Welcome to our service for Sunday the 25th of February 2024 - Inheriting things

Sunday morning service at 10 am. Join us in person or watch the live stream on our YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxBzxjBb3xU8ra2NHwvD_9A

The Reading and Reflection can be found below:

17 As he 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?" 18 Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: "You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.' " 20 He said to him, "Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth." 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "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." 22 When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" 24 And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 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." 26 They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?" 27 Jesus looked at them and said, "For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible."

28 Peter began to say to him, "Look, we have left everything and followed you." 29 Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age -- houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions -- and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first."

Jesus is going on a journey.  And we know where this journey ends up in four weeks or so. At the cross.

This man kneels before him.  He asks him:  “What I must do to inherit eternal life?”

 It’s a tricky question right away. What do you do to inherit anything?  What’s the answer to that question?  Does Ezekiel have to be especially nice to his mum and dad?

I think you’ll find going back in these rural communities like Clevedon, there will be a lot of stories around land and families, and the firstborn son. And questions of fairness and unfairness. Those feelings can sit around for a long time.

Who has ever felt a bit awkward about inheritance?

So the question today is a question about some things that are quite deep within us. It’s one of those revealing questions. And it might be tied up with what we feel we might be owed, or what we think should be coming to us.

This rich man who has done everything well - he has followed the rule book. And we understand that he feels that there should be a reward for that.  

21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "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."

“When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”

The traditional teaching here is that the young man can’t bring himself to sell his possessions and that’s why he goes away grieving.

But let’s pause for a moment. Let’s for a moment give him the benefit of the doubt - and say that he’s not grieving because he can’t sell his possessions, but for the opposite reason. He’s grieving because he is going to sell all he has.

He’s going to give up his Tesla chariot, he going to give up his blue ribbon goats; his favourite camel, he’s going to give up his holiday villa in the south near Haifa. He’s grieving because he saying ‘I’m really going to miss all that stuff!’

Is that possible? Couldn’t we be just a bit kinder to this rich young man?

Sure you realise your accumulation has been motivated by keeping up with social expectations, or by fear or greed – but you’ve got rid of the 30 vats of wine you had pleasantly ageing in the cellar, you feel sad, but you’re going to get over it. 

In fact, the joy of the poor who are going to receive the benefit of your money will make it all worthwhile. Celebrating that new sense of abundance.

Has anyone ever given up something? Or sold something for a lot less than it was worth?  And for a moment it hurts a little – but then there has also been that sense of release and relief.

We know that the two best days of owning a boat, are the day you buy it and the day you sell it.

And on a deeper level perhaps. There is that saying that "a well-nursed grudge can be a joy forever."

But to pray about that. To ask for Jesus' healing. To be open to the work of the Spirit. And to be released from that hurt or anger or grief that you have carried for so long. Give that up and come and follow me.

To think that following Jesus is about being released from the things that have burdened us, led us to feel more insecure, and damaged us - maybe bound us to a past this isn’t going to lead us anywhere very much.

This morning we, with the rich man, have been invited on an adventure from now to eternity. Jesus is inviting you, Mr Rich Man, Mrs Rich Woman, to follow him - it’s going to be hard, but it’s going to be amazing.

On this journey, you’re going to forget about the goats and chariots and holiday villas and vats of wine.  The stuff accumulating in your garage.  And maybe too the feelings, the mindsets the attitudes that drive our consumption and our fears. The hurt that we have been feeding our hearts on for far too long.

I was talking, last Friday, with a great-grandmother who talked about her son. He would, with great enthusiasm, buy a boat.  And for a brief time he would, according to her, take the boat out and enjoy it - and then nothing. It would sit taking up space in the garage for years. And then he would say "Well the reason I’m not using the boat is that it is too small." So he would sell the decaying garage-bound boat, and buy a larger one. And, this great-grandmother, told me, in a way suggesting that she both loved her son, but also thought he was an idiot when it came to boats -  he has repeated this pattern through the last 50 years.

How many of us have the equivalent to a decaying boat sitting around in our garages or in our heads?

Jesus is calling us to live a life of richness. But we need to begin from a new starting point.

"Sell what you have and give the money to the poor."

Your perspective on even the precious and familiar things is going to change. And you will find richness in life beyond your imagination.

"Truly I tell you, no one has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age -- houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions -- and in the age to come eternal life."

The teaching today from Jesus, it is not meant to make people feel bad or guilty. But it is asking us about this fullness of life, this abundant life, this eternal life which can never be subject to our formulas and equations.

Perhaps this week is a week of discernment. To imagine ourselves kneeling with the wealthy man at Jesus' feet and asking him what do I need to let go of, for the sake of following you?  To open our arms, to release our past, and to receive God’s grace.

Dr Mark Stevens, a fellow of the Centre for Public Christianity wrote:

"Might a better way to think be to move beyond hoarding to hospitality? Or at least hoarding for the sake of hospitality? Instead of building a bigger barn, how might we build a bigger table? In times of crisis, even in times of peace, it’s instinctual to think of yourself. But we only get to the common good if we at some point talk back to our instincts, and think beyond ourselves, towards how this all impacts upon our neighbour."

What do we need to give away? Maybe we are just carrying too much stuff and we really do need to sell things or give them away and give the money to those less well-off.

I have a sense that Derek and Becka – want to raise their children with a different set of formulas. To live lives based on the assurance of God’s grace, love and welcome.

Isn’t this the best inheritance that we can provide?

Though we might have every reason to be angry or hurt or grieve or be sad or fearful - maybe this is a time for us to commit, or recommit to a new journey - to follow Jesus.  To say that some things need to be put in our past and no longer have the power to determine our future. We give away those things.

As we look at ourselves, as we look within, or as we look around, we find words of wonderful reassurance in these verses:

26 They were greatly astounded and said to one another, "Then who can be saved?" 27 Jesus looked at them and said, "For people it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible."   

AMEN