Look at this stuff, isn't it neat?
Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?
Wouldn't you think I'm the girl
The girl who has everything?
Look at this trove, treasures untold
How many wonders can one cavern hold?
Looking around here, you'd think
Sure, she's got everything.
I've got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty
I've got who's-its and what's-its galore
You want thing-a-mabobs?
I've got twenty
But who cares? No big deal. I want more.
Ariel was guilty of it. I am guilty of it. We are all guilty of it. We like our gadgets and gizmos. We like earthly treasures. And, if you are anything like me, you have a long list of things you want. An iPhone. A Kindle. A new pair of shoes, Tom’s to be exact. A new car. And don’t forget a money tree to pay off all my debt. Yet, the reality is, I have so much. When I moved to seminary from South Dakota I bought a Jeep to haul my earthly treasures across the country. By the time I graduate, I think, no I know, that all my material possessions will not fit in the Jeep to move home. Maybe you are in the same situation. Blame it on your love for shopping. Blame it on all those books from your seminary classes. But whatever you blame it on, recognize that the real reason is because we like to store up treasures on earth.
I remember reading this passage of scripture on internship shortly after my credit card had been stolen and some one had attempted to break into my house in Washington, DC. All of a sudden I realized that my treasures on earth could very quickly be taken from me. I could have quickly gone from having a lot to having very little in earthly possessions. Now that was a scary feeling, but it did knock some sense into me. I realized that I could lose my earthly possessions, but I would still have a lot. I would still have my family, my friends, a supportive internship congregation, my life, my faith, and God’s love.
Now, I want to be clear, that my intention is not that you go sell all of your possessions and give the money to the poor. I don’t think this was Jesus’ intention with this teaching either. It’s not about despising earthly treasures. It’s not about thinking that we are entitled to them either. Jesus is trying to get us to reduce our list of wants and recognize that our hearts follow our treasures. After all, Jesus didn’t say, “Where your heart is, there your treasure will be.” No, instead, Jesus taught, “Where you put your treasure – that’s where your heart will end up.” Mark Allan Powell, in his book “Giving to God,” writes, “The point isn’t that how we spend our money reveals what sort of people we are, but that how we spend our money determines what sort of people we become”(53). So, what kind of person do you want to become?
You could choose to live a life full of earthly treasures. You could love your gizmos and gadgets and want every new thing that appears on the market. You could live solely for yourself and forget about those around you who might have needs that are much greater than your wants. Or you could choose to live differently. You could choose to live a life full of heavenly treasures. You could be thankful for what you have and learn to get by with the first generation gizmo. You could live so that others would also get to live in abundance by sharing your treasures with others.
Maybe you are thinking, “Cassandra, I really want to be a faithful steward, but I am just a poor seminary student.” Don’t worry I am in that boat with you, but realize that treasures are much more than money. Treasures are the things you value. Giving our treasures is about giving our time, our talents, and our financial resources. In our text for today Jesus is calling us to give our treasures to those things that we want to care about. Mark Allan Powell urges to, “Give where you want your heart to be, and let your heart catch up”(55). Jesus promises that our heart will go where our treasures go.
How can you give? You could give your time. On our campus there are three Student Association committees: Social Outreach, Communications, and Wellness. You could give of your time and help these committees to serve our campus community and the world. You could give of your talents. You could use your musical gifts to glorify God by singing in one of our choirs. You could use your athletic skills to bring home to Book of Concord in the upcoming Luther Bowl. You could give of your financial resources. Currently our campus, along with the other schools that are participating in Luther Bowl, are collecting school supplies to give to those in the wider community that might not have the appropriate supplies for the school year. These are all ways that we can be faithful stewards of all the gifts that God has so graciously blessed us with.
So, instead of living like Ariel, singing of all the things that we want, let’s live proclaiming a different story. Let’s live singing the story of the abundant gifts God has given. Let’s proclaim the story of salvation that was given to us through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. And in response to all that has been given to us let’s give. Give faithfully. Give boldly. Give of our time, our talents, and our financial resources. Give to God and know that our hearts will follow wherever our treasures go. Amen.
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