Proper 23B God wants ALL of you

Melissa Campbell-Langdell

All Saints, Oxnard

Proper 23B

(Job 23:1-9; 16-17; Ps. 22:1-15; Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31)

Earlier this week, I had a wake-up call about what’s really important.  I had heard from the accountant who finally finished our taxes that we would owe a big chunk more.  It seemed ridiculous.  I felt almost taken advantage of, hearing how much more we needed to pay.  And I was whining.  I was winging.  It was really unattractive, I’m sure, how sorry I felt for myself, for our finances.  We finally said, well, at least we have it!  But neither of us felt very happy.   But then Alene received a text.  It was from a friend suffering a family crisis, asking for prayer.  And man, did that put things into perspective!  It was a big reminder that it’s not about us, and our troubles all of a sudden seemed so small.  So we might need to budget some more.  Big deal.  This wasn’t a real crisis.

It was a reminder that it wasn’t about me, and my little problems. 
One of our seminary professors used to have a refrain.  She would say—if things are going well, it’s not about you.  If things are going badly, it’s not about you!  The point is, in ministry, and in the Christian life in general, it so rarely is about us.  This rich young man who runs up to Jesus in the passage today seems pretty self-obsessed.  He literally demands Jesus pay attention to him.  He feels he must be all set because he has all the commandments down pat.  But he still thinks it’s about him.  So Jesus asks him to forfeit what makes him “him.”  He asks him to give up his wealth, perhaps so he can find who he is as a Christ follower without the mask he wears, after all, all we know is he is a “rich man.”  A commentator says that the shift here is from self to others.  That the young man’s search for knowledge, for self-enrichment if you will, leads to an opportunity to live for others—to give to the poor, to follow Jesus.[1]  A shift from self to others.  This is a theme, isn’t it, of the Christian journey.

This month, we will talk a bit about stewardship—not only about how we give of our money, but how we give our time and talent to the church and to other ministries in our lives.  We are invited to practice a bit of what the Buddhists call “non-attachment” to possessions by sharing some of them with others.  To live for others.  To trust God.

And we trust that when we give, we will receive so much more.  In Malachi, God literally dares us to give, saying, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts: see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down an overflowing blessing (Malachi 3:10).”  And here Jesus says, you that give up much will receive so much more.  And the list sounds nice—family, houses and more restored. But persecutions?  That was sneaky of him to add those persecutions in the list.  Perhaps Jesus is reminding us that we are promised abundance in the Christian life, but we aren’t promised it is going to be easy.  

But the point is, if we trust God, God will provide.  Does this mean we can just be passive?   No, we must work for the kingdom and do our part.  Does this mean the abundance will look like financial blessing?  Not necessarily.  Sometimes the richness in our lives comes in different ways. 

Can we get there by striving?  Job seems to think that he can get out of his position of utter pain by striving, sure that he can strive before the court, laying out his case, and be acquitted by a judge. 

But God doesn’t work like that.  God doesn’t want that kind of striving.  God wants all of you.

What?  Let me explain.  In our Latino Ministry Stewardship discussion, one of the priests expressed this: “God doesn’t want your money.  God wants all of you.”[2]  When you understand that everything you are and have is of God, you simply give of God’s money that has been entrusted to you, as well as the talent and time entrusted to you, to the church and other ministries.  As a sign of trust.  As a way to remember who it all comes from.
And sometimes, things miraculously come together in other areas when we trust God with what we treasure most: be they our gifts of time, or money, or talent. 

So, what is your “all” that God asks of you? 
During the quinceanera service, the young woman dedicates her life to God.  She dedicates all she is and promises to follow God’s commandments and guidance.  I always talk to the young woman about this commitment during our preparations.  

I ask: does this mean she is automatically a nun or a priest or other religious person when she says this?  No! She responds.  And she’s right.  Because all Christ-followers are about just this—truly dedicating ourselves to God.   Offer what you are to God and God will return it to you, a free gift and a joy.

Because for a teenager, knowing that God is in his life can lead to less stress.  Sure, that math test can seem daunting, but he’s not going it alone.  God is with him, helping to guide his pen, clear his thoughts and provide the answers.  Does this guarantee straight A’s without effort?  No, no more than tithing guarantees we are going to become King Midas.  But it does make it easier.  We have an advocate.  The stresses of high school are mitigated when teens can stop in the middle of their angst and lift up their troubles in prayer and ask for emotional protection, as well as the strengthening of friendships that nurture, love that sustains.

Adults are no different.  We need to know we aren’t alone.  That we have an advocate.  An advocate in Jesus, who, as Hebrews points out to us, gets it.  He knows what we are going through. 

We need to know that God understands and is guiding us when we struggle with difficult decisions –be they at work or in our families or friendships.  When we feel ashamed of choices we’ve made or when we feel blamed and targeted without cause, like Job or the psalmist.  In these moments, we can turn to God in prayer, and the more we give ourselves over to God, remembering, it’s not about us, but God’s in charge, the freer we are.  This is the paradox.  This kind of surrender to God is so hard.  But the more we can release the stresses of our lives to God, the more we can be free to live the lives God has called us to live. 

Now, we aren’t usually called to give up all our possessions to the poor, like the rich young man was in the gospel.  In most people’s lives, this would be deemed tremendously poor stewardship.  But the meaning is clear.  If we place what we love and value most in God’s hands, God will be a good steward of it.  God will guide us has to how best to care for the world and ourselves.  Jesus is a good shepherd and generosity rarely leads you astray when you listen to him.   

I truly feel that a person is wealthy when he or she can afford to share with others.  To live for others.  Those of you who serve at Bread of Life know you get back so much more than you give.

Alene and I have a budget we keep, and I will tell you that the tithe is the first item in the budget, always the first thing calculated based on our monthly income, and the area that is the last item to change.  In fact, most times that is the one part of the budget we never touch.  And guess what?  Somehow, we always have enough.   Coincidence?  I think not.
Want to hear about our taxes?  God worked a miracle with those, too.  Turns out we actually overpaid a little.  All my “poor me” thoughts were for naught.  Because it’s not about me.  God provides.

Now, is a generous life always stress-free? No sir-ee.  It’s journey of faith, and we don’t have any guarantees that it will be easy.  But we try and try again.  Sometimes we try humbly.   Sometimes we try boldly, approaching that throne without qualms.  But whatever you do, try. Try God.  Give your all to God.  The full tithe of yourself, whatever that means to you.  And see if God doesn’t open up the windows of heaven on you, but watch out, because God has divined a richer life for you than you can ask for or imagine! 

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[1] James J. Thompson, “Theological Perspective: Mark 10:17-31,” Feasting on the Word, Year B, Vol. 4.

[2] Latino Ministry Stewardship Discussion, St. Mary’s, Palms, October 2, 2012.