Sunday, September 9, 2001
Sunday, September 9, 2001
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "There is still one thing lacking.
Sell all that
you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;
then come,
follow me." But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich.
One of our leading professional athletes startled many of us when he said recently that
he does
1,000 sit-ups a day. How could anybody be that dedicated to a game?
We hear about business people who work 60, 70, even 80 hour weeks, neglecting their
health and
their families in their service of the god of success. Why, then, should we be surprised
that Christ
would ask as much?
He asks even more. He asks for it all. That doesn't mean we live at the church. No. The
call to
renounce everything is not a call to everyone to become a full-time church worker. It is
a call
to make our entire life--our work, our play, our family relationships, everything--pleasing
in God's
sight. The ironic thing is that when we renounce everything for Christ's sake, we find
that we are
the winners.
(Luke
18:22-23
NRSV)
I read once that of the 70,000 members registered with the Screen Actors Guild, 80%
earn less
than $5,000 per year. Remember that if any of you are star-struck and ready to head
for
Hollywood. Only 3% earn more than $50,000 a year. Yet many of these professional
actors will
tell you that acting is their life. Why do they do it? Evidently it is not the money. Then
why?
Loving God, thank you for loving me enough to make me a winner through Jesus Christ
my
savior. Amen.
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