Sermons for the Month
Treasure the True Treasure
DATE: October 7th, 2007
SERVICE: 19th Sunday After Pentecost
TEXT: Matthew 6:19-21“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
Let me share with you another way to translate the opening verse of today's Gospel lesson. "Do not treasure for yourselves treasures on earth." That phrase is a possibility because the Greek verb that usually is translated "store up", and the Greek noun rendered as treasure, have the same root. So, we could say, "Do not treasure for yourselves treasures on earth." Doing so intensifies the meaning, because I think of treasuring something as valuing or cherishing it. To me, treasuring an item implies an emotional attachment. A person trusts that a particular item will evoke a positive feeling or a sense of security. As I looked around my home I realized that there are few material possessions that I actually treasure; I'd include some of the jewelry my mother gave me, a few photos and specific pieces of china, but that's about it when it comes to deserving the word "treasure". So, when Jesus says, "Do not treasure for yourselves treasures on earth," and we know, because of the context in which his words are written that he's talking about things like clothing, food, precious metal, I'm inclined to say, "Don't worry Jesus, I won't treasure THAT stuff." And I then there's a voice in my head that says, "Oh, really, you won't treasure - you won't give special value to or even cherish - your paychecks, savings account, pension, IRA and real estate? You won't trust these things to evoke a positive feeling or a sense of security?" (Remember that clothing, food and precious metal were the savings accounts of the first century.) The fact is that it is difficult not to treasure such things; their value as that which creates happiness, peace of mind and security is constantly praised. So, it seems that Jesus intentionally used the word treasure to remind us how often we misplace our emotional attachment and give value to that which does not deserve it. He punctuates his point with 10 words. "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." There's two ways to understand that sentence. The first is to focus on treasure as a verb. That which you treasure, that which you value and trust, speaks loudly of who you are. So, if material goods and wealth are our focus, if that is what we trust and value (regardless of how much we actually possess), then that's what has captured our hearts and become the core of our being. The second way to understand the sentence, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," is to focus on treasure as a noun. To put it simply, our hearts follow our treasure. So if treasure is money or possessions - as was the case in this text's original context - then that on which we spend it is what becomes important to us. If a lot of our money goes into a home, that place becomes a priority. If it goes into recreation, that activity becomes a priority. If it goes into supporting the college from which we graduated, then that's where our hearts are drawn. As I was reflecting on those two ideas this week - that what we value reflects who we are and that where our money goes then becomes our priority - it occurred to me that there are many people who would hear those statements and say, "Yes, that's true," and not be bothered by it or give it a second thought. That, however, probably is not true of us because we also hear Jesus saying, "Do not treasure for yourselves treasures on earth…but treasure for yourselves treasures in heaven." In other words, that which we treasure - that which we cherish, that which has special value, that which we trust as a source of positive feelings or a sense of security - should be God and the gifts of God. If, then, God is our treasure, that's what is at the core of our being, and it is obvious in how we live. And, in fact, the more we direct our earthly treasure in that direction, the more God and the things of God will become our heart's focus. I think I need to rest after saying all that. None of this is particularly easy for us either to grasp or to make a reality in our lives. We struggle to treasure God and the gifts of God rather than purchased or acquired happiness and security. We all would like to imitate John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, who lived an amazingly God-centered life financially I'll tell the story to make the point, but will warn you that the amounts are made up. Let's say that John Wesley received $10 a month in his first job as a pastor. Giving away $1 of it would have been a tithe, which he gave automatically, but he could give more. So, he lived on $8 and gave $2 to the ministry of Jesus Christ. Then his pay went up to $12; he lived on $8 and gave $4 away. It went up to $15; he lived on $8 and gave $7 away. At $20 he lived on $8 and gave $12 away. This went on for years. He lived on as little as possible to meet his needs, and the ministry thrived. Now, several factors were involved in the ability to do that. First, he trusted God and made proclaiming the Gospel his priority; second, he was content and did not need "stuff" to be happy or secure, and third, the more he gave, the more his heart was drawn in and the more he wanted to give. I don't suppose many of us will grow in giving to that degree, but there are steps to help us move in that direction. We rely on the power of the Holy Spirit and we PRAY that God, and the gifts of God, will be our treasure, that which we value and trust as our source of contentment and security. Then, we PRAY to be willing to test out the theory that where our earthly treasure goes, our hearts will follow. So, we PRAY, asking how our earthly treasures can become a means by which we grow spiritually as we commit them to ministry. Of course, our prayer is, in essence, that we would be transformed to be transformers. And, we know that God's grace is sufficient, and that each one of us will be empowered to act according to God's will for us. It's interesting to me that sometimes we view passages like the one we read today as examples of God expecting too much of us, but actually they reflect God's love for us and God's desire that we do not waste our time and energy trusting that which in the end will fail us. The promise is clear, when God is our treasure, then that which we value and cherish as a source of positive feelings and security cannot be taken from us. Remember those items I admit I treasure? Well, jewelry has been lost; photos have been ruined by water and china has broken. As treasures go, even these emotionally-charged items are fragile. But the treasure we have in God, and in the gifts of love, forgiveness and guidance, cannot be lost, ruined or broken. It is our true and lasting treasure.
AMEN