Sermon of October 5, 2014 SERMON TITLE: Where Is Your Treasure? SCRIPTURE TEXT: Matthew 6:19-21 SERMON SERIES: Treasure PREACHER: Rev. Monte Marshall I want to begin this morning by looking ahead. When we gather for worship on October 26, we’ll have the opportunity to offer up to God our commitments for financial giving to support the ministries of our church in 2015. And as usual, we’ll have some financial challenges to overcome in next year’s budget. But before Commitment Sunday arrives, there are other matters to consider of a higher priority—and Matthew’s gospel puts these matters squarely before us: What treasures are we seeking? Where is our treasure? And what does our treasure-seeking reveal about our hearts—our inner inclinations and commitments that form the very core of who we are? It’s my hope that as we address these fundamental questions as a means of seeking first the reign of God in our lives, the financial needs of the church will be met as a by-product of our growth in discipleship. Given all of this, our theme for these four Sundays in October is Treasure. And, of course, Treasure is derived from this morning’s scripture reading, especially the verse: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be as well.” So what comes to mind when we hear the word treasure? Jacob Armstrong, the United Methodist pastor who wrote the materials that will be guiding our month-long stewardship emphasis, offers this response: “At the first mention of the word treasure, my mind is filled with images of pirate ships, deserted islands, and an X that marks the spot. I think of a hidden chest filled with gold medallions, rubies and diamonds. Treasure is something you search for, [struggle] for, and go great distances to find. Treasure can bind people together or create division between those who once were close friends. Treasure can become the focus of your life. It can consume you. Treasure can be hidden and horded, or shared and enjoyed.” Armstrong then notes, “Whether we realize it or not, we all have treasure. We all have things we are searching for, [struggling] for, and storing up. Though the items in the chest are different, we all have treasure that hold great value to us.”[1] When Jesus teaches about treasure in the section of Matthew’s gospel we call “The Sermon on the Mount,” he draws a distinction between two kinds of treasure: “earthly treasures” and “treasures in heaven.” When it comes to “earthly treasures,” “Jesus notes that our possessions and acquisitions are always corruptible, vulnerable, and temporary,”[2] to quote one commentator. Jesus speaks about moths and rust destroying these perishable treasures, and thieves stealing them. All of these images combine to make a point: Our “earthly treasures,” “whether food, garments or money, are never secure.”[3] But please note that Jesus’ critique is not a condemnation of “earthly treasures” in and of themselves. After all, treasures such as food, clothing and money are useful commodities that can sustain and enhance our experience of life. The problem comes when we store up these material things for ourselves and give them a value far beyond their intrinsic worth. They may even become like gods for us. And we all know about storing up earthly treasures for ourselves, right? Our consumer-driven culture encourages it. As Andy Langford, Mark Ralls and Rob Weber note: “Advertisements tempt us with the latest models and newest products. Television shows document every detail of the spending habits of wealthy celebrities. Glossy magazines take us into the lavish homes of people who have ‘made it.’ Every day we are bombarded with the promise that true contentment can be found through the things we possess….Many people have become like the misguided character in Kurt Vonnegut’s novel, Slaughter House Five, who ‘was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops’….Syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman was heard saying: ‘Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work, driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for, in order to get to a job that you need so you can pay for the clothes, car, and the house that you leave empty all day in order to afford to live in it.’”[4] Jacob Armstrong recounts his own experience with stored up stuff. He writes: “The first time it happened, I didn’t know what she was up to. “I had come home to visit my parents, and as I was leaving, my mom stopped me and handed me a box. It was an old cardboard box that was heavy in my arms. When I opened the box, I realized what she was doing. She was cleaning out her closets. This became her custom for the next couple of years. Every time I left, she would hand me another old box. The boxes were filled to the brim with stuff. It was my stuff. “When I opened the boxes, memories would flood over me. One box was filled with all my old trophies. Soccer, baseball, basketball, and pinewood derby trophies reminded me of my pursuits when I was younger. Another box held my baseball card collection, the one I pored over hour after hour in elementary school. Another box had photos, another notes and cards, another local newspaper clippings with my name highlighted. “My mother had given me the treasure from my first eighteen years. Surprisingly, it all fit into four or five boxes. Not so surprisingly, the stuff that had been cluttering her closet now clutters mine.” Armstrong then concludes: “We all have stuff. We have so much stuff that our homes can’t hold it all…..What I’ve learned, though, is that those things are not our treasure.”[5] And this brings us to the other kind of treasure that Jesus speaks of in this morning’s text: “treasures in heaven.” According to one commentator: these “treasures” “do not refer to rewards reserved for after death. Instead, as a good Jew, Matthew uses God’s name and even explicit words for God very sparingly. Just as he writes of the ‘kingdom of heaven’ where Mark and Luke refer to the ‘kingdom of God,’ so also here (where God is not named) the valuable treasures are those that one finds in company with God, and in accord with God’s sovereign will.”[6] Another commentator sets up the contrast between “earthly treasures” and “treasures in heaven” like this: When it comes to earthly treasures, the focus is on “me” and “I.” But when we store up treasures for ourselves in heaven, the focus is on “we” and “us.” When it comes to “earthly treasures,” the message is “prepare for the worst. Secure your borders. Hoard your money and hide it under the bed. Avoid the stranger. Take care of your own.” But when we store up treasures for ourselves in heaven, the message of Jesus is to “prepare for the best. Live expansive lives. Give generously. Engage the stranger. Care for the needy.”[7] Unlike “earthly treasures,” “treasures in heaven” simply can’t be touched by moths, or rust, or thieves, because these treasures are rooted, grounded and preserved in our relationship with God and in right relationships with one another. And now we come to the punch line of this morning’s text: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be as well.” Jacob Armstrong writes: “Often we think our treasure will follow our heart. But Jesus [suggests] the opposite—that our heart will follow our treasure…. “It’s no wonder, then, that many of us feel a sense of disappointment about our lives and finances. We want to give our lives to our church, our family, our God. Instead, our heart follows our debt, our job, and our bills, and we haven’t even realized it. As a result, we’re left feeling conflicted and empty.”[8] But it doesn’t have to be this way. Commentator Scott Schauf notes that since “our hearts are easily swayed by treasure,…it …becomes all the more important that we seek and store the right treasure to begin with, for our hearts are sure to follow.”[9] Pastor Jim Harnish once received a letter from a teenager in his congregation who came to see the importance of this insight as the result of a sermon Pastor Harnish preached one Sunday morning. The letter reads: Dear Rev. Harnish: I am so glad that I was fortunate enough to hear your sermon today. When I was a child I used to get such great joy out of giving. Since I have gotten older that joy has worn off some. I wanted to know why that had happened because I missed that joy. Well, you pointed it out to me today. I had become too attached to my possessions because I was engulfed in the idea that possessions are a measure of a person’s success. In thinking that, I forgot what really mattered. Today I learned that in the eyes of God the true measure of my success is how I am on the inside, how I am toward the people around me, and how committed I am toward leading a life of faith. I also learned that…what I [have] on earth [isn’t] important, but what [is] important is what I [give]. In realizing this today, I got the joy of giving back! And I’m so much happier!”[10] So my brothers and sisters: What treasures are we seeking? Where is our treasure? What does our treasure-seeking reveal about our hearts? These are the questions to ponder over these next weeks as we come to terms with the words of Jesus: “‘Don’t store up earthly treasures for yourselves, which moths and rust destroy and thieves can break in and steal. But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor rust can destroy them and thieve cannot break in and steal them. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be as well.’” It’s my hope that as we learn from a text like this how to store up treasures for ourselves in heaven, we’ll know what to do when it comes to meeting the financial needs of the church. So please join me in praying that this will indeed be so for Travis Park United Methodist Church. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 02:16:11 +0000
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