Go, sell all you own…

In a few moments, we will hear from Guy Kosenen, a parishioner who has graciously agreed to give a stewardship talk. So, I promise to keep this sermon short. But the gospel account of Jesus telling a rich man to sell all he owns and give the money to the poor cries out for reflection, especially for us, who live in the United States in the 21st century.

"Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" the man asks Jesus, kneeling in front of him. Jesus responds by placing the man before God-Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. In other words, eternal life is first of all a matter of God's goodness-it is a gift. Second, Jesus places the man before God's commandments. Jesus lists a few of them (including do not defraud, which isn't actually one of the ten, but is clearly part of an ethical life.)

So far, so good. "Teacher," the man says, "I have kept all of these from my youth." I love this next part: Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said…" Jesus loved this man-perhaps because of his sincerity, or his desire for God or perhaps because of his effort to live a good life. We don't really know why Jesus loved him just as we don't really know why he loves us. But because he loved him, he told him the truth: "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."

Then we hear that the man was shocked and went away grieving because he had many possessions.

This story raises many questions for us because there is no doubt that by the world's standards, virtually all Americans are rich. The World Bank keeps statistics on poverty-they look at the number of people living on less that $1.25 per day and at the number who live on less than $2.50 per day. Almost 3 billion people in the world live on less than $2.50 per day. The United States is not even on these charts because none of us are poor by those standards. We do have almost 13% of the population living below the federal poverty level, which is still shocking for a country like ours. That 13% experiences food insecurity, which means not having sufficient quantity or quality of food for a specific time period. Over the long term, food insecurity causes mild malnutrition, which can result in learning disabilities, developmental delays and so on.

Poverty in this country is not to be taken lightly, but no one in this country is actually starving. And we all have access to safe drinking water as a matter of federal law, compared with ___% of people around the world who do not have access. I remember a friend of mine who spent a lot of time in developing countries who came back and was jolted by the realization that we take showers in drinking water-clean water is so abundant here that we bathe in it.

Other indicators of poverty are access to education and healthcare. 100% of us are entitled to free public education. And even though our health care system is deeply flawed, with great inefficiency and unequal access, if you go to an emergency room, they are required by law to treat you.

There is a website called Global Rich List-Elizabeth Broyles emailed it to me this week. You can enter your income and find out where you are economically relative to the rest of the world. The vast majority of us, even those who think of themselves as middle class or poor, are still in the top 1% in the world.

So Jesus' words are for us-we have many possessions. Do we have to sell all we own and give the money to the poor in order to follow Jesus? My predecessor, Father Robert Magiula, is an example of someone who has done just that. When he left here, as many of you remember, he sold or gave away all his possessions in order to become a monk at Holy Cross Monastery. There have always been Christians who have followed Jesus' words literally-and what an amazing example they are to us!

But it seems to me that some of us are called to keep enough possessions to maintain a home-a warm and inviting place for children, friends, relatives and even strangers to come. Others of us are called to carry on businesses that employ others and provide them with a livelihood. Some are called to be teachers, and they need a salary to keep body and soul together. And so on.

So what did Jesus mean? What does he want us to do? I think the clue is in his statement that no one is good but God alone. I have always read that statement negatively-no one is as good as God. But I think Jesus meant it positively-God is good, God is all good and we can trust God completely. All things come from God and God will provide for us because God loves us and is generous toward us.

Jesus' call to this man to sell his possessions is a call to radical trust in God. It is a call to let go of all the things that get in the way of radical trust in God. For many people, possessions can become a wall to hide behind-we live in the illusion that wealth can keep us safe. But if we are putting our trust in possessions, then we are not putting our trust in God. Jesus wants to break down our walls and set us free to commit ourselves wholeheartedly to God.

When we trust God with our whole hearts, we learn not to cling to our possessions, but to see them as a resource for helping others in need. If we have faith that God will take care of us, then we become available for God to use us to help others. And the more we give freely of ourselves to help others, the richer we become on a spiritual level. "Go and sell what you own and give the money to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven." But it must be a gift given freely, from the generosity that rises in our hearts in response to God's generosity. Notice that Jesus does not run after the man or try to convince him to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor. He just sets that challenge before him and lets him decide what he will do.

God longs for our love and our whole hearted commitment, but God never forces us. We always have the freedom to say yes or no to God's call to us. But God promises us that the more we commit ourselves to God, the richer we will be spiritually. And God will care for us as we care for others.

Have we not seen the truth of this at Christ the King this year? Our pledges were down at the beginning of the year because of the economy. We cut our budget by $20,000 and we still had a $16,000 shortfall. But I heard many of you say, let's not cut our outreach to those in need. Let's trust that God will provide for us. And God has provided for us. So many people have given generously to the church this year-to support the Food Pantry, to send money to help AIDS orphans in South Africa, to hold a summer camp for migrant kids in our area. The money has come not only from church members but from many people in the community. No matter what our faith is, all of us know on an intuitive level that we are here to love one another, which means giving freely of ourselves to help others.

The Episcopal Church has adopted the Millennium Development Goals as its number one mission priority. The Millennium Development Goals are aimed at eradicating extreme poverty by 2015-if all the wealthy nations of the world gave 0.7% of its GDP, we could do it. The Episcopal Church has committed itself to give 0.7% of its budget each year to achieve the goals, and our presiding bishop, Katherine Jeffert Schori has urged dioceses, parishes and individuals to do the same. Here is an excerpt from her speech at her investiture. "This church has said that our larger vision will be framed and shaped in the coming years by the vision of shalom embedded in the Millennium Development Goals - a world where the hungry are fed, the ill are healed, the young educated, women and men treated equally, and where all have access to clean water and adequate sanitation, basic health care, and the promise of development that does not endanger the rest of creation. That vision of abundant life is achievable in our own day, but only with the passionate commitment of each and every one of us. It is God's vision of homecoming for all humanity."

Some of us may be called to sell everything we own and become monks. Some of us are called to other paths. But Jesus invites all of us to put our whole trust in God, and give freely of ourselves and our possessions to help those who are poor or in need. Eternal life begins here and now with acts of love offered freely in response to God's love. "Go and sell what you own and give the money to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me."