Treasure in heaven:  St Mary’s on August 12th 2007: Catherine Jupp

May I speak in the name of the living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen

‘Store up for yourself treasures in heaven’

Money. An uncomfortable subject, and one on which Christians have very strong ideas. Is she going to tell us to give everything away? Is she going to go on about how much we should give to the Church? Well actually, no, I’m not. Is it wrong to have insurance policies and savings? How do we live with knowledge that millions of people in God’s world are starving while we have plenty? How much should we earn? How much should we give away? You will be relieved to know that I am not even going to suggest practical answers to any of these questions. But I am going to suggest principles from which you can answer them for yourselves.

We do not live in first century Palestine, and life is more financially complex than the reading this morning suggests. So what we have to do is read it along with other passages in the Bible about wealth, and apply the principles to our own lives.

I am going to suggest three lines of thought.

Firstly. We are not disembodied spirits. We live in the real world, and God wants us to enjoy what we have and what is in it. Guilt and martyrdom are not God’s preferred outlooks. There is nothing wrong in working hard and living in a house. And there is nothing wrong in saving for the future. Jesus told us to be wise stewards.  However if God wants us to live life in all it’s fullness, and enjoy the fruits of the earth, then he obviously wants all his children to do so. And if millions of them can’t then we must think seriously about our responsibilities. By ignoring them we are ignoring God.

Secondly, Jesus said ‘Watch out! Be in your guard against greed of every kind; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ And it is greed that Jesus is totally against. And greed is insidious. We do not think we are greedy, but we all are. And so one challenge this morning is to resolve to question ourselves closely whenever we spend money. Do I need this? Why do I want it? Some spending is right and proper, some isn’t, and only you can work that out. But we must work it out, and we become complacent at our peril. Our attitude towards our money and our possessions betrays an inner spirit of heart.  John Wesley's rule of life was to save all he could and give all he could. When he was at Oxford he had an income of £30 a year. He lived on £28s and gave £2 pounds away. When his income increased to £60, £90, £120 a year, he still lived on £28 and gave the balance away. The Accountant-General for Household Plate demanded a return from him. His reply was,

"I have two silver tea spoons at London and two at Bristol. This is all the plate which I have at present; and I shall not buy any more, while so many around me want bread."

The principle is that the more we have as Christians, the more we will give. Wouldn’t it be easier if the Bible told us exactly what to do? But God wants us to grow up and work things out. If we pray for his guidance about a financial decision, he will help us.

This passage also tells us that God wants us to live simple fulfilling lives now. Not wait until we have retired, or the children are older, or our studies have finished, or……… So much of our 21st century lives are about planning and being overworked that we lose this simple principle. If you look back at the past week, what fulfilled you most? My guess is that your answer will be about people and relationships and experiences, not possessions. Don’t save so much that you cannot enjoy what you have

Thirdly we should worry less. God really will and does provide. Jesus said, ‘Which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?’  I once heard a talk by a Franciscan and his theme was ‘Worry is atheism’ If we trust God, we do not worry, and the amount we worry shows us how much or little we trust in God. What we should do is have the main principles in mind and try and make the right decision at the moment. Leave the rest to God.

In a sermon years ago we were asked to go home and look at the stubs in our cheque book. That dates the sermon! But look at the print out of your bank account. Where do your priorities lie? We are deeply affected as people by the things that are important to us, the things we concentrate on.

So what is treasure in heaven? Imagine your real self, without the prop of material things. That is the real you. That is what will be with God eternally. So whatever we do to be more like Jesus – practise patience, generosity, kindness, and turn away from selfishness, indifference, greed, that will be treasure in heaven. As Archbishop Romero said, ‘Aspire not to have more but to be more’  ‘Where your treasure is, there will your heart be.’ Or in modern parlance. Get your priorities right.  Amen