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ARE YOU POSSESSED?
(A sermon preached October 15, 2006 at University United Methodist Church, East
Lansing, by John Ross Thompson
Scripture texts: Mark 10:17-27 and Hebrews 4:12-16
Where is the power in your life?
I remember well learning Hebrews 4:12 in Sunday School when I was a child:
“The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,
dividing bone and marrow….” We were taught then that “The Word of God” was
scripture. I certainly agree that scripture is powerful, but I have discovered
that this Hebrews text is not about the Bible, but is about the Word of God that
is Jesus. \
Remember that John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God,” and this is clearly about Jesus, for it says
“He came to live with us.” (John 1:12) The power of the Word is therefore about
the power that Jesus brings to our lives. This power not only makes us alive,
but helps us to discern right from wrong, and what God’s will is.
At the same time, Jesus empathizes with us, according to the same Hebrews test.
Jesus feels our pain and knows our need. He gives us grace at any time of need.
This understanding of a caring Jesus is seen also in this morning’s Mark 10
passage.
Most of us know this as the story of the “rich young ruler.”
Mark’s story says only that a man comes to Jesus. “Young” comes from Matthew’s
telling of this account. “Ruler” or “lawyer” is from Luke.
Mark’s account, however, has an unusual reference to Jesus. When the rich young
ruler says that he has kept all of the commandments, the gospel writer says that
“Jesus looked
at him, loved him” and then went on to tell him what he lacked.
Perhaps you noticed my sermon title, “Are You Possessed?” No, this is not a
Halloween sermon.
In the Mark text, it was not his possessions that kept the young man from
eternal life. It was that fact that what he owned possessed him. Therefore, the
question for us is, “What possesses us?
I have two personal examples to share, and I invite you to think of similar
persons among the people you know.
My mother was a young adult at the time of the Great Depression. For most of her
life, she kept many things, cherishing them. I wondered how she would ever let
them go, at the point when this would be necessary. In April 1997, when she
moved to one room in a retirement community, she gave many things to family and
sold the rest at a yard sale. To my surprise, she was very ready to let them go.
For her, it is relationships that are most important to her, not things.
In sharp contract is my cousin Stella, who ran away from home in her teenage
years, and had no contact with any of our family until 60 years later. Her
daughter grew up believing that her mother Stella had no living relatives.
However, recently she did some research and found the missing family. We
discovered that Stella was still possessed with the bitterness that had led her
to leave her family in the 1940’s. Her mother died of tuberculosis and her
father was an alcoholic. My parents gave her and her brother a home when they
had none. Stella, however, turned bitter toward life, and unfortunately still
does not wants little to do with her relatives. Like the rich young ruler, she
will not give up what possesses her. Her daughter is a different story. Now she
has many relatives, and is enjoying them.
Why would one person be so willing to give up her possessions, and another
person continue for a lifetime to be possessed with something she cannot shake
loose?
How do you feel about your possessions? I notice many persons building larger
and larger homes and yet there are more and more storage units being built to
accommodate our “things” that don’t fit at home.
According to polls, most Americans say they would be happy if they received 20
percent more income. The problem is that once we receive 20 percent more, we
decide that we will be happy if only we receive 20 percent more than that.
Next week is the start of our church’s fall finance campaign. As you might
expect, we will focus on the joy of giving. We will give everyone the
opportunity to share what we are and what we have. Generosity is one of the
virtues of the Christian life. It’s an antidote to much that possesses us. It’s
a sign of a difference within us, for those who follow Christ.
This generosity is much more than the giving of money. Today in worship we are
honoring the giving of time, as we dedicate our church leaders for next year,
and as we commission the mission work team that is going to Louisiana. We also
honor our giving of resources, knowing that what we give is multiplied many
times over in ministry.
When it comes to possessions, we already know that what we give away is the only
thing that we ultimately keep.
What possesses you?
What are you unwilling to give up?
I invite you to consider how you look at your possessions.
Are they something which help you to have a fulfilled life?
Are they used to make this a better world for everyone?
Or, are they something that chains you, possesses you, and keeps you from being
all that you can be?
Is your life one of generosity and sharing?
I invite you to be possessed by Jesus, and to know the power, grace and love
that come only through him.
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