What the heart wants: Aug 10

Year C, Pentecost 9                                   Luke 12:32-40                                

            The heart wants what it wants.  Have you heard that phrase? The origins are unclear.  Some people attribute it to Emily Dickinson but it’s just vague enough, that it’s impossible to know for sure.  Usually when it’s used, it’s referencing romantic love as if to indicate that we can’t control who we fall in love with.  But people also apply it to all kinds of things, seemingly to prove that we can’t control what we care about or where our hearts might lead us.  The author of the Gospel of Luke would have disagreed with this perspective. 

          Last Sunday Jesus talked about greed and possessions.  He said, “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”  Right after that text is one of my favorite passages which addresses anxiety and worry…which is relevant because often our preoccupation with stuff and money doesn’t come from greed as much as it comes from the fear of not having enough or not being secure.  We associate money and possessions with security and comfort.  There is good reason for that because money buys food and shelter, which are things that we all need.  The tricky part is finding that fuzzy and sometimes transparent line between need and want.  When does our anxiety about security turn into anxiety about how we keep all the things we really don’t need?

          Right after that text about anxiety and worry comes the text we heard today.  Jesus says: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” When we hear someone talk about their heart in this day and time, it’s usually associated with emotion or passion.  But in Biblical times, it would have been associated with your will and way of thinking---or as our opening collect said today: “the spirit to think and do those things that are right…”

These may be the author's new sneakers

          For so long, when I have heard this text, I have heard it from a church stewardship context.  If you can help people see how much they love the church---how much the church means to them, then they will give the church their time, talent and treasure.  But that’s out of order.  What Jesus is saying is that first comes the treasure and then the heart.  In other words, we can orient the direction of our hearts by how we allocate our treasure.  If we give to a cause that helps those who are in recovery, then we will orient our heart to those in recovery.  If we give our time and money to support the unhoused community, we will start caring more about the unhoused community.  If we buy a pair of sneakers because they are the right height for a certain pair of pants (I am just talking generally right now, this is not an example about me), then we might decide we need more pants to go with those super cute sneakers and possibly a 2^nd pair of those sneakers to keep at work…just in case.  Where we put our money and our time inevitably leads us to care more about those things…or in the case of possessions or money, we get preoccupied with those things.

          This idea that our actions can orient our heart is a challenging one because it means the onus is on us. It feels like a bit of pressure to me.  Yet there is also something really appealing about this—because it means that we can train our hearts to care about those people or causes that really matter.  Think about it, have you ever known someone who started working with children (or any vulnerable population) and then realized they cared less about that group?  Have you ever spent time in prayer or studying the Bible or (and this is a little risky for me to mention) worshipping in church and thought….well that was pointless?  When we put our time and our energy (and yes our money) into meaningful things, then we come out with more meaning and more purpose. 

          Remember what much of this chapter from Luke is about…anxiety and how we can be relieved of anxiety for worldly things.  “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” God wants to give you everything you need.  It’s God’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom…not God’s duty, God’s good pleasure. 

But there is something we have to do.  “Sell your possessions, and give alms.  Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out…”  There is another place in the Gospel where Jesus tells a rich man to sell everything.  Jesus doesn’t say that here.  He says, “Get rid of some of it, so that you have enough to give to others…to give alms.”   Giving alms isn’t just about giving what is extra…it’s a display of solidarity with another group.  It’s a way to shift the focus away from you… to somewhere else. 

          It’s really easy in this world to get preoccupied about stupid stuff.  I would much rather read about the excesses of Jeff Bezos’ wedding then think about the children who are starving in so many parts of our world. It’s so much easier to think about just about anything else then what actually matters in our world and beyond.  Why train our hearts to care when we could simply sigh and say, “the heart wants what the heart wants…”?

          I know many of you here care deeply and put your time and energy into those matters. I have seen it from so many of you. It inspires me.  But it’s so easy to get distracted by the shiny baubles of life….the wants and desires that skilled marketers convince us are necessities.  “Do not be afraid little flock, for it’s your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

That is what we are here for.  That is what we are working for…the kingdom, the new world where God’s peace reigns…where no thief comes and no moth destroys.  In the meantime, we work to chip away at the greed and corruption, the hate and fear.  We focus on what lasts—the purse that doesn’t wear out.  The only thing that really lasts is God’s kingdom.  When I refer to God’s kingdom, it’s not just what comes in the next life, but what we create in the here and now.  When we chip away at the things that are rotten, we will get to the heart of it all and it will be treasure worth saving.