Divesting

Mark 10:17-21

            I am feeling absolutely gluey this morning, like I was dipped in Elmer's glue and it's drying. I am struggling to get going. I will resist the desire to crawl back into bed and head off to the gym. I always feel better after exercise. Always. 

             But let me return my focus to the word of God. "sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me" That's pretty strong. Perhaps I should be glad I am not at the point where I have mastered all the commandments yet! Yet I cannot help but think if Jesus was speaking literally. Today the church recalls Antony who had become wealthy by inheriting a large estate. He heard these same words and came to the conclusion that he should divest himself of all his worldly goods and follow The Way which Antony did. I found even the little snippet of his life's history quite inspiring. Am I to give away whatever monies I have accumulated? Right now I am feverishly trying to accumulate money for retirement and have no desire to be a pauper in my old age. Perhaps I can do as God has also commanded, that is to tithe - or perhaps attempt to tithe. Will that suffice? Or perhaps I can simply make an earnest attempt to be less worldly? I am keenly aware of how possessions often wind up owning you. I have preached and written about resisting the Madison Avenue paradigm of having the latest and greatest of anything. I know first hand that it is none of the worldly things or possessions that make us happy. I have been truly blessed and it has nothing at all to do with cars, clothes, money or sex, all of which I actually have been blessed with.

               So I am sitting there at the gym, totally bothered by these darn ear plugs that either won't stay in my ear or won't stay in a position that allows me to hear the music which is driving my exercise routine. I am sure many would love to have such a simple problem, eh? This is the intersection of 'selling what you own and following Christ' and  following what Madison Avenue or other people find happiness in. I actually looked for a pair of 'on the ear' earphones, they seem to be quite popular now. I was amazed at the variety and I was stunned that they have a popularity rivalling the latest and greatest pair of 'kicks'. Not only can the cost mega bucks, you can spend even more accessorizing these ear phones. Uh-mazing. Do I really need any earphones at all to work out at the gym? I mean, the rhythm of the music may be helpful but could I spend that time (already set aside) to meditate, couldn't I?  Is the gym actually a place I can make the decision to follow the world vs. follow Christ? In a small way I think the answer is yes. Do I think we must divest ourselves of earplugs and earphones to follow Jesus? No, don't be ridiculous. That kind of thought leads to preachers who might say earphones are from the devil! But at the same time, let us not discount the fact that wherever we are we can choose to follow Jesus. We may not have to get rid of our ear buds but we can make wherever we are a place to listen to God, love others and make the decision NOT to follow what everyone else is doing or what everyone else is buying into. 

           The notion of going to the beat of your own drummer is key in a world that is so materialistic. Perhaps for some of us, until we master all the commandments, the goal is to divest ourselves of the notion that we must buy into material goods for happiness. Let us not let our 'things' own us for it is God who truly owns us and no one else.  

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?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 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.” ’ He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ 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.’