Putting Our Money Where the Heart Is

Luke 12:32-40

July 31, 2016

Mark S. Bollwinkel

On October 19, 1991 an urban fire sweep through the Oakland Hills just east of San Francisco.  Wind, temperature, humidity and fuel conditions here perfect for the fire to build into a fire storm.   25 people were killed, 150 injured, over 3,000 homes and apartments were destroyed including the home of Don and Betsy Minkler, Bonnie’s parents and my in-laws.

They choose to rebuild their beautiful home there.  Betsy lives there now.   Don passed away from Alzheimer’s eight years ago.

A year after the fire, the Roble Road neighborhood held a party to honor the firefighters who tried to save the homes in that area…two of whom had to jump into the next door neighbors’ swimming pool to survive…they said they knew her home was a special place.

Today at the base of the hill you can see a memorial park dedicated to the lives lost and the brave and men who fought that fire.

They are heroes indeed.  Like the firemen, police and paramedics who went up the stairs as the towers came crashing down in New York on 9-11, uniformed “first responders” are a special breed of people, willing to risk their lives for others.  And we are grateful for their service.

In the face of natural or human disasters it is often asked by parents and grandparents “What do we say to children?”   Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood would respond, "Look for the helpers. No matter how bad things get there are always those who choose to help.  Look for the helpers."

We all want to be those kind of people.   What can we simple citizens do when disaster threatens?  We’re not heroes.  We’re not trained to daily put our lives on the line for others.    In the face of this week’s Soberanes fire right here in our area, what can we do to help?

Although it may sound simplistic, we can make it easier on the “first responders” by taking their advice preparing our property for wild fires.    We can have Red Cross and emergency earthquake kits on hand.   We can develop a family disaster communication plan so you and your loved ones can know if you’re safe and sound.  (If you don’t know how to text on your phone learn how!  When disaster strikes and the power is out, texting takes only a fraction of the energy of the microwave system to get your message through, far more efficient and the system will be up and running way before phones or radio.)

Carmel Chamber of Commerce is collecting blankets and cell phone chargers for the evacuation center at Carmel Middle School.  Neighbors have been collecting food, water and supplies.   And although it may seem insignificant, we can donate money to local fund raising efforts supporting the disaster response in our area.   These things may seem small in comparison to the sacrifice we ask of our “first responders” but they are never-the-less important.

Money is so loaded a subject in church it makes many preachers hesitant to bring the subject up.   The problem is that Jesus wasn’t.   Jesus wasn’t reluctant at all to deal with such a powerful force in our lives in the light of faith.

There are more than 700 verses in the Bible dealing with money or material wealth.   Most of Jesus’ parables concern money or possessions.  For Jesus the issue wasn’t so much money in itself as how we get it and what we do with it once we have it.

He says in our lection this morning, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.  Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Jesus knew the depth of anxiety that is rooted in our lives about money.  Jesus is fully aware of how our envy and compulsion for money and things can eat away at our relationships and self-esteem.

In Luke, Jesus urges us to have confidence that the Kingdom of God we seek is not a futile search for something beyond our grasp.  We are to seek intimacy with God and others confident that God wants us to have it.  It is something we can count on.  Thus we can be free from fear about our material wealth.  It can’t buy us security anyway.  Often it only gets in the way of really living.

There is a warning implied in Jesus’ message, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”  For many of us that would mean the MasterCard, our mortgage company or our stock portfolio is where we are putting our hearts because that is sure where we are putting our money.  Are you losing sleep over money problems?  Then that is where your heart is.

Remember, Jesus doesn’t question money itself so much as what we do with it.  Jesus is not an ascetic.  When he suggests that we sell our possessions he is not suggesting that we all go live in caves.  Meeting our financial responsibilities and providing for our families is essential stewardship of God’s resources.  But Jesus is challenging us to consider if we are putting our money where we want our hearts to go.

It’s not about the amount of money we donate to good causes.  It’s about the heart with which we give.

Dr. Russell H. Conwell, author of the book Acres of Diamonds (1890) tells this story:

At the turn of the 20th century, at an east coast city, a sobbing little girl stood near a small church afraid to go into a Sunday school room.  She wore shabby clothes and was dirty.  The Pastor guessed that she had felt uncomfortable and took her into the class himself, where she was welcomed and included.

Two years later the child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings nearby.  The parents called for the pastor who had befriended their daughter to handle the final arrangements.   As her poor little body was being moved, a worn, crumpled purse was found.  Inside was 57 cents and a note, “This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday school.”  She had saved up the money for two years.

A newspaper got a hold of the story and published it.  Church members made large donations as a result.  Checks came from far and wide.  Within five years the Sunday school fund had grown to $250,000, all because of the little girl’s witness of faith.

The next time you are in Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300 and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained.

Have a look at Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday school building in the same complex, which houses hundreds of Sunday Schoolers each week.

In one of the rooms in that building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of that little girl whose 57 cents inspired a century of ministry.   

Little things can make a huge difference.

Jesus’ point is that it’s not about how much we give it’s about the heart with which we give.

Remember the ice bucket challenge a few years ago?  Sponsored by the ALS Association it raised over $115 million.  It went viral with celebrities such as Bill Gates pouring ice cold water over themselves challenging others to do the same while donating.  This week a genetic breakthrough discovered through research funded by the ice bucket challenge was just announced.  It will really make a difference in the effort to fight this disease. (http://www.theverge.com/2016/7/27/12296666/als-ice-bucket-challenge-research-funds)

Whether it’s contributing to the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, or attending the Wayfarer Women’s luncheon, to donating to the American Red Cross Soberanes fire response, even our smallest gifts can really make a difference.

Whether all you have to give is your time, a talent, your presence simply being there or some of your money, be thankful for the opportunities to give.

Those responding to this week’s Soberanes fire remind us again and again, “We make a living by what we earn.  We make a life by what we give.”

Amen.