Sermon for October 10, 2021 - Inheritance

GOSPEL: Mark 10:17-31

The holy gospel according to Mark.

Glory to you, O Lord.

17As [Jesus] 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?” 18Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19You 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; Honor your father and mother.’ ” 20He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” 21Jesus, 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.” 22When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
  23Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” 27Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”
  28Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” 29Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, 30who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON (ELW p. 189)

The young man in our Gospel lesson, 

he left this scene in a low place:

a place of shock and grief, 

because he is faithful.

He wants to honour God and attain salvation,

but he doesn’t like Jesus’ answer. 

He asks Jesus “Good Teacher -

what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 

There is something off about his question.

Now, I don’t know a lot about inheritances, 

but I do know that an inheritance

is not earned. 

Generally speaking,

you receive an inheritance from a loved one when they die:

Perhaps from parents, grandparents,

an aunt or uncle, or a spouse

I am hearing more and more stories

of parents giving their children their inheritance early,

which is an incredible gift 

that not all parents can give.

One way or another,

Inheritance involves death.

You might act a certain way 

and have your name taken out of the will,

but you can’t earn an inheritance

Someone has to die. 

Inheritances are out of your control.

I met a woman many years ago

who told me about her inheritance.

Let’s call her Lucy.

When Lucy’s husband died many years ago, 

he had a fair amount of financial debt

that she did not know about. 

Lucy inherited his debt.

She didn’t know how he came into debt, 

whether it was well-hid drinking,

gambling,

poor money management,

she was simply shocked.

She remembers being generous with the offering plate.

She thought that they were doing just fine.

“Some inheritance” Lucy would say.

Stuck with the pain and grief of his death, 

and stuck with the tough task of

being a single parent,

Lucy was also stuck with an inherited debt

that she did not earn. “He loved me so much”

Lucy said to me.

But he wasn’t exactly truthful.

He didn’t trust Lucy with the truth

of his financial issues.

His secrecy was part of his legacy.

Jesus seemed to be concerned with secrecy, 

but not like Lucy’s husband.

Jesus regularly told people

to keep his powerful acts secret,

and I really don’t know why.

What I do know,

when Christ deals with people,

like Lucy, like you,

or like the rich young ruler, 

it is always in love,

there are no tricks.

Jesus is not like a husband

who hides the truth from us,

rather Jesus reveals the truth to us. 

Our God is not like Lucy,

who doesn’t know

what is really going on,

rather God guides us and knows us,

deeply,

even before the foundations of the world.

God gives us an inheritance in Jesus Christ, 

and unlike Lucy’s inheritance,

there are no real surprises with this God’s inheritance. 

Except perhaps how to receive it.

Just before this story of the rich young ruler,

Jesus said “Let the little children come to me”

and Jesus welcomed the children 

even though, culturally,

children had very little value. 

“Truly I tell you,

whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God

as a little child will never enter it.” Jesus says.

A young child does not earn the income 

that puts food on the table.

A young child does not cook the food, 

nor purchase clothing.

The child simply receives.

Parents want our children to say “Thank you”

especially around Thanksgiving,

but whether grateful or not, 

the child simply receives.

You cannot earn an inheritance, 

you can simply receive it,

and be grateful,

or, in Lucy’s case, not.

To many,

the inheritance we receive as Christians is foolish.

There is no promise of millions of dollars. 

There is no promise that

Christ’s death will make our lives easy. 

Yet, our inheritance is far greater than

the inheritance of any multi-millionaire. 

Our inheritance is far greater than

the pain that is left with

an inheritance of grief.

The inheritance we receive

is the inheritance of Christ;

an inheritance of resurrection, 

of everlasting life,

we inherit the promise that God will bring 

all creation together in Christ.

Jesus was not promised an easy, glorified life; 

Nor are we.

Just as God’s love for us is not hidden,

so to our possible hardships are not hidden.

We have this inheritance because

we are children of God by adoption.

We didn’t earn the title “Child of God” 

We simply received it in baptism.

Lucy would say to me

“You can’t choose your parents.”

And she is right.

We do not choose our parents,

whether by birth or by adoption. 

We are chosen by our parents,

and nothing we can do

will change who our parents are.

Growing up,

we could do all the household chores

without being asked, 

and that does not change who our parents are.

You can run away from home,

that doesn’t change who your parents are.

We can even choose to accept our parents

as our personal mother and father, 

silly as that might be,

but none of that changes who our parents are.

So it is with God and being children of God. 

We don’t choose God,

God chose us.

We have no say in the matter.

No matter what,

God loves us like a good parent,

with no conditions.

We can try to do every good work,

and that does not change God’s love for us.

We can rebel against God 

and even reject God,

yet God is still God,

and God still loves us.

“You can’t choose your parents.” 

Lucy would say,

“But I chose to have my children.” 

Lucy refused to leave her children

with a debt like her husband left her. 

Lucy said she wanted to be remembered

for her love in tangible action, 

and not have that love tainted by unnecessary hardship.

She made a choice with her inheritance of debt and pain;

she decided to make the best of it;

to raise her children in a loving home,

to make good financial decisions,

but to still give generously. 

With her debt inheritance,

Lucy believed that

she had a moral responsibility

to her children.

The rich young man wanted to be in control. 

He knew the law,

and like a good, faithful person

he followed the commandments.

Jesus showed him - and us - that

our ability to keep the commandments -

or how we perceive our ability

to keep the commandments - cannot save us.

“Go - sell what you own,

give the money to the poor,

and you will have treasure in heaven. 

Then, come follow me.”

The young man can’t do it. 

He has many possessions.

In shock, he leaves grieving. 

He probably thought that his riches were a blessing from God,

that his wealth was proof that he is righteous.

He wants to be in control,

and he wants to earn his salvation 

and on his own terms.

If we are honest with ourselves,

we all want salvation on our own terms.

But that’s not how it works.

Remember, to receive an inheritance, 

someone has to die.

Perhaps to inherit the kingdom of heaven 

you and I - we are the ones who have to die -

I’m not talking about what happens to us 

after this earthly life is over,

I’m saying that perhaps

we are the ones who are invited to die

- today - to die to ourselves

so that we might rise to Christ today.

When talking about the commandments in this story,

Did you notice what Jesus left out? 

Jesus said “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;

Honor your father and mother.’

There are some important commandments missing, 

and I’m not talking about keeping the sabbath.

Perhaps you remember the story of Jesus being asked 

“which commandment is the greatest?”

Jesus responds: “hear O Israel,

the Lord our God, the Lord is One.

You shall love the Lord your God 

with all your heart, 

with all your mind, 

with all your soul,

and with all your strength,

and love your neighbour as yourself.”

If you can keep these commandments,

then you are not far from the kingdom of God.

(Mark 12:28-34)

I don’t know about you, 

but when I hear this call - 

If you can keep these commandments

(which we can’t),

Then you’re not far from the kingdom of God?

I join the disciples in saying “Who then can be saved?”

Jesus also did not include the commandment 

“You shall have no other gods before me”

But Jesus didn’t have to. 

The young man learned that

you cannot put your possessions ahead of God.

I believe that, in our own way, 

you and I are this rich young man.

We all have something in our lives

that we might give priority to ahead of God.

We all have something in our lives

that we just do not want to give up. 

What are the things that you put ahead of God? 

What are the things that God invites us

to leave behind,

and then follow?

We all have something that we would put ahead of God.

Again, I join the disciples in saying “Who then can be saved?”

“For mortals, it is impossible. 

But not for God.

For God, all things are possible.”

Our best efforts,

our best intentions

will fall short,

but God’s love will never fall short.

Remember that to receive an inheritance, 

someone has to die.

Jesus did that already.

Because of Jesus’ life, and death,

and resurrection,

you are at peace with God.

It is done.

You are saved,

it is finished. Deal with it.

In baptism, we are joined to Christ - forever. 

We are invited into this way of life that,

daily, we die to ourselves and rise to Christ.

It is no longer I who live, but Christ in me.

The work is done!

What must you do to inherit eternal life?

Nothing. It is already yours,

It is a gift, 

pure grace, unearned, 

So rejoice and be glad!

because with God,

all things are possible.

Thanks be to God. Amen.