|
|
|
|
|
|
There's
a story told about an American in "Why
do you live so simply?" asked the American. "Well," replied the
monk, "I note that you have only enough things to fill a suitcase. Why do
you live so simply?" The American responded, "But I'm just a tourist.
I'm only traveling through." The monk replied, "So am I." So
are we all. We are all fellow travelers through this life. And in traveling
through this life, the Gospel message is that we should travel light. But that
is not the message that we hear all around us, is it? If that message is
anything, it is in fact just the opposite. The message of Madison Avenue and
Wall Street is that the one with the most toys wins -- or simply the one with
the most wins. We honor the haves. We are deemed a success by what is in
our closet, our garage and our bank account; and not by what is in our heart. It
is not who we are that is important, but what we have. So we are told almost
everywhere we look. We keep being told that happiness comes from possessions but
we have discovered that just isn't so. Deep in our hearts we know it’s all a
lie. So
does the rich man in today's Gospel reading. He is a success as far as the rest
of the world is concerned. He is also good and upright as far as the Law is
concerned. He has it all, but he knows it isn't enough. As much as everyone told
him that he should be happy, he isn't. And so he comes to Jesus looking for
answers to questions. He says to Jesus, “I do a lot of things. I do them well;
I work hard. I achieve; I obey; I play by the rules. I win and people reward me.
And yet, something is still missing.” The man is in a box and he doesn’t
know how to get out. If
the truth were told, you and I are caught in such a box. Deep in our hearts we
know that, like the monk in the story, we are fellow travelers. We already have
all that we need to travel through this life -- more than we will ever need. We
live in a society that tells us we should be happy because of all we have. And
yet, like the man in the Gospel, we find emptiness. The new car, the new home,
the new set of clothes -- as wonderful as they all are, just don't cut it, just
don't make it for us. There is something missing. You
and I could very well be that man in the Gospel. We could very easily be like
him, chasing after Jesus, tugging at Jesus's sleeve, trying to get his
attention, asking for help. And Jesus would say to us exactly what he said to
that man: "If you really want to find happiness and fulfillment, if you
want peace of mind and soul, go sell what you have, give the money to the poor,
and follow me." And
the same thing would happen to us as, I am sure, happened to that man: a chill
would run up and down our spine. We would be shocked, dismayed, and maybe even a
little angry. But the problem we would have would be the same problem the man
had: It is not what we have, what we posses, that is the problem, but how we
relate to what we have. The
man in the Gospel grew up in a system very much like our own. He was taught that
his value as a person was tied directly to the rewards that people in the system
give him. It has always been that way. When I was in grade school, if I did
well, I got stars on my papers and was told I was a good boy. As I grew older
and made good grades, I was told I was a good boy. When I grew up and went to
college and beyond, I put diplomas on my walls that told me I what a good boy I
am. The rewards continue. They all tell me, as your rewards tell you, that we
are good and valuable and worthwhile. Jesus
understands all that. He says to the man as he says to us, "The box you are
in is made of the possessions you have. You must let go of the box. Let go of
whatever tells you that you are important and then you will find out how
important you really are." Jesus says to the man “Freedom”. But all the
man hears is “Poverty”. And he
goes away sad. What
Jesus said to the man was that the system he lived in could not say to him what
he was asking it to say. It could only give him a box of stars and diplomas and
bank accounts. He had to let go and get out of that box. That was the truth, as
harsh as it sounded. But the man just could not handle the truth and he walked
away. Immediately
the disciples dragged Jesus aside and wanted to know just what in the Name of
God was going on here. They may not have been in that man's box, but they surely
would like to have been. After all, one of the reasons why they left everything
and followed Jesus was that they were looking for the good life -- or at last
the better life, as a follower of the Messiah. They were horrified to discover
that someone like this man, who was obviously already living the good life,
wasn't already on his way to heaven. In fact, he might not even make it. So
they said to Jesus, "If this man can't get into heaven, how can anybody get
into heaven?" And Jesus replied, "That's just it. Nobody gets into
heaven just because he is successful in this life. God gets people into heaven.
The meaning of life comes from the Creator of life, and you cannot find it by
looking someplace else. You must loosen your grip with that which tells you you
are important to find out how important you really are.” It
is not what we have that makes us important, but who we are. And we discover who
we are in relationship with others. And for that we don't need very much, just
the clothes on our back and the love in our heart. You and I don't need more
than what that monk had in his room. To the extent that we believe that we do,
to the extent we keep chasing after more and better to stuff into our box of
possessions, the more difficult it will be for us to find happiness. The
struggle is not so much to become detached from or give up our possessions but
to change our mindset. To the extent that we think Jesus is preaching poverty
rather than freedom, to that extent will we continue to struggle to find what we
are looking for. And like the man in the Gospel, we will go away sad. This
morning we are going to welcome into the church family Marcus David Marzen.
During the ceremony we will promise Marcus that we will do all in our power to
support him in his new life in Christ. That means that we will, by our very
lives, try to teach him what is truly valuable in this life. And what is truly
valuable, again, is not the clothes on our back -- or suitcase or closet -- or
the money in our bank account; it is not how rich or famous or successful we are
or become. It is none of that and never will be. What
is truly valuable, what is truly important, is the love of God in our heart. And
it is only in living out that love in love and service to others, in striving
for justice and peace everywhere, in respecting the dignity of every human being
-- it is only in doing that that we will ever find what we are really looking
for. It is what the monk found and the young man in the Gospel was looking for.
It is the only way that Marcus or you or I or anyone else will ever find real
peace and happiness in this life. |
