Brothers and sisters in Christ, you just can’t get away from hearing about money and power can you? So often in our conversations and in our life- things come back to the question of ‘how much does it cost?’ Or when it comes to national news- the sobering observation of follow the money- look what is going on in our world today!
We have been hearing in our scripture reading about wealth and about a greater joy that there is in knowing the Lord as our treasure. The formula is simple, attachment to wealth leads to tragedy, but life lived joyfully in God’s kingdom brings peace and contentment.
But it’s not so easy for us is it? The world operates by money and those who have tight budgets may worry about money as much as those who are rich. It has become common in our day for people to view their self worth by how much money do you make? If you don’t have a lot of money coming in, you may think to yourself, “I’m not very good at the game of life.”
And concern about money is not all about greed and wanting nice things for yourself. Think of how fragile the freedoms are in the church today. There are many causes unbelievers take which seek to persecute the church, and much money is directed toward disarming the church.
Money can be used as power to influence elections and policies that aim to systematically destroy the church and make the values we hold as God’s people scorned by the world. More money could mean more security and safety for you and I and for the church. And less money could mean more danger and more persecution.
I have talked to people in counseling appointments who live in neighborhoods where gunshots are a common sound. More money means a safer neighborhood and less money means you maybe just need to skip the luxury of going out for a walk on a nice Fall day.
It sure seems like you are better off with more wealth when you look at the dramatic differences of how life is experienced. But if we only look at what money can do, then we are losing sight of what God can do.
Listen to St. Paul confessing his faith in Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
What an amazing confession of faith that is, I no longer live, it is Christ who lives in me.” That means my decisions are not bound by questions of what is in my best interest of my wealth, but what is right and true and good in Christ. Listen again to the end of our reading from Ecclesiastes:
Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. 19 Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. 20 For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.
What is good and fitting is to be content and appreciate the gifts the Lord has given us. In confirmation class last week the youth learned about the meaning of the petition “Give us this day our daily bread.” The Lord God gives us all that we have and all that we need, not just bread, not just the money in our bank account, but the air we breathe, our health our life and our eternal security in Christ. These gifts from the Lord are present all around us and we can even rejoice in the toils we have, because even hard work provides us with many gifts of perseverance and growth.
And verse 20 provides us with a picture of more than just contentment for the gifts God provides, but also hope everlasting in Christ. “For he will not remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.”
Psalm 34 in our Introit speaks of this joy: 3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!
Our joy comes in what the Lord has done for us eternally, which far surpasses any benefits of wealth or prosperity.
In A Christmas Carol by Charles Dicken we find a literary character who illustrates the misery and tragedy of pursuing wealth as the sole purpose in life- Ebenezer Scrooge.
Ebenezer Scrooge values money over people and profit over generosity. His judgment comes in a nightmare that exposes his lack of compassion and reveals his ultimate fate: he will die alone, remembered and mourned by virtually no one. The words of Solomon from our Old testament reading come to life: At death, one shall “take nothing for his toil that he may carry away with his hand.”
When Scrooge finds himself awake and alive the next morning, he receives the new day as a gift of undeserved grace, a grace that transforms him into an instrument of generosity and joy for his community and the needy Cratchit family.
It is quite enjoyable to hear in the story how surprised and deeply encouraged people are by Scrooge’s new attitude and approach to life. We can live in this same joy of a second chance at life. We can live with a greater joy in fact, because we have been given more than a series of powerful dreams and visions,
we have been given a Savior who has drowned our selfish and miserly ways in the waters of baptism, a Savior who stands in our place and makes us a new creation in Christ. Each and every morning He gives us a reason to trust in his love and share his generosity with others.
In our gospel lesson, a continuation of what we heard last Sunday, the rich young man asking what he must do to be saved, goes away discouraged when Jesus has asked him to give up his riches and follow Jesus. Jesus addresses his disciples immediately after the man goes away dejected: 23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”
The scripture says that the disciples were amazed at his words and then a few verses later it says they were exceedingly astonished! Who then can be saved? In the ancient world people often associated wealth as a sign of God’s favor. If not even the rich who God blesses can be saved, who could be saved.
Jesus says that a rich man cannot enter the kingdom of God, it would be as impossible as a person passing through the eye of a needle. Yes riches can be a stumbling block for our faith. But even a poor man cannot enter the kingdom of God on his own.
But what is impossible for man to do is possible for God. 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” Yes, wealth is potentially a stumbling block to our faith, but so is any other means of trusting in ourselves that we inevitably will have on account of our fallen sinful human nature.
What is impossible for a rich man or a poor man is accomplished by Jesus, as he takes our broken hearts and our sin unto himself and by the cross has made us righteous before God.
2 Corinthians chapter 8 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by you his poverty might become rich.” Jesus invites you to receive his rich expression of love shown to you on the cross. Rejoice in the treasure of eternal life and forgiveness in Him! Rejoice in the daily blessing of food and drink and work. And rejoice in the opportunities God gives you to bless others with the wealth he has entrusted to you to manage.
In Christ we see the shape of life lived richly and with prosperity. It is a life of hope and joy ,and urgent thankfulness to a God who truly cares about our best interests, who pays the ultimate price for our prosperity.