9 Pentecost C—8/11/19
Isaiah 1:1,15-20; Luke 12:32-40
Pr. Scott Kramer
Some of you may remember the story of Moses receiving from God the Ten Commandments. The story is not one of our readings for today, and yet, in response to today’s readings, I have found renewed sympathy for Moses.
In the story, Moses climbs a high mountain, where God gives him a set of laws intended to order a newly-liberated people’s life together. But in the view of the people, Moses is gone too long. They demand from their second-in-command Aaron a god that they can see. They gather and melt down their gold, from which they create a golden calf, which they worship. When Moses does finally return, he is so enraged by this worship of false gods that he smashes the tablets that he had received from God.
This is the fourth year in a row that I have hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. For eight days eleven of us traveled 112 miles and witnessed some of the most breathtaking scenery in the nation. Days in the mountains have healing power for me. It’s a spiritual exercise, a sort of pilgrimage. No internet, no cell coverage, no social media, TV, radio or advertisements. No pollution or noise. No newspaper headlines.
When I returned home from the mountains, however, the first newspaper I picked up was one with this headline: Back-to-back Mass Shootings in Texas, Ohio Leave 29 Dead. Nothing had changed in the eight days I was gone: the American people continue to worship the god of Second Amendment rights, and bow down to the god of racism. I was enraged!
In response to faithless priorities, the prophet Isaiah delivers the word of the Lord: “When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.”
Our hands are full of blood.
Jesus has something to say about all this in today’s reading from Luke: Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
What is Christian treasure?
After I returned from the mountains, I was at Vacation Bible School this past week and the curriculum was titled, “Who is My Neighbor?” Children aged 5-11 years old from five congregations spent five days exploring this central question of our faith. Here was an opportunity to emphasize and reinforce among young souls the only treasure that matters, and which many grown-ups have forgotten: love of neighbor—not simply the person who lives next door, but the whole human race.
The problem is, being right with God and one another apparently is not something that comes naturally. Children need to be taught. Maybe even more urgently, grown-ups need to be taught! Again, the prophet Isaiah: “Cease to do evil, learn to do good.” Developing Godly treasure takes time and practice and training. If you just show up at church once in a while you won’t get it. It’s not a matter of following our emotions, what we think or feel, either. In fact, learning to love as God loves is hard work that will likely push back against our fears and instincts toward defending “me and mine.”
What is Christian treasure?
Hear again the prophet: “Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”
Justice, like “love” or “neighbor”, is one of those words that can mean many things. Sometimes, for example, we speak of justice when what we really mean is revenge—capital punishment, for example: “Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.” But the word justice as described in the Bible is this: defense of the powerless and voiceless. One wise Christian has said, “Justice is what love looks like in public”: Rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. How different from the priorities of a nation that separates children from parents at our border!
What is Christian treasure?
It’s all about love. But lest we think that merely talking about love is enough, hear again the warning in today’s psalm: 22Consider this well, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart and there be none to deliver you. Isaiah promises something similar: 20but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword [gun]; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. If these sharp warnings seem difficult to reconcile with a God of love, consider this: Sinful human beings will tear each other apart long before God gets around to it. This is what we see happening today in our nation, because of poorly chosen treasure.
I have less and less faith in America and its people. What I mean is that as I look at the violent, hate-filled, selfish, fear-driven, wayward drift of our nation, the more faith I have in the truth of God’s Word, including the warnings. Less faith in America makes room for more faith in God.
Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
To be actively engaged in the social and political processes of our day is a Christian duty–I hope you all voted this past week! But, Christian duty is not the same as pinning one’s hopes on godless leaders, political parties, and the futile hope that the rich and powerful will somehow, miraculously, become Godly and compassionate.
Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Being clear about where one’s treasure is can, in my experience, be a deep wellspring of Christian hope. For example, when I returned from the mountains last week, that mass shooting headline is not the only one I saw. My dear wife had saved articles and headlines from earlier papers, including this one, which I hope you saw: Bellevue Church’s Parting Gift: Millions to Help Homeless.
It’s the story of Grace Lutheran in Bellevue, whose numbers have dwindled over the years. Instead of wallowing in despair or fearfully trying to hang on, they have made a gift. Proceeds from the sale of their church will go primarily to ongoing efforts to help unsheltered people for many years to come. That’s worth a headline! (It’s also a nice counterpoint to the tragic gun story beside it.)
Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
When we are clear about where our Christian treasure is, we are less likely to be silent in the face of nationalism, racism, violent gun culture, and greed. When we are clear about what Godly treasure looks like, we will see it, be grateful for it, and be energized to get on board with it.
This past week, for example, was the ELCA’s Churchwide Assembly in Wisconsin. In the midst of all the week’s bad news, our sometimes sleepy Lutheran denomination shows signs of waking up (see Jesus’ admonition to stay awake and alert in today’s Luke reading). In repudiation of the worthless treasure of our national leaders, our Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has become the first sanctuary church in the nation, faithful to God’s command to “Seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”
Other signs from the gathering that reflect the priorities of God:
We Lutherans did again what our nation has never been willing to do: Elect a woman to its highest office. Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton was re-elected by over 80% on the first ballot, something that has never happened before. Related to that, our denomination celebrated the 50th anniversary of women’s ordination in the ELCA, and the 40th anniversary of ordination of women of color.
Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
What is Christian treasure?
As important as resolutions and votes of an Assembly may be, it is the daily habits and priorities of ordinary people like you and me—in thought, word and deed–that powerfully proclaim to God where our treasure lies, that proclaim Jesus as Lord!
AMEN
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