of God, the Kingdom consisting
of truly faithful persons living in a transfigured community of mature love and
justice - without an exploited, hopeless poor! Christ taught that both in the
present and future, earthly standards of power and status do not apply in the
kingdom of God. His teachings expose our often foolish ways and are beacons for
our journey, drawing us ever closer to God's Word.
Jesus is not a philosopher
designing a tight ethical system of rules and regulations applicable to
everyone everywhere under all prevailing societal conditions. Even so, he
provides us with a context for discerning moral options, his (neither soft nor
easy) "Summary of the Law" of love of God, neighbor and self upon which
everything else depends. The Summary is the only absolute Commandment upon
which all else depends during our journey toward the fullness and perfection of
the Kingdom. His many biddings flow from the Summary to particular
circumstances, including the right use of our financial resources for true
social victims. From him we learn that each of us is under an obligation to
promote the interests of others. Mutual love, justice, unselfishness, humility,
equal regard, and generosity of spirit, all accompanied by God's Grace, are
emphasized in all human associations.
You and I are challenged by
today's Gospel Reading to face the difficulty of entering the Kingdom of God
when our stuff has a firm hold on us. We are challenged to examine
whether we possess our material resources, or whether they possess us, whether
we identify ourselves primarily as children of God and inheritors of
everlasting life, or as addicts to temporary possessions. We are confronted
with the Gospel's requirement for economic justice and its implications for
those among us who are policy-makers powerful in business, industry, and
government. You and I are faced with the likely problem of wealth both
for those who have wealth and for those who yearn for it.
Later in this Service, when we
present our offerings of bread, wine, and money at God's altar, we affirm the
Creator as the source and owner of all we have. We acknowledge our gratitude
and our stewardship: the wisdom to use our resources responsibly and not only
for ourselves. To be sure, there is no precise formula for Christian
stewardship; each of us must examine our own circumstances and consciences.
Furthermore, rich or not, every one of us is challenged by the Gospel of Christ
to scrutinize any and all barriers to a full life that may exist for us as
individuals and as a community. Jesus invites us to give up all such obstacles
so that we may have that everlasting life which can begin here and now.
The Good News of Christ does
include many challenges. Yet, as we are confronted and humbled, the Holy Spirit
guides and strengthens us to keep our pilgrimage advancing, during this, our
journey toward the Kingdom of God. Amen.