“The One Thing”
The Last in a Series of Stewardship Sermons
Preached by the
Rev. Jean Niven Lenk
Sunday, November 13, 2011
First Congregational Church of Stoughton, United Church of Christ
Text: Mark 10:17-22
A story is told of a very wealthy man who spoke at a church meeting about his Christian faith. He said, “I'm a millionaire and I attribute my wealth to the blessings of God in my life.” He went on to talk about the turning point in his faith when he was a young man. He had just earned his first dollar and he went to a church service. A missionary was making an appeal for support. When it came time for the offering, he knew he would either have to give his only dollar or nothing at all. At that moment he decided to give all that he had to God. He said that God had blessed that decision and had made him wealthy. When he had finished there was an awed silence. Suddenly, a little, old lady jumped up and said: “I dare you to do it again!”
As hard as it must have been for the millionaire to give his first and only dollar to God, it would be even harder for him to give away all the wealth he had amassed. It is a much bigger drop going from being a millionaire to being penniless than it is going from one dollar to no dollars.
In this anecdote are echoes of this morning’s scripture lesson from the Gospel of Mark. The rich man in the passage looks from the outside as if he has “made” it – he is wealthy, considered a sure sign of God’s blessing and favor. He has power, prestige, security; he is pious and sincere and he has followed most of the commandments. And yet – he has an emptiness in his heart which cannot be satisfied by his wealth and possessions. Perhaps he aches for forgiveness or hungers for healing or longs for peace in his heart.
And so, kneeling before Jesus, he asks: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
And Jesus looks lovingly into his face and says, “You lack one thing. Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come follow me.” The one thing the rich man lacks is putting God first in his life. That is what the rich man needs to do to fill that emptiness in his heart.
But when he hears what he must do, the rich man walks away grieving because the one thing Jesus calls him to do is the one thing he can’t do. He can’t put God ahead of his earthly possessions.
It’s not that his money itself is the problem. It’s that his money has become more important to him than following Jesus, more important than having a relationship with God. That is the one thing he lacks; he worships something other than God, and what he worships won’t fill the emptiness in his heart or satisfy the yearning in his soul.
This story is one of the many times, throughout the Gospels, that Jesus talks about money. In fact, Jesus speaks more about money and issues surrounding it than any other subject except the Kingdom of God. Jesus isn’t against wealth, but he cautions that just as we can use money, money can use us. He warns us how money can be used for selfish rather than selfless purposes. He talks about how money can serve God or, in the rich man’s case, take the place of God.
Put another way, “Show me your checkbook, and I’ll show you what’s important to you… what your values are... what you believe in…”
At the heart of our scripture lesson for this final Sunday of our Stewardship Campaign, Jesus is calling us to put God ahead of our attachment to material things. In first century Palestine, as now, many people defined themselves and measured their success by their wealth, thinking that’s what would make them happy. But the good feeling we might get from material possessions is fleeting, for it is not grounded in the eternal, and things won’t fill the God-shaped hole in our heart. Instead, Jesus has come to bring us joy – “that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” [John 15:11. Jesus calls us to seek joy, which comes from being in right relationship with God and filling our hearts with love for God. If material, earthly things become most important in our lives, they will get in our way of discovering what is real and meaningful. Jesus calls us to make God our first priority – that is the one thing.
This was once my story. My life lacked meaning and purpose and joy; I had a yearning, an emptiness in my heart, that could not be filled by money and possessions. Things didn’t change until I began to focus on my relationship with God, and that relationship became the most important thing in my life. When God became my focus, when my relationship with God became my top priority – that’s when my life became joy-filled, meaning-filled; when I focused on that one thing, my life was transformed.
Many of us may think that giving to the church is about balancing the budget or paying the bills – afterall, there is the upkeep and expenses of the building, the salaries of the staff, and the support we give to the wider church.
But if giving were simply to meet budgetary expense, the offering wouldn’t be part of the church service – we would just charge dues instead and send you an invoice. Giving is an act of worship; it is expressing our love of God in the purest way imaginable -- by giving up something we value. Yes, our giving helps this church meets it financial obligations. But more importantly, it is a way for us to express our love for God and to show that having a relationship with God is the top priority – the one thing -- in our lives.
As each one of us considers the amount of our 2012 pledge, we have an opportunity to determine how we order our priorities and live out our values. Through our giving, we have the chance to demonstrate what is important to us.
I pray that next Sunday, as part of our worship, when you bring your completed pledge card and lay it on the altar as a visible sign of your commitment to God and Christ’s church, your 2012 gift will reflect the one thing Jesus commands, that God is the most important thing in your life. Amen.
