I used to own some stock.
It wasn’t much, but it had my heart.
I logged on to my stockbroker’s page nearly every day, maybe even a few times a day … I followed the ups and downs of my stocks with fevered interest … if my account went down, my heart sunk; if it went up, I was elated and full of dreams.
In other words, where my treasure is, that’s where my heart is, too.
On another level, the wellbeing of my children.
I have lots of treasure there, and I bet you do, too.
I check on them all the time.
I wanna know how they’re doing.
And if they’re sad, I’m sad.
And when they’re happy, I’m happy, too.
Where my treasure is, that’s where I find my heart.
And, of course, Donna.
I cooked a good meal the other night.
She said, “I’ll keep ya’ another 12 weeks.”
That’s good.
Because I treasure her.
And she has my heart.
We treasure ourselves, too, don’t we?
We’re mighty important.
Get sick, and suddenly we’re pretty much the center of our world …
If we have a fever, we take our temperature every few hours.
If we have hypertension, we putt on the cuff and measure our blood pressure, maybe a couple o’ times a day.
If we’re trying to lose some weight, we’re on the scale every morning.
We’re pretty important.
We have a lot invested in ourselves.
When we’re happy, the world looks good to us.
When we’re sad, nothing much counts.
Where our treasure is, that’s where our heart is, too.
Things we value.
People we love.
Dreams we have.
The pride of work and achievement.
A teacher receives the accolades of colleagues … and is voted “Best Teacher of the Year.”
An engineer is given a bonus for devising new techniques in manufacturing.
A young mother gets a squeeze from one of her children, and the child says, “Mom, you’re the best mom in the world!”
Pride of accomplishment:
We come home at the end of the day, and we say to ourselves, “Today was a good day. I did it right, and I did it well. I’m proud of me today.”
Take a look at the things we treasure, and that’s where the heart spends a lot of time.
So Jesus says:
Be sure about your treasure.
Don’t weigh yourself down with too much stuff.
Get rid of a few things and ease up a little bit.
Pay a little more attention to God.
And not so much about what you’re going to eat and what you’re going to wear – life is a whole more than that.
And if you’re ready for some adventure, seek the kingdom of God.
That’s a good thing.
Stock in the kingdom of God never goes down.
Moths don’t eat holes in it.
Thieves can’t take it’ from ya’.
Jesus is clear.
Since Jesus knows a lot about us.
Jesus knows that this treasure business has a dark side to it.
And when we slip into the dark side, we’re not much good for the good things of life.
The famous Christmas story tale by Charles Dickens, featuring our good friend, Ebenezer Scrooge.
When we’re on the dark side of things, we’re not much good for the good things of life.
Scrooge didn’t like Christmas – “bah humbug.”
He didn’t have friends.
He sure didn’t like children.
He was grumpy and miserly.
And he treated his employees cruelly.
When we’re on the dark side of things, we’re not much good for the good things of life.
But things changed for Scrooge.
It took a supernatural intervention.
And sometimes it does.
Grace has to take us by the scruff of the neck now and then and give us a good shake.
A few ghosts to startle us.
To awaken us to the things that count.
A lesson we need to learn a few times every day.
Keep things in perspective.
Stay on the light side of things:
A friend wrote recently: “I just finished a jigsaw puzzle in six months – on the box, it said, 4 to 6 years.”
A friend of mine owns a Lompoc Winery.
He used to be the IT guy for a major international corporation.
Recently, he said, "There were three things that counted at work: your title, the size of your paycheck and the size of your office. Now," he says, "I have no idea what my title is; am I the owner or the truck-driver; I haven't seen a paycheck in a few years; but this for sure, (walking with us over a hilltop through his vineyards), my office is really, really, big."
Over the last few weeks, we’ve spent a lot of time in the Gospel of Luke.
We’ve read and pondered what Jesus says and does.
The picture is growing clear.
Jesus knows us well.
Be careful of greed, says Jesus.
Ya’ can’t have it all, and don’t even try.
No matter how big your barns are, they’re never big enough.
Get a hold of yourselves.
Don’t build your house on the sand; build it on the rock, instead.
Practice generosity.
Be kind.
Keep things simple.
Be dressed for action and keep your lamps lit.
Jesus talks a lot about being ready.
Ready for what?
Ready for life!
Ready for the people who come our way, and maybe we can help them.
Ready for just causes – we can write a letter and cast our vote for a better world.
Ready to learn … like Mary, when the Rabbi came to her home – she got outta the kitchen and sat as his feet.
Ready to follow … like Peter and John when Jesus stopped by their boat one day … the got outta the boat and followed him.
Ready.
Ready for life.
Ready for God.
Ready to serve.
Ready for kindness.
Ready to help.
Ready to give.
And ready to love.
The Prophet Micah says it well:
“With what shall I come before the LORD,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
To seize the moment and make it count.
Like a fisherman on the Santa Monica pier – baited hook, hand on the line, waiting to feel the strike …
A photographer out and about in the late afternoon … the golden hour, when the light is just right … ready to capture the beauty of a flower in full bloom …
A surfer, alert and ready to catch the next good wave.
Be ready, says Jesus.
Ready to make a difference.
I can do it.
I can serve.
I can volunteer.
I can join in and join hands.
I can make a difference.
We never know when the hour comes, says Jesus.
The moment to decide.
So be ready.
Pay attention.
Be alert.
Stop, look and listen.
And know this little flock.
It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.
Dear friends in Christ,
Enjoy the day, it's the day the Lord has made for you.
You will meet people who test your spirit.
You will meet people who surprise you with their love.
You will meet yourself, coming and going.
You will read something good.
You will eat something delicious.
You will hear a bird sing and be delighted.
You will see a face and see the face of God.
You will say something profound and wonderful.
Someone will thank you.
Someone will bless you.
Someone will give you a helping hand.
Such is life ...
To God be the glory ...
And to all, a good day!
Amen and Amen!
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