Sermon - Year B, Proper 23
Written and Delivered by The Rev. Philip Schaffner
Jesus often said, "those with ears to hear, listen!" I know that today's Gospel passage is hard to hear, especially in a country that tends to idolize the rich and value wealth.
Why? Why must this man sell his possessions and give the money to the poor? Is it not good enough to follow the rules, to be a good a citizen and not to break the law? Can't he just donate 10% of his wealth to charity? Doesn't that get you some points in heaven? What if he setup a foundation and slowly built up his assets so that in the end he can give far more than what his current estate is worth at the time? Wouldn't that do more for the poor? After all, that's what Bill Gates did...he didn't give any money away for years until he reached a certain point and now he is leading the charge against HIV/AIDS and malaria not to mention a variety of other efforts.
Why? Why must he sell everything in order to inherit eternal life? And why is it so hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God?
The problem of wealth and possessions is that the logic of personal wealth trumps the logic of the Kingdom of God. What do I mean by that? The logic of the Kingdom of God is one where everyone is a full participant and those that have suffered are comforted, where the hungry are fed, the homeless have homes, enemies sit down as friends and the abused, neglected and forgotten have front-row seats.
However, this reality cannot happen if we simply trust in our own righteousness. Rather the Kingdom is a gift from God that we are invited to participate in. For some that might mean using all of the gifts and resources at their disposal to build up the community. For others it might mean acknowledging that they are worthy of love. For others it might mean recognizing and admitting the ways we have hurt and violated others. For all, it is a recognition and trust in the God of love.
Now how does that conflict with the logic of wealth and possessions? Money and material things tend to create a logic of fear and scarcity. It seems the more we get, the more we worry about losing it and the more it seems we need. Moreover, there seems to be a tendency to believe that the rich deserve their wealth because they worked hard to get it and likewise the poor are poor because they are lazy or criminals or deserve it. And yet, these feelings often couldn't be further from the truth in most instances.
The problem with wealth is that it fools us into thinking we can take care of ourselves. Money and possessions are not bad or evil in and of themselves. However, having wealth often separates us from our neighbors. Rather than participating in the radical Kingdom of God, wealth causes us to setup our own little kingdoms of control.
God loves you and wants to be in relationship with you. So much so that God was willing to give up everything and suffer and share in human pain and sorrow. God has extended us a marvelous invitation to participate in a new creation. However, for those in the front row it means giving up your seat so that a more inclusive seating arrangement can happen.
As many spiritual teachers have suggested, wealth is not the only barrier that can keep us from participating in the Kingdom. They argue that this gospel passage is a metaphor for anything that blocks our participation in the Kingdom. Indeed, we put up many barriers and are in the process of erecting more as I speak. Xenophobia, racism, sexism and fear all block our participation in the Kingdom to name a few.
Unfortunately, the barriers of wealth, racism, classism, sexism and xenophobia in general have created a system that prevents all of us from fully participating in the Kingdom. For rich suburbanites, it often enables the logic of wealth and self-righteousness to control decision-making and pervert justice for the poor. For the poor in North Minneapolis, it often leads to self-doubt and desperation that lead to criminal and self-destructive behavior.
And I wonder about the prophet Amos' warning that could sound something like this: because you trample on the poor and take what little they have, you have built magnificent houses with marble counters and two-car garages, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant gardens and made large investments, but you shall enjoy their fruits.
Amos admonishes the Israelites to establish justice. Justice is more than law and order. It is about right relationships with each other and with God. Unfortunately, there is a disconnect in our country. We have decided to get tough on crime, but have failed to supply the infrastructure to humanely handle the incarcerated men and women. The logic of wealth has put more and more money in the hands of a few and of large businesses and starved our government of resources. At the same time, stricter sentencing guidelines and a war on drugs have flooded our prisons with a rapidly growing population of offenders most of whom have not committed violent crimes.
Less and less resources and more and more inmates have forced the department of corrections to all but abandon any notion of rehabilitation. For example, only about 1 in 9 prisoners that need drug treatment get it. Furthermore, overcrowding has fueled the rapid growth of prison gangs and the gangs have now expanded outside of prisons. This has created a dangerous environment for prisoners, those who work in prisons and even our neighborhoods. These factors have created an ominous situation: the vast majority of people currently in prison will be released, but 2 out of every 3 individuals that leave prison will go back because the reasons they committed crimes in the first place have not been addressed.
Having visited prisons in two different states in the last few years, I can tell you that it will take a miracle for many of these individuals not to re-offend. The men I met and prayed with are broken individuals that simply do not have access to the resources and support they need.
And yet, miracles do happen. There is always hope in the unseen. A connection, a relationship with someone who cares about them and invites them into healthy relationship can be transformative. Jesus said that whenever you visit someone in prison, you visit God.
If you have ever considered getting involved in prison ministry or in helping ex-offenders not repeat the cycle, please get in touch with me.
What blocks you from fully accepting Jesus invitation to participate in the Kingdom of God? What things are you unwilling to give up so that you can live eternally?
It is simply not enough to follow the 10 commandments. We must be willing to let go of some things we cherish, so that we can embrace a more faithful relationship with God.
In the end, we cannot take anything with us when we die except what we've given away.
My brothers and sisters, "we are Christ's house if we hold firm the confidence and the pride that belong to hope." (Hebrews 3:6b) Let us hold firm to hope in the Kingdom of God and be willing to sacrifice to see that hope realized.
Jesus often said, "those with ears to hear, listen!" I know that today's Gospel passage is hard to hear, especially in a country that tends to idolize the rich and value wealth.
Why? Why must this man sell his possessions and give the money to the poor? Is it not good enough to follow the rules, to be a good a citizen and not to break the law? Can't he just donate 10% of his wealth to charity? Doesn't that get you some points in heaven? What if he setup a foundation and slowly built up his assets so that in the end he can give far more than what his current estate is worth at the time? Wouldn't that do more for the poor? After all, that's what Bill Gates did...he didn't give any money away for years until he reached a certain point and now he is leading the charge against HIV/AIDS and malaria not to mention a variety of other efforts.
Why? Why must he sell everything in order to inherit eternal life? And why is it so hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God?
The problem of wealth and possessions is that the logic of personal wealth trumps the logic of the Kingdom of God. What do I mean by that? The logic of the Kingdom of God is one where everyone is a full participant and those that have suffered are comforted, where the hungry are fed, the homeless have homes, enemies sit down as friends and the abused, neglected and forgotten have front-row seats.
However, this reality cannot happen if we simply trust in our own righteousness. Rather the Kingdom is a gift from God that we are invited to participate in. For some that might mean using all of the gifts and resources at their disposal to build up the community. For others it might mean acknowledging that they are worthy of love. For others it might mean recognizing and admitting the ways we have hurt and violated others. For all, it is a recognition and trust in the God of love.
Now how does that conflict with the logic of wealth and possessions? Money and material things tend to create a logic of fear and scarcity. It seems the more we get, the more we worry about losing it and the more it seems we need. Moreover, there seems to be a tendency to believe that the rich deserve their wealth because they worked hard to get it and likewise the poor are poor because they are lazy or criminals or deserve it. And yet, these feelings often couldn't be further from the truth in most instances.
The problem with wealth is that it fools us into thinking we can take care of ourselves. Money and possessions are not bad or evil in and of themselves. However, having wealth often separates us from our neighbors. Rather than participating in the radical Kingdom of God, wealth causes us to setup our own little kingdoms of control.
God loves you and wants to be in relationship with you. So much so that God was willing to give up everything and suffer and share in human pain and sorrow. God has extended us a marvelous invitation to participate in a new creation. However, for those in the front row it means giving up your seat so that a more inclusive seating arrangement can happen.
As many spiritual teachers have suggested, wealth is not the only barrier that can keep us from participating in the Kingdom. They argue that this gospel passage is a metaphor for anything that blocks our participation in the Kingdom. Indeed, we put up many barriers and are in the process of erecting more as I speak. Xenophobia, racism, sexism and fear all block our participation in the Kingdom to name a few.
Unfortunately, the barriers of wealth, racism, classism, sexism and xenophobia in general have created a system that prevents all of us from fully participating in the Kingdom. For rich suburbanites, it often enables the logic of wealth and self-righteousness to control decision-making and pervert justice for the poor. For the poor in North Minneapolis, it often leads to self-doubt and desperation that lead to criminal and self-destructive behavior.
And I wonder about the prophet Amos' warning that could sound something like this: because you trample on the poor and take what little they have, you have built magnificent houses with marble counters and two-car garages, but you shall not live in them; you have planted pleasant gardens and made large investments, but you shall enjoy their fruits.
Amos admonishes the Israelites to establish justice. Justice is more than law and order. It is about right relationships with each other and with God. Unfortunately, there is a disconnect in our country. We have decided to get tough on crime, but have failed to supply the infrastructure to humanely handle the incarcerated men and women. The logic of wealth has put more and more money in the hands of a few and of large businesses and starved our government of resources. At the same time, stricter sentencing guidelines and a war on drugs have flooded our prisons with a rapidly growing population of offenders most of whom have not committed violent crimes.
Less and less resources and more and more inmates have forced the department of corrections to all but abandon any notion of rehabilitation. For example, only about 1 in 9 prisoners that need drug treatment get it. Furthermore, overcrowding has fueled the rapid growth of prison gangs and the gangs have now expanded outside of prisons. This has created a dangerous environment for prisoners, those who work in prisons and even our neighborhoods. These factors have created an ominous situation: the vast majority of people currently in prison will be released, but 2 out of every 3 individuals that leave prison will go back because the reasons they committed crimes in the first place have not been addressed.
Having visited prisons in two different states in the last few years, I can tell you that it will take a miracle for many of these individuals not to re-offend. The men I met and prayed with are broken individuals that simply do not have access to the resources and support they need.
And yet, miracles do happen. There is always hope in the unseen. A connection, a relationship with someone who cares about them and invites them into healthy relationship can be transformative. Jesus said that whenever you visit someone in prison, you visit God.
If you have ever considered getting involved in prison ministry or in helping ex-offenders not repeat the cycle, please get in touch with me.
What blocks you from fully accepting Jesus invitation to participate in the Kingdom of God? What things are you unwilling to give up so that you can live eternally?
It is simply not enough to follow the 10 commandments. We must be willing to let go of some things we cherish, so that we can embrace a more faithful relationship with God.
In the end, we cannot take anything with us when we die except what we've given away.
My brothers and sisters, "we are Christ's house if we hold firm the confidence and the pride that belong to hope." (Hebrews 3:6b) Let us hold firm to hope in the Kingdom of God and be willing to sacrifice to see that hope realized.