Treasure

 Luke 12:32-40 Pentecost IX

It gives God pleasure to give us the Kin-dom.

What we treasure is in our hearts.  Like last week's lesson, we hear that it should not be wealth that we treasure but sharing with those in community who need well-being in their lives.  Treasuring people and the relationships we have with them toward their well-being is heavenly treasure.  

And like the Rich Fool who did not know when his life would be required, so it is with Jesus' coming.  We do not know the day or hour, and should be prepared at all times, ready to go and watching for Jesus to come to us.

God loves to include us in the Kin-dom.  We exclude ourselves when we live values other than those of God's Kin-dom.  We must be aware of what is in our hearts.  We must treasure the things that God treasures.  God treasures the creation and humanity.  We must treasure the creation and humanity.  God treasures justice and peace, love and joy, and God treasures Shalom for all.  We exclude ourselves from participation in the Kin-dom here and now, when we do not treasure those things in our hearts and lift them up with our lives.  We evidently exclude ourselves from participation in the Kin-dom then, when we treasure the wrong things as well.  

God would love to include us in the Kin-dom now, and its mission to bring about Shalom (completeness, wholeness and well-being) for all creation.  God would love to include us in the Kin-dom then for having thus participated in the Kin-dom now.  

This is not something to put off until later.  It is not something to get around to in the future.  It is about what we treasure in our hearts, here and now, and what we are doing because we treasure it.  When we treasure more wealth, power and status for ourselves, we are treasuring the things of empire and not of God. When we treasure only our "salvation", then we are saying that saving others' lives from trauma, unmet needs, brokenness and despair are not what we treasure, but only ourselves.  That is the opposite of God's Will for Shalom for all people.  When we treasure only "saving souls" and we ignore the plight of those who struggle to survive in this part of God's Kin-dom, here and now, we are saying that we do not treasure what God treasures.  

We say that Jesus is coming to judge the living and the dead.  Jesus said that we should always be ready for that coming, because we do not know when it will take place.  I pray that for that day more earnestly on some days than on others, frankly.  

Where is your treasure?  Therein lies your heart.  Your heart that is meant to love God with all that you have and love your Neighbor as yourself.  Your heart that belongs to God and Neighbor.  Your heart that is full of light or darkness, love or apathy or hatred.  

We know where the treasure of empire is, and we know from Jesus' teachings, commands and examples where the treasure of the Kin-dom lies.  Where is your treasure and where is, therefore, your heart?  

The question is a "right here and now" question.  For we live in THIS PART of God's Kin-dom, here and now.

Ready or not, here Jesus comes.  He comes to you here and now, in this Gospel lesson, in the Holy Spirit's whispers and shouts, in the things that you see on TV and hear on the radio, in your mind and in your heart daily.  Jesus is speaking to you here and now.  Be ready to hear it, take it in and apply it to your life right here and now.  Don't put this off.  Are you listening?  Where is your treasure?  In that is your heart.  Is it in alignment with the Kin-dom of God, right here and now?  

Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  Is it with God?  Is it with Neighbor?