The Sacred is in the Ordinary

I've had a couple people ask me for a copy of my sermon so I decided to post it. Don't feel like you have to read it!

"Invited to Jerusalem"
This evening we come to this space deeply aware of our human limitations and our need for God’s grace. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of our Lenten journey toward Easter, and invites us to recognize and reflect on the ways we sin against God and each other. Those of us familiar with the Easter story know that Easter does not come without Good Friday. Resurrection does not come without death.

So, why this text? The story of the rich young man is found in the fifth and final part of Matthew’s gospel. This is significant because the reader knows that it will not be long until Jesus is arrested and crucified. In two short chapters, Jesus will make his entry into Jerusalem and the events we celebrate as Holy Week will begin. When Jesus invites the young man to follow him, he is, in effect, inviting him to follow to Jerusalem. However, the young man is unable to follow. The story is, indeed, a story about our human limitations and our need for God’s grace.

Who is this young man? And why does he come to Jesus? We don’t know much about him except that he had many possessions, and it seems as if he was familiar with the Jewish law. When Jesus tells him to keep the commandments—you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal—the young man replies “I have kept all these!” There is nothing in the text to make us question the righteousness or holiness of this rich young man. He seems to be doing everything right. He feels, to me, very much like someone who would earnestly come and sit in a pew on a Wednesday night.

And yet, he feels anxious about his life and seeks out Jesus to ask what good deed he must do to inherit eternal life. The reason he comes to Jesus is revealed when he says “what do I still lack?” The rich young man is expressing a void, the feeling that, despite his wealth and good deeds, he is missing something. Maybe he has heard Jesus speaking about the kingdom of God and thinks it might be the answer to his loneliness. You can feel the urgency of his question and his desire to figure out his problem. Tell me Jesus!

Jesus responds—but tells him something he didn’t expect to hear. He responds by saying: If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me. The NRSV translates the word as “perfect,” but other translations translate differently. Another way of understanding what Jesus says to the young man is “If you want to be whole,” or “if you want to be “complete.” I think these interpretations respond more accurately to the young man’s question, “what do I lack?” What am I missing? Jesus says, If you want to be whole, sell your possessions and then come follow me.

REALLY, JESUS? Sell my possessions? That feels impossible. That feels extreme. Does Jesus really mean it? Please tell me Jesus doesn’t really mean it.

Jon Holmer, director of Metro Carering and a mentor of mine, told me there’s two ways to interpret this story. One is that Jesus didn’t really mean it and the other is that he did. Jon told me, “I think he DID mean it…and I’m not able to do it.”

Jon is not alone. When our Disciple 1 Bible study recently studied this passage, one of our group members candidly admitted he would react the same way as the young man. He has a mortgage to pay. He has two girls to raise. He is saving for their college. Those responsibilities make it impossible for him to sell everything he has and give it to the poor.

Why would Jesus require something so impossible? It feels cruel and unfair. I used to think the story of the rich young man reflected Jesus’ understanding that God has an unwavering concern for the poor. While I do believe this is true, I’m convinced that this story is less about the poor people who would receive the rich man’s things than it is about the liberation of the young man from his wealth. Jesus understands that wealth, the desire for wealth, the belief that wealth will bring security, and our attachment to material things will prevent us from living into God’s vision for our lives. Marcus Borg, in his book Jesus: A New Vision writes “it is not clear that Jesus opposed wealth in principle, nevertheless, he clearly saw wealth as one of the primary distractions and preoccupations in life, greed as one of the consuming and blinding human passions.”

The story of the rich young man is really a story about the conflict between two kingdoms. The rich young man is part of a culture that believes wealth is a sign of God’s divine favor. This kingdom organizes life around the security of the self and its world. The kingdom of culture teaches that value is connected to the ability to earn, consume, invest, provide, and secure the self. This kingdom is in conflict with the kingdom of God, expressed in Jesus. When Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God,” he challenges the belief that wealth is a sign of divine favor. In fact, he suggests it is actually an impediment to our participation in the kingdom of God.

In order to understand why Jesus says this, it is important to understand what Jesus means when he speaks of the kingdom of heaven. The term “kingdom of heaven” found in Matthew is what Mark and Luke call the “kingdom of God,” and there are no less than 122 references to this kingdom in the gospel texts. It is clear that Jesus is concerned with the kingdom of God and announces that God’s kingdom is near.

The greek word, basiliea, can be translated as kingdom, but it can also be translated as “reign” or “empire.” Throughout his ministry, Jesus offers a vision of what the reign of God, both for this world and for the world to come, will look like. Each parable, each healing, each meal that he eats with sinners reveals a kingdom that clashes with the kingdom of culture. Jesus demonstrates that God’s vision of power, politics, security, and economics are completely different from the kingdoms of Israel, and the politics of the Roman empire. Jesus, in inviting the rich young man to sell his possessions and follow him, is inviting the young man to participate in a new world order based on love, grace, and community. As long as the young man believes that he is independent, or that his security comes from his wealth, he will not be ready for the creative movement of God’s kingdom. Turning away from his wealth would be a simultaneous turn toward God and neighbor.

There is a story I once heard that demonstrates the transformation that is possible when we choose to convert to God and neighbor. When we choose the kingdom of God over the kingdom of culture. There was a married couple who was unable to have children. They happened to meet a young woman who was homeless and six months pregnant. After much deliberation, they invited the young woman to come live with them in their home. As they grew to know her, they discovered she had always dreamed of becoming a nurse. The couple helped take care of the baby girl, giving the young woman the opportunity to pursue her degree in nursing. They became a family and continued living together until years later when the wife of the married couple became very ill with multiple sclerosis. The young woman, now an experienced nurse, was able to provide care for the wife in her own home. This story is a wonderful example of radical interdependence and offers a vision of what the kingdom of God may look like.

I saw a poll just this week that said 71% of people living in the United States know someone who has recently lost their job. 60% are anxious about their employment. These are anxious times and money is tight. Perhaps it seems insensitive to read a text like this one in a time like this.

OR, perhaps this is the perfect time to evaluate how our money, our worry about money are holding us hostage in the kingdom of culture instead of allowing us to freely participate in the kingdom of God. Following Jesus to Jerusalem will require us to think differently, it will invite us to see new possibilities, to see with greater clarity what God’s vision is for our lives. It means we will risk being transformed. And it will be costly. Transformation is not painless.

Tonight we may feel paralyzed by fear and anxiety. We may go home grieving because we are unable to follow.
However, there is good news at the end of the passage. Jesus says, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God, all things are possible.” Whether we choose to follow right away or whether we go home grieving, God’s redemptive grace is still at work in our lives.

I would like to believe the story of the rich young man did not end where the text leaves off. I would like to hope that God’s message in Jesus continued to work in this young man. I believe there is hope for him, and us, after all.

Ann Weems, theologian and poet, writes about the weightiness of Lent and the decision to follow Jesus to Jerusalem. Hear her words in a poem titled, “Looking Toward Jerusalem.”
The journey to Bethlehem was much more to my liking.
I am content kneeling here, where there’s an aura of angels and the ever-present procession of shepherds and of kings who’ve come to kneel to the Newborn in whom we are newborn.
I want to linger here in Bethlehem in joy and celebration,
Knowing once I set my feet toward Jerusalem, the Child will grow, and I will be asked to follow.
The time of Light and Angels is drawing to a close. Just when I’ve settled contentedly into the quiet wonder of Star and Child,
He bids me leave and follow.
How can I be expected to go back into darkness after sitting mangerside bathed in such Light?
It’s hard to get away this time of year; I don’t know how I’ll manage. It’s not just the time…the conversation along the way turns from Birth to Death. I’m not sure I can stand the stress and pain; I’ve had enough of those already. Besides, I’ve found the lighting on the road to Jerusalem is very poor. This time around, there is no Star…
The shepherds have left; they’ve returned to hillside and to sheep. The Magi, too, have gone, having been warned in a dream, as was Joseph, who packed up his family and fled. If I stay in Bethlehem, I stay alone. God has gone on toward Jerusalem.

Friends, on this night, you are invited to Jerusalem.
Will you come?
Amen.

I was invited by the senior pastor to preach on Ash Wednesday at Trinity. I spent the last week or so working and reworking my sermon and titled the sermon "Invited to Jerusalem." When Wednesday arrived, I was SO nervous! I cried a lot. And prayed a lot. And it was amazing. I was flooded with support from the young adults--many of them were there on Wednesday for the service. I also received an incredible amount of support and nurturing from the Trinity staff. They prayed for me before the service and when the service began, most of my nervousness was gone. I sat in the "Preacher's chair" next to Miriam, my mentor, and I couldn't get over how blessed and lucky I felt to have the opportunity to be at Trinity and to preach to the congregation. My voice was a little shaky for my first few sentences, but the congregation quickly made me feel at ease. Plus, my friend Greta was there and I heard her voice in my head when I walked up to the pulpit. She had told me that every time she preaches, she approaches the pulpit and says in her mind "Hello friend. Thank you for holding my notes." =)

In addition to preaching the sermon, I also got to participate in the imposition of ashes. One of my favorite moments was when David came to the altar rail and I got to put ashes on his forehead. When the service was over, I was physically marked as part of the Christian community. I had a cross on my forehead. However, what was also special was that I had ashes under my fingernails from imposing ashes on others. I felt, perhaps most clearly since I started seminary, a call to ordained ministry.

After the service Greta and David took me out to celebrate. (I was STARVING since most of the day I thought I was on the verge of puking!) I've only preached twice, and Greta and David have heard both sermons, so it was appropriate that I celebrated with them. =)

P.S. If you're wondering how I have pictures, one of the elders in the community who has taken me under his wing took some from the balcony and sent them to me. I didn't even notice him up there!