“Basic How To’s: How To Take Hold
of Eternal Life”
October 16, 2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and
peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ, Amen.
Once again, we have another
challenging parable from Jesus, and one that itself has been open to many
different interpretations throughout time. At first glance, the story may seem
to say that if we mistreat people we’ll be punished, like the rich man was; or
even that if we’re rich, we’ll be condemned. But right away, I want to assure
all of you, that’s not what Jesus is saying at all. It is not a sin to be rich,
nor is it a sin to enjoy life and what it has to offer. Also, what gets us into
heaven is not how we act, because we are saved only by the death and resurrection
of Jesus, what He does, rather than by anything we do or do not do. So this
story is not to be used as a weapon against anyone, just as our beliefs in
general are not to be used to attack anyone. But what we hear today is meant to
be a reminder of what is true: and that is, that we do have another purpose for
life other than just living for this life, and for ourselves. We are to keep in
mind that we do have another life to look forward to, one that is eternal, that
will outlast all the pleasures of our current existence.
Also, Jesus is also not in any way,
as has been done by prophets and preachers through much of history, trying to
scare us until believing and changing with any kind of threat, especially one
of the fires of hell. Threats and ultimatums, saying “Believe, think, act, or
live this way or else” are not what our message ought to be. Any time there is
an “Or else” involved in what is being said, or implied in what the
expectations are, it is not a word from God. Also, trying to make ourselves, or
someone else, feel guilty because of something we don’t agree with is also not
what we are to be talking about. God is not a God is who wants us to follow and
be in relationship with Him because if we don’t, He will destroy us. There would
be no point in believing in Him at all if He were that kind of God. Shame-based
religion is false religion. If our faith is based on fear and shame, then it is
no true faith; also, if we try to get people to have faith because of some kind
of fear and anxiety of punishment, or try to make them ashamed of who they are,
then we are spreading false faith.
True faith, however, is based on
the fact that God is love. The whole reason Jesus died and rose again for us
was to show God’s love. He wants us to enjoy Him, as well as this life, because
every good thing we have is a gift from His hand. So our desire to follow God
ought to be one based on loving relationship and joy, which is what God really
wants for us, instead of constant terror. All that being said, every so often
God does remind of things which are meant to shake us up a little bit, to move
us out of being stuck in some kind of rut, to wake us up when things seem to be
going in a strange direction, and move us back to the way we are meant to go.
This is what the Prophet Amos
does in today’s First Reading, and what is exactly what is going on with the
people of Israel and Judah: the people have become complacent, and are taking
what they have for granted. They are also selfishly living without paying
attention to what is going on around them, especially the fact that while they
are living in ease, many of their neighbors are living in want and poverty.
Also, they are living as though everything was going to stay the same, and
trying to delay inevitable change, taking for granted that someday things would
possibly be upended at a moment’s notice. Amos also calls this a “day of
disaster,” and also points out that not even the lands where God’s chosen people
live are immune from any kind of disaster. We’ve certainly been experiencing
this as individuals, and as a country, for the past few years. The whole world
was basically shut down for at least a few months because of the pandemic back
in 2020, and we in America had to live under the same kind of plague conditions
that many other countries had been living under during various illnesses. It
was also something that happened rather suddenly, that no one, not even in the
previous year, could have predicted. Inflation continues to affect us, especially
with the price of food and fuel, which itself determines the price of almost
everything else. We also have to deal with shortages of service whenever we go shopping
or eating out at restaurants, and frequently find items missing at the grocery
store. Our finances are getting stretched beyond what we’ve been used to, and
we find we can no longer depend on the prices of even basic necessities to
remain the same, straining our budgets even further. Also, the fact that covid
still remains with us makes us worried about our own health, and our family and
friends’ well-being. This is reality, and we share in this reality with others.
To put it bluntly, life often stinks. Life is also unpredictable. No matter how
we may try to delay or deny it, change is also inevitable. So it can actually
be dangerous for us to become complacent, and assume that what we have is
always going to be there and remain the same. And when that happens, there is
only thing we can depend on to remain constant: God. Even though we are having
to deal with all these challenges, God still remains in control of this world.
He has brought us through disasters in the past, and He will do so again. On
the other hand, for us Christians, the fact that we do believe that God is the
only thing that remains dependable and consistent is something we can use to
help and comfort all others who are struggling along with us.
This is also why Paul gives the
encouragement in today’s Second Reading, “But as for you…” We’ve probably been
told from our earliest days that we Christians are different from everyone
else. And that is true: we are different. But our difference is that we have an
alternative to share. So these are words which we need to be reminded of time
and time again: even though others may want to tell us to give up any kind of
hope, or live in distrust of other people, we can hear, “But as for you…” Actually,
this is the same message God was trying to tell His people through Amos: everyone
else may be living a certain way, “But as for you…” Paul says in verse eleven, “Flee
from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and
gentleness.” The words “Flee from all this” are important: even though we are
tempted to go along with the negative messages, attitudes, and behaviors we are
bombarded with on the news or social media, or just in everyday interactions, we
are to run as far away from them as possible, and in the direction God wants us
to go instead. Which means the word “Pursue” is just as important: living God’s
way is not something passive, but active. We pursue righteousness and godliness
in that we are to treat others the way we would want to be treated, as God does
for us. Especially by showing love and gentleness, even when it is difficult to
do so. We also demonstrate faith and endurance whenever we act in such a way
where we trust God, even though life may be hard. We can bring hope to the
hopeless, comfort to the anxious, and security to the fearful. This, as Jesus has
Abraham say, is the message of Moses and the Prophets: that we live not for
ourselves, but for other people. The problem with the rich man in Jesus’ story was
not that he was rich, but that he tried to live in such a way where, like the people
to whom Amos was speaking, he tried to ignore those who needed what he had. He
lived only for himself, and so that is what he ultimately ended up with –
himself.
This too can be a reminder to us
that we do live in danger of thinking we are only to be concerned about
ourselves – which happens not simply when we have more than we need, but when
we are in survival mode, trying to hold on to what little we have. Being in
survival mode can cause us to become isolated from everyone else, and ignore
the fact that we are still to live in healthy relationships with others. As
Paul also says, “the love of money is the root of all evil” – a verse which has
been often quoted, but not completely. It does not mean trying to acquire more
money, but instead being so worried about our own preservation that we forget
we still have an obligation to help others. Even though the pandemic has put pressure
on our finances, we cannot let our anxieties about money keep us from providing
for our friends, neighbors, and communities. Being in survival mode can cause
us to forget that we share common humanity, and also are all children of God. We
also cannot let our worries and fears cause us to act in anger and frustration
towards others. When we act out of fear for survival, we only cause ourselves
pain and grief, and spread that to others, making life worse for everyone. But
as for us, we have another God-given direction.
Since the title of today’s sermon is
actually “How to Take Hold of Eternal Life,” what we can say is that yes, we
look forward to eternal life, a place where there will be perpetual comfort and
happiness, and where everyone will have what they need. It will also be a place
where we will no longer be concerned about survival, because God will sustain
us. But it is because we look forward to eternal life that we are to live as
though we were already living that way: in comfort, happiness, and freedom. We
are also to seek to make this life better for others, especially those who lack
what they need for a good life. What we have been given is meant to be shared. We
are called to do more than survive – we have an active mission to pursue. We
not only look forward to the future – with God’s help, we can make the future happen
now.
Now may the peace of God, which
passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
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