[Mcgregorpage] McGregorPage 525, Pentecost 19 , Oct. 15, 2006

[rmcgregoralbq at aol.com]

Pentecost 19, October 15, 2006

Psalm 22:1 15
Job 23:1 9, 16 17
Hebrews 4:12 16
Mark 10:17 31

What’ll Ya Have?

It is interesting that Jesus told the man to give all his possessions 
to the poor and not to the temple.  It is curious that the divestiture 
of the disciple is only temporary.  Does that mean it is only a tactic 
not a goal, not a solution for poverty?  That is, selling all you have 
and giving it to the poor is not the end but a means to the end.  The 
end then is a restoration of those possessions after a transforming 
experience.  This parallels the story of Job.  He starts out a rich 
man.  Loses everything.  Has a close encounter with God and gets it all 
back.  So, what is the lesson?  That we should all back pack into the 
wilderness for a month, so that we would appreciate what we have?  Or, 
should we turn our lives into a back pack into the wilderness and wait 
for the second coming?  Or, for the fainthearted, just imagine back 
packing in the wilderness and make a generous donation to charity?

Possessions impinge on relationships.  If I approach you and you know 
that I am penniless, it will affect the way you deal with me.  I become 
a threat to you.  My presence calls into question the justice of your 
having possessions when I don't.  What will you do about that?  Will 
you justify the disparity in some way, or will you share what you have 
with me?  If I approach you and you know that I have possessions 
comparable to yours, you are at ease; if I have much more than you, you 
are challenged.  Which of these relationships better supports the 
communication of the Gospel from me to you?  That is, after all, the 
purpose of the disciple, to spread the Gospel not to see how many 
possessions one can give away.  Since the poor have little entrée with 
the rich, it is hard for a poor disciple to share the Gospel with a 
rich person.  However, if you preach to the poor people of the world, 
you'll have a larger crowd.

Possessions impinge on our relationship with God.  When we have them, 
we presume God likes us.  When we don't, we presume God doesn't like 
us.  When we have them, we presume we don't need God.  When we don't, 
we cry out to God.  Our possessions both confirm and deny our 
dependence on God.  What could God possibly have against our having 
things?  God gave Adam all the animals and Abraham the land of Canaan.  
Is it that we might like the gift more than the giver?

Psalm 22 struggles with a cognitive dissonance.  If God is faithful, 
why am I suffering like this?  The Psalmist remembers God's history of 
faithfulness in order not to give up hope.    The Gospel writers use 
this Psalm like an overlay of the crucifixion scene.  Perhaps Jesus 
prayed this prayer in its entirety in their presence before he was 
arrested.  Would God intervene in the execution of Jesus?  Is there 
understanding in the most high?  Can God restore the possessions of 
those who give up everything to follow Jesus?  Do we have a great high 
priest who intercedes for us?  This is the hurdle that every disciple 
must leap.  A broad jumper travels light.  The resurrection of Jesus 
says, "Yes, you can leap the chasm but not necessarily in the way you 
expect."

May these thoughts strengthen you.

An Open Letter to Fellow Pastors
>From Roland McGregor, United Methodist Pastor
 (an e-mail service)

[See Web Page address below for a Children’s Message coordinated with 
these lections.]

http://www.webspawner.com/users/ChildPage/

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      --Copyright 2006, Roland McGregor, all rights reserved—
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