Sermon October 10 and 11, 2009 Mark 10:17-31 Today we begin a journey. 3 weeks thinking about stewardship by thinking about our mission statement. Our mission statement is: Following Christ, Growing in Faith, Sharing God’s Love. So, if you were going to divide that into 3 weeks, how would you do it? First week—Following Christ. Second week—Growing in Faith. Third week—Sharing God’s Love. And that’s what we’re going to do. So today, the first part— --Following Christ. As the Stewardship Team worked on this over the past few months, they found a resource which has been helpful to them, and which they then shared with Pastor Tom and me to give us further insight. Good resource from Luther Seminary— --called “Down and Out”. I remember when I heard “Down and Out” as a Stewardship Theme— --my first thought was: “I don’t get it.” What does it mean? But the materials are helpful. “Down and Out” points to the fact that we don’t climb up to God— --God comes down to us. It can’t work the other way. And because God comes down to us, because we are children of God, because of “whose we are”, we reach out to others— --to share God’s love. So with that lens (down and out), let’s take a look at the Gospel reading for today about the rich young man. Do you remember the first question that rich young man asked in our Gospel reading today? It’s in the first verse we read— --Mark, chapter 10, verse 17. Would you read that verse with me please: “As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’” Did you hear the question? What must I do? Where’s the focus? On I and do. But our relationship with God doesn’t start with I and do. We often think it does. And we even kind of want it to. Because that keeps us in control. And for this man, and for many of us, money and possessions— --give us control. Or at least the illusion of control. If I won the lottery, think of all the good things I could do. And I could. But the mistake we make is that we think it depends on the money. We think it depends on us being in control. And it doesn’t. It starts with God. It doesn’t start with I and Do, it starts with God. Would you read verse 21 with me please. “Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’” Jesus, looking at him— --what? Loved him. Did he love him because of what he’d done? How he’d kept all the commandments since his youth? It doesn’t sound like it. Did he love him because he had money and power? Most certainly not. Jesus loved him because Jesus loved him. Just like Jesus loves you just because Jesus loves you. We can’t climb the ladder to God. And we don’t have to. Because God comes down to us. Because God loves us. Jesus doesn’t love us because we have a certain amount of money or because we teach Sunday School or because we come to church every week or because we package food with Feed My Starving Children or because we’re on Church Council or even because we give all our money to the poor. Jesus didn’t love the rich man because he said he’d kept the commandments. In fact, it seems to me that Jesus showed a lot of restraint not arguing with the rich man when he said he’d kept all the commandments since his youth. I can imagine myself in that situation. “So,” I’d say, “you think you’ve kept all the commandments. Let’s take a a look…” But that’s not what Jesus did. Jesus loved him. And that’s where it starts. The man wanted it to start with I and do. What must I do? Jesus started instead with love. And Jesus’ love doesn’t just leave us where we are. Jesus’ love comes down and then sends us out. Jesus’ love led Jesus to push the man beyond his comfort zone. Jesus, looking at him— --the Greek even gives the sense of looking through him, looking deep into him. Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said: “Go sell all you have, give it away, and follow me.” I already love you. Now, follow me. And the rich man went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Why? Why was he grieving? What had he lost? I think he was grieving because he wanted both. It seems that he was truly sincere about wanting to inherit eternal life. But he wanted to stay in control. He wanted to follow, but he wanted to do it on his terms. He wanted to keep his money, and by keeping his money—stay in control. As hard as it was to do what he thought he had to do to earn eternal life— --he liked that way of looking at things. It might be hard, but he wanted to climb up to God. Because he would be the one doing it— --he would still be in control. And Jesus said to him, in essence, that’s not how it works. You don’t climb up. I come down. And when I look at that rich young man, I see me. And I see you. We want to follow. We really do. But we want to do it on our own terms. We want to hang on to control. We want to run things. We want to be God. Even as a congregation, we can fall into that trap. I think the ministry we are doing is great stuff. Meaningful. Often life-changing. And I think the generosity of this congregation is amazing. Giving money and time and energy and talents. But sometimes we feel like we need to be in control. We feel like it has to happen the way we want. And when it doesn’t got our way, we get worried, or angry, or distant or insistent. But God is God. And so the young man went away grieving. Because God is God, and we’re not, we struggle against the need to be in control. God is God. And we’re not. And we struggle to remember that. Would you read verse 25 with me. “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.” Scholars go back and forth about whether the eye of a needle means the eye of a needle or if it means a particular, small, low gate in the city walls. A lot of folks these days think that Jesus probably meant— --the eye of a needle. A real needle. So, how hard is that? We could get a camel and a needle and try— --but I think we know how it would turn out. I can understand the disciples’ response, “Then who can be saved.” Would you read verse 27 with me. “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’” And there you have it. What must I do to be saved? I can’t do it. Just like the camel through the eye of a needle. You can’t do it. But God can. For God, all things are possible. What I want to do is to remain in control. What God calls us to do is to trust and to follow. What I want to do is to earn God’s favor. What God shows us is that we can’t earn God’s favor, but we don’t need to, because before we do anything, God loves us. What I want to do is to hang on to my stuff. What God says to you and to me is that it’s not about stuff— --it’s about relationship with God --knowing God’s love, being filled with God’s love until we overflow with God’s love and reach out, sharing what God has first given us. Then who can be saved? For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God, all things are possible. We can be saved because Jesus led the way for us. He gave up control, becoming a servant, a suffering servant, taking on our sin, our fear, our hatred, our greed. And giving us life— --even life everlasting. And God’s keeps on challenging us, working on us, forgiving us, loving us, changing us. Did the rich man ever come back to Jesus? We don’t know. But we do know this— --God never gives up on us. And always loves us— --no matter what. In response to God’s love, we love. In response to God’s love, we give. In response to God’s love, we follow. God comes down to you and loves you always. Follow. In Jesus’ name, Amen