Dear …those daring enough to think they are or
should be disciples of Jesus,
All summer long in the lectionary, Jesus has chided
followers and would-be disciples about our money, wealth, power, and
possessions. In fact, Jesus says
plainly—those with possessions CANNOT be his disciples. …But Jesus doesn’t say we need not
apply! Harvest is coming!
I believe that Jesus teaches that in the Kingdom
of God, money has no value and possessions are meaningless. Which clearly means, we can’t take them with
us. But I also believe the point of
Jesus’ teaching is so that we become proficient at building the Kingdom of God
on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus
invites us to build the Kingdom of God!
Living in the
Kingdom of God is not a “reward” for our believing or having faith in Jesus.
Living in the Kingdom of God …is God’s gift to
us. The Law, Prophets, and Jesus—all
call us toward a relationship with God that transcends the chasm between this
life and the next. Jesus demonstrates
that the Kingdom of God is present on earth as it is in heaven, and teaches us
not only to pray that this is so, but calls us to build the kingdom around us
and among us. This isn’t to confuse
heaven and earth, but it is to try and fulfill God’s vision when God said, “Let
there be light,” and “God saw that it was good.”
Jesus insists that living in the Kingdom of God
is not because we somehow earn a privilege, or that we can preserve such an
experience for ourselves and other people “like us”—but just the opposite! The goal of the Kingdom of God is to make it livable
and accessible to everyone! It’s why
money, wealth, possessions, and power carry no sway! It’s why this is almost utterly unimaginable to
us, but for Jesus! God gives us the kingdom,
and we’re always invited to dinner whether we can pay for it or not.
Jesus reminds us, people like us, other
believers, even the Pharisees and scribes, religious and political opponents,
that we are called to build a kingdom not our own, a kingdom built on serving neighbors
as ourselves. It is a vision that
insists that everyone is of value, and no one is less than another. Loving neighbors as ourselves transcends our money,
wealth, power, and possessions—making us believers and followers together.
Harvest is traditionally the season in which we
are invited to take stock of our money, wealth, possessions, and power, and
consider how we use them in the service of kingdom of God we dream about and
pray for. In the next few weeks you’ll
hear about our congregation’s financial plans for next year, but you’ll also hear
about special opportunities to spread the love of God we’ve benefitted from, to
so many others. As you consider what you
have received, I hope you will contemplate the ways you can be instruments of
God’s love and joy—not only in our community but for the love of God to have
the broadest possible influence.
Jesus teaches us we tell his story best with our lives …bent toward serving our neighbors as ourselves. Where the building blocks used to be our abc’s—attendance, building, and cash—today’s thriving churches worry about their NOPs—their neighbors, the way they’re organized, and their partnerships. ALL, in the service of loving neighbors and building God’s kingdom.
Come. Use
your God-given gifts. Build the Kingdom
of God on earth as it is in heaven.
